NYC legal providers say they need $461M to make ‘right to counsel’ a reality
Andrew Wagner, partner in Herrick's Litigation Group, was quoted by Gothamist in an article discussing the right to counsel for tenants in housing court in New York City. A coalition of nonprofit legal service providers is asking city lawmakers to set aside $461 million in the upcoming budget to hire staff to take on a rising number of eviction cases and meet a mandate that is supposed to guarantee an attorney for every low-income tenant.
The article notes, "Landlord attorneys also say facing off against another lawyer has its benefits. Tenant attorneys help streamline fair settlements, recover missed rent and make the court system run more efficiently."
Andrew is quoted as saying, "Litigation is technical and it can be overwhelming for an individual. If they’re represented by an attorney, and assuming they are competent, it makes it much easier to deal with the case and negotiate a resolution."