Identity & Professional Credentials
Education · Bar Admissions · Career Timeline
Executive Assessment
Kristie Ortiz (formerly Lam) appears to be a career public-interest attorney whose work has centered on affordable housing preservation, tenant representation, legal-aid services, community development, eviction prevention, and housing-policy reform. Her public statements and testimony support tenant protections, eviction-record sealing, right to counsel, and municipal rental inspections.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Education | J.D., New York Law School (NY court registration record) |
| Bar Admissions | Admitted to the New York bar in 2010; also admitted in Florida (NY court registration record) |
| Current Role | Managing Attorney, Housing & Community Economic Development Program, ABLE (Advocates for Basic Legal Equality), Dayton, Ohio |
| Prior Firm | Brooklyn Legal Services Corp A (c. 2015–2023) |
| Focus Areas | Affordable housing, tenant representation, eviction prevention, legal-aid services, community development, housing policy reform |
Career Timeline
Litigation Database
Advocacy Highlights · Key Cases · Legal Activity
NYCHA Gas Outage & Housing-Condition Litigation
Represented tenants in New York City Housing Authority matters relating to gas outages and inadequate housing conditions. Litigation centered on ensuring NYCHA met basic habitability standards for public housing residents.
Sources: Amsterdam News, Sept. 30, 2022 · Build Up Justice
Ohio Supreme Court Amicus Briefing
Counsel for Ohio legal-aid amici, North Canton v. CF Homes (Ohio S.Ct. 2025-0458), supporting municipal rental-inspection warrants.
Source: Amicus brief (PDF)
New York Housing Court – General Representation
Broad tenant representation in New York housing matters through Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, spanning eviction defense, housing-condition enforcement, and habitability claims.
Legislative Testimony – Eviction Record Reform
Provided testimony in support of eviction-record sealing legislation, arguing for uniformity in Ohio law to ensure due process and reduce the lasting burden of eviction records on residential histories.
Source: Written testimony, Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee, SB 204, Nov. 17, 2025
Legislative & Public Policy Activity
Testimony · Advocacy · Government Engagement
Right-to-Counsel Advocacy (New York, 2023)
Joint testimony to the NYC Office of Civil Justice on right-to-counsel for tenants facing eviction (Feb. 24, 2023). City Limits reports she testified about housing-attorney attrition and vacancies among right-to-counsel providers.
Sources: Joint testimony, Feb. 24, 2023 · City Limits coverage of the hearing
Eviction-Record Sealing (Ohio Legislature)
Testified before the Ohio Legislature in support of legislation that would seal eviction records. Argued that lack of uniformity in current law creates disparate outcomes across counties, denying due process to Ohioans with evictions in their residential histories.
Source: Written testimony, Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee, SB 204, Nov. 17, 2025
Municipal Rental Inspection Authority (Ohio Supreme Court)
Counsel for Ohio legal-aid amici, North Canton v. CF Homes (Ohio S.Ct. 2025-0458), supporting municipal rental-inspection warrants.
Source: Amicus brief (PDF)
NYC Office of Civil Justice – Joint Testimony
Joint testimony submitted to the NYC Office of Civil Justice right-to-counsel hearing on Feb. 24, 2023.
Source: Joint testimony (PDF)
Public Statements & Quote Database
Attributable Quotes from Public Sources
It is 100% a race issue. It's a social economic issue.
These tenants are living in New York City housing. The greatest, richest city in the world is not providing the most basic needs for their tenants.
There is no uniformity, and because of that tenants in some counties will never have any of their evictions sealed.
Uniformity in the law is the best way to ensure due process and give Ohioans the chance of a brighter future without the burden of an eviction on their residential histories.
Publications, Interviews & Media
Media Coverage · Linked Documents
City Limits
Quoted in City Limits coverage of the Feb. 24, 2023 Office of Civil Justice right-to-counsel hearing. City Limits is a nonprofit news organization covering urban policy in New York City.
Amsterdam News
Quoted in the Amsterdam News (Sept. 30, 2022) in coverage of the Coney Island NYCHA gas lawsuit. The Amsterdam News is a historic Black newspaper with extensive coverage of New York City community and civil rights matters.
State Court Report
Amicus brief in North Canton v. CF Homes (Ohio S.Ct. 2025-0458), hosted by the State Court Report, listing her as counsel for amicus ABLE.
Build Up Justice (BUJ)
Quoted in Build Up Justice's account of the 2022 Coney Island rally, where she is identified as Director of the Preserving Affordable Housing Program.
Housing Policy Analysis
Stated Positions from the Public Record
Policy Profile Summary
Based on public statements, legislative testimony, and litigation activity, Kristie Ortiz (formerly Lam) has publicly supported tenant protections, eviction-record sealing, right to counsel, and municipal rental inspections.
Stated Support Positions
Public Social & Professional Footprint
Linked Online Presence
| Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Source linked | Professional profile. linkedin.com/in/kristieortiz | |
| Build Up Justice (BUJ) | Source linked | Quoted in coverage of a 2022 rally. Build Up Justice article |
Overall Footprint Assessment
Kristie Ortiz (formerly Lam) maintains a focused public professional presence concentrated in legal-sector channels: LinkedIn, court registration records, and nonprofit and news coverage.
Controversy & Risk Review
Disciplinary · Legal · Reputational · Political
Overall Risk Assessment: Low
No evidence was located of bar discipline, criminal matters, racist statements, discriminatory conduct findings, or major personal scandals. The public record reviewed does not surface significant legal, personal, or institutional risk factors.
Risk Factor Matrix
Political Controversy Note
The most politically contested public statement identified frames a housing issue through racial and socioeconomic equity lenses (quoted once, with its source, in Section 4).
This framing is consistent with mainstream tenant-rights and legal-aid advocacy positions but may generate opposition in contexts where racial-equity framing is politically contested. It does not represent evidence of discriminatory conduct, illegal activity, or professional misconduct.
Source Appendix
All Public Sources Referenced in This Report