A Hotshot Corporate Lawyer Got Angry About Illegal Evictions — And Then Did Something About It

Dallas tax attorney Mark Melton was profiled in a Texas Monthly article highlighting his work founding and spearheading the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center (DEAC), a nonprofit that aids tenants facing eviction. Mr. Melton started the organization during the pandemic after a post on social media sharing information about emergency tenant protections spurred a slew of phone calls asking about next steps. What he envisioned as a temporary operation has grown into a full-time gig with a staff of 15. The team represents tenants in court, advises them on what are often confusing state rental laws and otherwise advocates for tenants' rights. For example, Mr. Melton has visited properties with city officials, noting conditions like a lack of air conditioning and using posts on social media and interviews with news networks to put pressure on landlords to tend to their properties. Now one of the area's go-to resources for tenant protections, he said his own experience with homelessness motivates him to continue to help those in need.

"In the back of my mind I'm always thinking, it's not always their fault," he says. "It doesn't mean they're lazy or stupid. I tend to have compassion based on my own experience, because maybe they're going through something similar, where they were pretty smart, and they were hard workers, and life just beat...them. Maybe they just need a helping hand."

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