In a New York Times letter to the editor, Feerick Center for Social Justice Executive Director Dora Galacatos discussed the injustices facing low-income New Yorkers struggling with debt collection.
To the Editor:
Re “Do Debtors Really Need a Lawyer When Sued?” (news article, Jan. 26):
Yes, they do! Hundreds of thousands of overwhelmingly Black and brown low-income people face debt collection in New York State — from pending cases and cases in which creditors secured court judgments against them. Why should they have to settle for nonprofessional counsel in legal proceedings that can determine if they have food on the table and a roof over their heads for themselves and their families?
If you have the means, you would never settle for a nonprofessional, and they should not have to either. New York State should expand civil legal services in this grossly underfunded area, particularly at this critical time.
Dora Galacatos
New York
The writer is executive director of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, Fordham University School of Law.