March 20, 2023

On March 17, 2023, David Udell, Executive Director of the National Center for Access to Justice, and Bruce Green, a law professor at Fordham Law School, coauthored an op ed in The New York Times titled, What’s Wrong With Getting a Little Free Legal Advice? The op ed describes the importance of a lawsuit brought by a reverend in the South Bronx, and by a nonprofit organization, Upsolve, that is challenging the "unauthorized practice laws" of New York State on the ground that these laws unconstitutionally interfere with the First Amendment freedom of the reverend to speak with members of his community about their legal problems, including to give them free advice on how to complete court-approved Answer forms. The lower court ruled in favor of the reverend and Upsolve, and New York State filed an appeal. We invite you to read the op ed and consider NCAJ's amicus brief. Please also visit our website to learn more about NCAJ's additional Legal Empowerment initiatives and other projects to increase access to justice

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