The role of trained nonlawyer volunteers is at the center of a back-and-forth court case between nonprofit Upsolve, Inc. and Letitia James, attorney general of the state of New York. This “Student Voices” episode tackles both the access to justice issues at stake for indigent defendants in debt collection cases, as well as New York’s unauthorized practice of law statute governing the decision(s), including the most recent ruling by the New York District Court in March. When a service akin to legal and procedural translation is measured against the practice of law itself, it leaves access to justice in an uncertain state.
Read the corresponding blog post.
Speakers:
- Ashil Jhaveri, J.D. Candidate, Harvard Law School
Resources mentioned:
- New York’s Unauthorized Practice of Law statute
- Upsolve, Inc. v. Letitia James (2022)
- Upsolve, Inc. v. Letitia James (2025)
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Proof Over Precedent cover art by Courtney Chrystal