Landlord-Tenant—Witness Advocate Rule Inapplicable to Non-Lawyer Employee (a Paralegal) at Law Firm

Petitioners, occupants at the subject building (building), sought, an order "to correct outstanding violations and a finding they have been harassed, as defined in the Housing Maintenance Code (HMC)." The court had issued an order to correct the outstanding violations. A trial was then scheduled to determine the petitioners' remaining claims, including harassment.

The petitioners had advised the respondents that they intended to call "A," an employee of petitioners' law firm (paralegal), as a trial witness. The respondents moved for an order barring "A" from testifying, arguing that she "acted as an attorney for petitioners."