2026-2028
Lex Uttamsingh earned her law degree from New York University School of Law in 2026. Prior to attending law school, she worked at DOROT, a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating social isolation in older adults. Her time at DOROT, combined with her lifelong close relationship with her nonna, is the foundation of Lex’s interest in elder law. This interest was cultivated throughout law school as an intern with New York Legal Assistance Group’s Elder Law Practice.
There, she advocated for older New Yorkers to access necessary government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid home care. As a student of New York University School of Law’s Basic Income Lab, she worked with the local Department of Social Services to secure an income disregard for the school’s cash transfer pilot program. This would ensure that program participants’ government benefits wouldn’t be jeopardized by participating in the study on basic income. Lex’s experiences, combined with her love of working with older adults, have made her keenly interested in the intersection of our social safety net and aging.
As a 2026-2028 Borchard Fellow, Lex is delighted to join Access Justice Brooklyn’s team and work to ensure economic security for older New Yorkers. Her project will be dedicated to enrolling New Yorkers ages 62 and older in the state’s Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program. She will also join Access Justice Brooklyn’s bankruptcy team and assist older adults in filing for bankruptcy. By effectively freezing their rent and eliminating existing debts they face, Lex’s work at Access Justice Brooklyn will address the impact that New York’s cost of living crisis has had on older New Yorkers.
