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. 

Recent Articles

Watch the Videos from NCAJ's Access to Justice Solutions Symposium of February 9, 2024

March 12, 2024
On February 9th, 2024, more than 500 peopled gathered or tuned in via stream to the AtJ Solutions Symposium. The sessions were videotaped that day. If you'd like to re-see what you saw, or see the sessions for the first time, you can do so at the links, below. Take a look, consider the progress of the access to justice movement, and join in the work to increase access to justice in America.
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Update: View the Video from Webinar Introducing NCAJ's New Consumer Debt Litigation Index and Two Additional New Tools for Increasing Fairness in Consumer Debt Litigation

March 8, 2024
Update: View the Webinar (link below) from March 14, 2024, when NCAJ joined the Center for Public Health Law Research of Temple University Beasley School of Law and the National Consumer Law Center for NCLC's national webinar introducing these organizations' three new tools for increasing fairness in consumer debt litigation.
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New “Consumer Debt Litigation Index” Ranks States on Best Policies for Access to Justice

March 4, 2024
The National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) at Fordham Law School today announced the release of the Consumer Debt Litigation Index, an on-line resource that demonstrates that every U.S. state and the District of Columbia lack essential legal standards to protect consumers from wrongful, abusive debt collection tactics that can lead to homelessness, family breakup, overwhelming stress and other devastating consequences for families and individuals. There are signs of progress and many states are trying to improve, but every state has a long way to go.
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