Non-Lawyers Lose a Fight and DA Money Talk

The Second Circuit on Tuesday rejected a company’s argument that non-lawyers could dispense legal advice.

Upsolve, which offers legal services online and in real life, lost its bid to get exempted from rules that limit the practice of law to lawyers. The circuit judge said a trial court erred by finding New York’s regulations on legal practice violated free speech protections.

Upsolve has been fighting to have its trained non-lawyers offer debt collection support. It’s backed by the NAACP and a cadre of law professors who wrote to the court, saying the company filled an access-to-justice need.

New York Attorney ...