In and out of the courtroom, Staff Attorneys from our Consumer Law Project are helping clients with financial challenges so they can overcome them and thrive.

Outside the courtroom, our clients face diverse challenges that prevent them from thriving in New York City. To give them the tools they need to thrive in every area of their lives, our Civil Practice includes many different projects, programs, and units designed to serve the unique needs of our clients.

It’s important that we’re on the ground. We know the issues that our clients are facing.

Tashi Lhewa, a Supervising Attorney in our Consumer Law Project, helps his clients handle debt collections, identity theft, auto and student loans, credit reporting, unfair lending practices, and more. “It runs the gamut,” Tashi explains. After living as a Tibetan refugee in India throughout his childhood, Tashi moved to the U.S. when he was 17. He went to school, got his law degree, and moved to New York in 2009 to join The Legal Aid Society. Now, in his current role, his work is impacting clients from every borough and every walk of life.

The Consumer Law Project also proactively protects the rights of New Yorkers through affirmative litigation and legislative advocacy. This is crucial work, since less than 5% of defendants in consumer debt cases in NYC have representation. For Tashi, this work has important implications for all of the Legal Aid Society—”the fairness of our legal system is premised on both parties having equal resources.” But for New Yorkers facing consumer law issues, there’s nothing close to equality.