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In 2002, Columbia University announced that it would build an expansion campus in West Harlem. It could not assemble all of the properties that it wanted by voluntary purchase, however, so it's relying on the state's use of eminent domain to appropriate the last remaining parcels. The primary justification for the taking is that the land is "blighted," but the property owners disagree. They claim the real purpose is to benefit Columbia, and that this is prohibited by the Fifth Amendment, which states that private property may only be taken for "public use." In June, the New York State high court ruled against the property owners. They're currently seeking review from the United States Supreme Court.

Amy Lavine is pro bono counsel to New York State Senator Bill Perkins, whose district includes the site of Columbia's proposed expansion campus. Senator Perkins proposed legislation in 2010 that would place more restrictions on the use of "blight" for urban redevelopment takings, and he has submitted amicus ("friend of the court") briefs in the ongoing litigation in support of the property owners. In 2009, Lavine also served as pro bono counsel to the property owners in the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards case, which was ultimately decided in favor of the developer. Aside from her involvement in these cases, Lavine is a staff attorney at the Government Law Center at Albany Law School. Her scholarly work focuses on community development, land use, and environmental law. She graduated with a BA from Simon's Rock in 2002, and received her J.D. from Albany Law School in 2007.