Anika Singh Lemar
Clinical Professor of Law
Anika Singh Lemar is a Clinical Professor at Yale Law School. She teaches the Community and Economic Development clinic (CED), which provides transactional legal services to organizations seeking to advance economic opportunity. CED’s clients include affordable housing developers, community development financial institutions, farms and farmer’s markets, fair housing advocates, and neighborhood associations.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Education & Curriculum Vitae
J.D., New York University School of Law, 2004
B.A., Yale University, 2001
Courses Taught
- Community and Economic Development
- Transnational Development Clinic
Anika Singh Lemar is a Clinical Professor at Yale Law School where she teaches the Community and Economic Development clinic (CED). CED’s clients include affordable housing developers, small businesses, community development financial institutions, farms and farmer’s markets, fair housing advocates, cooperatives, and neighborhood associations. Professor Lemar writes about land use, zoning, and affordable housing. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the American Bar Association’s Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Project. She has served on a variety of boards and commissions including, currently, the board of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, the Commission on Connecticut’s Development and Future, the City of New Haven’s Affordable Housing Commission, and the board of New Haven Bank.
Prior to joining the Yale Law School faculty, Professor Lemar practiced real estate law at a Connecticut law firm. She began her career as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Janet C. Hall of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut and, later, as a Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney at the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center (since renamed TakeRootJustice) in New York.
Professor Lemar received her B.A., cum laude, in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University and her J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar, a Dean’s Scholar, and a Robert McKay Scholar. While in law school, she received the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans and helped to found Next City, a highly-regarded urban affairs publication.
Monday, June 5, 2023
Lamont Claims ‘More Housing Built Last Year Than Anytime This Century’ in CT. That’s False.
CT Insider
Clinical Professor Anika Singh Lemar comments on claims that construction of housing in Connecticut was at a high last year.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Houston Leaders Debate Merits of ‘Conservation Districts’ Proposal
Planetizen
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar comments on how a proposed new neighborhood designation in Houston would affect housing affordability.
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
CT Lawmakers Eye Major Reforms to Address Housing Crisis
The Hour
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar comments on past attempts in Connecticut to encourage cities and towns to loosen zoning regulations so that more housing can be built — part of a new plan Gov. Ned Lamont is proposing to address the lack of affordable housing in the state.
Friday, January 27, 2023
“A Case Study in Perseverance”: Homes Break Ground After Years of Help from Clinics
An apartment complex is being redeveloped in Branford, Connecticut, where two Yale Law School clinics represented local partners working for affordable housing.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Schools Team Up to Work for Affordable, Vibrant Neighborhoods
A new course brings together Yale Law School students and faculty and their counterparts at two Yale professional schools with community partners to find real-world solutions to the state’s affordable housing crisis. A funding commitment from the state of Connecticut means their development proposals could become actual housing in New Haven.
Friday, December 23, 2022
Whose Boom Is It? City Cut Top Investors $166M Break In 2022
New Haven Independent
Clinical Professor Anika Singh Lemar and Professor of Law David Schleicher comment on how tax appraisals work in an analysis of the year’s largest commerical property transactions in New Haven.
Monday, December 12, 2022
Are Owner-Occupancy Requirements Driving up Housing Costs?
Smartcities
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar comments on the effect of owner-occupancy requirements on affordable housing.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Why Everyone in CT Should Care About Affordable Housing and 8-30g
CT Insider
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar explains the Connecticut affordable housing law known as 8-30g.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Clinics File Civil Rights Lawsuit Challenging Exclusionary Zoning in Connecticut
A new lawsuit brought by Yale Law School clinics challenges the zoning policies of Woodbridge, Connecticut.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
As Halls Road Zoning Advocates Emphasize Flexibility, Legal Experts Say Otherwise
CT Examiner
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar addresses efforts to change zoning rules in Old Lyme.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Clinics Mobilize to Provide Assistance During the Pandemic
The Housing Clinic and the Community and Economic Development Clinic have worked throughout the pandemic to ameliorate the risks to tenants and small business owners.
Monday, August 2, 2021
“IZ” Housing Bill On Tap; Will It Work?
The New Haven Independent
Clinical Professor Anika Singh Lemar is quoted about a proposed inclusionary zoning law in New Haven.
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Scanlon Forces Lamont To Keep Focused on Tax Fairness, Relief for Middle Class
CT Mirror
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar comments on the use of a tax fairness study as part of the latest Connecticut state budget.
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Zoning Commissioners in Woodbridge Approve Modified Housing Rules, Largely Rejecting Bid to Far-Reaching Reforms
The Hartford Courant
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar is quoted about a proposal for zoning regulations for the town of Woodbridge, Connecticut, that were developed in part by the Yale Law School Housing Clinic.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Suburb Housing Quest Enters New Phase
New Haven Independent
Karen Anderson ’21 is quoted and the Community and Economic Development Clinic is mentioned in a New Haven Independent report on efforts to challenge zoning restrictions in Woodbridge, Connecticut.
Monday, March 29, 2021
Clinics Aid in Affordable Housing Redevelopment
Yale Law School’s Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development (CED) and Housing Clinic represented the Branford (Conn.) Housing Authority to help provide new and rejuvenated affordable housing in the town.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
How CT Spends Latest Federal Relief Will Shape Economic Future
Connecticut Post
Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School Anika Singh Lemar is quoted in a Connecticut Post article about how Connecticut’s use of federal coronavirus relief could shape the state’s economic future.
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Professor Singh Lemar and Three Alumni Selected as James W. Cooper Fellows
Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School Anika Singh Lemar and three Law School alumni have been selected as James W. Cooper Fellows for the Connecticut Bar Foundation.
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Professor Singh Lemar on Affordable Housing, Small Business, and Community
Clinical Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar speaks about her clinic work, affordable housing, and New Haven.
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
City, ‘Burb Clash On Open-Housing Quest
New Haven Independent
Karen Anderson ’21, Xuanling Xu ’22, and Patrick Holland ’22 are quoted in a New Haven Independent report about a special meeting about multifamily housing restrictions in Woodbridge.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Urban Housing Lauded; Suburbs Challenged
New Haven Independent
Clinical Associate Professor Anika Singh Lemar and Karen Anderson ’21 are quoted in a New Haven Independent article about efforts by the Community & Economic Development Clinic to challenge zoning restrictions in Woodbridge, Connecticut.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Clinic Students Help Civil Rights Advocates Demand Zoning Changes to Support Fair Housing
Open Communities Alliance has submitted an application to the Woodbridge Planning and Zoning Commission calling for changes to the town’s discriminatory zoning policies.
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Appointees: Less Parking = More Housing
New Haven Independent
Clinical Associate Professor Anika Singh-Lemar is quoted in the New Haven Independent about parking minimums for new housing developments.
Monday, July 20, 2020
The Pandemic Has Pushed Aside City Planning Rules. But to Whose Benefit?
The New York Times
Clinical Associate Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar is quoted in a New York Times article about how the coronavirus has shaped urban planning.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Yale Law Clinic Students Help Small Businesses Navigate COVID-19 Pandemic
Connecticut Law Tribune
Nathan Baker Clinical Professor of Law Jay Pottenger ’75 and Clinical Associate Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar are mentioned in a Connecticut Law Tribune article about students with the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization who are helping New Haven businesses navigate the COVID-19 crisis. Hannah Abelow ’21, Natasha Kahn ’21, and Jeff Schroeder ’21 are quoted.
Monday, April 20, 2020
Clinic Students Provide Resources for Greater New Haven Businesses and Nonprofits
Several dozen Law School students are working together to offer support to organizations in the greater New Haven community as they confront the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
After one alarming tax fairness study, CT is wary of launching a second
CT Mirror
Clinical Associate Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar is quoted in a CT Mirror article about Connecticut taxes.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Westport event explores link between housing, segregation
Westport News
Clinical Associate Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar is quoted about a recent event where speakers discussed the historical connection between segregation and affordable housing in Fairfield County.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Ludwig Center Report Advocates for Accessible Banking Features
On November 6, 2019, the Ludwig Center for Community and Economic Development at Yale Law School, together with the Program for Recovery and Community Health at the Yale Department of Psychiatry and the Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation, Inc., presented a report, “Banking for All: Why Financial Institutions Need to Offer Supportive Banking Features.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
CED Clinic Provides Training for Local Refugee Food Entrepreneurs
Yale graduate students and fellows in the Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development held training sessions for participants in Sanctuary Kitchen’s Kitchen Incubator Program.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Yale Law School Clinics Help Launch Legal Food Hub
Building on a growing interest in food law, two Yale Law School clinics recently helped launch the Connecticut Legal Food Hub, a free legal services clearinghouse that matches income-eligible farmers, food entrepreneurs, and related nonprofits to pro bono legal help.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
CED Clinic Appeals Decision in Branford Zoning Denial
The Branford Housing Authority and Beacon Communities filed an appeal that the Branford Planning and Zoning Commission did not adhere to the state affordable housing law in denying zoning approvals for Parkside Village.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Housing Authority, Developer Cite Bias in P&Z Parkside Decision
Branford Eagle
Clinical Associate Professor Anika Singh Lemar and the Community and Economic Development Clinic are mentioned in an article about a legal challenge to a housing project denied by the town's planning and zoning commission. The clinic represents the town's housing authority.
Monday, December 21, 2015
In NY, a 10-year legal battle seeks to pry open door to fair housing
Al Jazeera America
Clinical Associate Professor Anika Singh Lemar is quoted in an article about a legal battle for affordable housing in an upscale Long Island community.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
The Eugene and Carol Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development Provides Aid in New Haven and Beyond
The Ludwig Center continued its advocacy and legal advising for community banks, community organizations, food advocates, and other entities in 2014–2015.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
No moratorium? Selectman weigh options
The Darien Times
Clinical Associate Professor of Law Anika Singh Lemar is quoted in an article about Darien’s affordable housing issues.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Anika Singh Lemar to Join Yale Law School Faculty
Anika Singh Lemar is currently a Visiting Clinical Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Previously, while in private practice in New Haven, she represented clients in land use matters, affordable housing development, and urban revitalization efforts.