A Manhattan nonprofit has been given the green light by a federal judge to give basic legal advice to New Yorkers who have been sued over medical and other forms of debt, equipping patients who cannot afford a lawyer with greater recourse to fight health care organizations’ debt-collection efforts.
The opinion, issued in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, found that the nonprofit, Upsolve, can have volunteers counsel patients on addressing debt lawsuits without such activity being considered an unauthorized practice of law.
Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that Upsolve’s free advice is protected speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In
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