The legal profession is constantly changing, with new challenges arising and clients demanding more from their lawyers. This includes finding ways to deliver legal services in different ways, embracing technology and creating strategies that may have not been part of a firm’s focus in the past. One way that firms can do this is through a concept called law new. Law new refers to a set of concepts that aim to benefit clients and can be used as a standalone means of generating business or offering assistance without impacting other areas that are the main focus of a practice.
Law new can take a variety of forms and can be anything from a legal project or a new initiative to a completely separate business. It can be used to help underserved communities or to create new ways of providing legal assistance. It can also be a new approach to delivering legal services, an alternative form of practicing law or a non-traditional way to charge for legal services.
One example of law new is a bill that would prohibit hospitals, health care professionals and certified ambulances from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. This is meant to prevent a person’s medical debt from being reported and having a negative effect on their ability to get a job, rent an apartment or build long-term wealth. The bill has been endorsed by the Urban Institute and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Another example of law new is a bill that will require businesses to post item prices in two formats, including the credit card price and the cash price. This will help consumers to avoid being overcharged, especially when shopping at retail establishments that offer two-tiered pricing systems. This bill has been endorsed by consumer advocates, community organizations and the City’s Chamber of Commerce.
A third example of law new is a bill that allows NYCHA residents to file a petition for a court order to stop the installation of keyless security devices in their buildings. The petition must state that the resident is unable to afford to pay for the device and that the installation will impede the resident’s ability to use common spaces and exercise their rights to freedom of association and speech. The petition must be filed in surrogate’s court.