Naomi Young

The Project

Naomi promoted economic justice by providing legal services and other financial advocacy to women living in poverty and facing economic crisis caused by divorce, domestic abuse, and consumer debt.

Women living in poverty are disproportionately impacted by the financial trauma of divorce, especially when they are saddled with debts which will trap their family in poverty.  Often, these financial crises are caused by partner abuse, such as the withholding of income, identity theft, and coercive debt.  Creditors and debt buyers may mirror and perpetuate patterns of power and control by harassing and deceitfully obtaining default judgments against uninformed and unrepresented defendants.  This project expanded Her Justice’s existing services for women in New York City’s five boroughs by providing holistic legal representation and financial advocacy in consumer debt defense cases and in divorces.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship period, Naomi:

• Directly represented 13 women in 15 legal cases, and co-mentored pro bono teams on an additional five cases in Family Court, Supreme Court Matrimonial and Consumer Defense
• Provided advice, counsel, and brief services to over 259 people through Her Justice, CLARO clinics, and Volunteer Lawyer for the Day programs
• Designed and executed a two-day pro bono training and legal clinic at Kramer Levin to provide legal services for women at the initial stages of a litigated divorce
• Trained community partners and Her Justice staff on Domestic Violence and Consumer Debt Issues, by conducting trainings and creating educational materials, including a Debt Assessment Tool

Next Steps

Naomi continues to develop the Marital Debt Project at Her Justice as a staff attorney. She is currently working to expand the legal services provided and advocate for systemic awareness and change.

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