Evictions in New York are soaring. It’s my job to stop the bleeding

More than 146,000 landlords have filed for eviction since early last year. Here's what it's like for a housing lawyer

Last fall I began representing a woman who came to court to try to get her apartment back after she had been evicted just a few days prior. She was elderly, disabled and living alone on a fixed income after the death of her husband. Our only option to restore her tenancy was to find a way to pay her ever-growing and insurmountable rental debt of over $40,000.

When we accepted this case, her prospects were bleak and no one believed that my office could get a positive result. The situation was difficult because once someone has been evicted, no defenses can be raised, and the money owed must be paid in full to retain the apartment - before the landlord rents it to someone else.