Legal Services NYC is the nation’s largest civil legal services provider. Their staff helps New Yorkers with a wide range of problems, including stopping evictions, preserving housing subsidies, ensuring access to health care, and fighting for the rights of domestic violence victims.
NYLPI trains and mentors talented lawyers who work with communities facing real-life challenges. They also help to fill in the gaps that government and other social services cannot.
The Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society of New York City is an organization that fights for social justice and human dignity by providing free legal services to low-income residents of New York. The society provides a range of legal services for individuals in need including housing, family law, public benefits, criminal defense, and civil rights. The organization also serves communities through programs such as Legal Assistance on Wheels, which brings lawyers to meet clients in their local neighborhoods.
Legal Aid has been plagued by budget cuts and a growing caseload. In an attempt to address these issues, the Society launched its toll-free Access to Benefits Helpline in the summer of 2012. Volunteers staff the line, assisting callers who need help with unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps and public health insurance. The Society has also recently expanded its immigration services.
In an effort to reduce its massive backlog, the Society is also reducing its staff. This has been a painful process for those who remain. One of the most glaring examples of this trend was the firing of Philip Weinstein, who ran one of the country’s best criminal appeals bureaus. The firing sparked a letter to the New York Law Journal from 120 Legal Aid attorneys protesting the decision.
As the city’s largest civil-rights group, the Legal Aid Society is a major influence on government policy. In the past, it advocated for policies such as criminal decriminalization and racial profiling. However, in the current political climate of anti-immigrant sentiment and increasing concern about terrorism, Legal Aid has taken a hard turn to the left.
The organization’s new leadership has pushed for radical changes in its internal culture. In the words of one union critic, it is seeking to transform the organization into a “sixties-style legal commune.” The new leadership has established policy councils in each division with equal union and management representation. The union president, Michael Letwin, has even participated in staff meetings.
These shifts have not gone over well with the public. In fact, some of the most ferocious opposition to Legal Aid has come from within poor communities themselves. Tenant council leaders from public housing projects complain that the Society is disproportionately championing “disorderly poor” tenants at the expense of their law-abiding neighbors.
The New York County Lawyers Association
The New York County Lawyers Association is an organization of attorneys dedicated to advancing the science of jurisprudence, promoting more efficient county and city government; cultivating close personal and professional relationships among county attorney and corporation counsel offices throughout the State; fostering public service by its members; arranging for the provision by its members of free legal services to indigent and low income persons; and encouraging diversity in the legal profession. NYCLA is one of the most distinguished bar associations in the country, and has pioneered many far-reaching reforms to American jurisprudence and public policy. NYCLA is composed of lawyers of all experience levels and backgrounds, including new attorneys, established practitioners, educators, judges and public sector attorneys. NYCLA has a long history of helping the underserved, and consists of more than 5,000 members across the boroughs of New York City.
Since its inception in 1908, NYCLA has sought to improve the administration of justice and the quality of legal representation. NYCLA believes in a broader definition of the legal profession and is proud to include women, minorities and immigrants in its membership. NYCLA’s efforts are guided by its core values of fairness, integrity, honor and courtesy, which reflect the spirit of the association and its members.
NYCLA is currently engaged in a lawsuit against the City of New York regarding the legal aid system and conflict cases. NYCLA’s complaint alleges that the City is violating its statutory rights to provide legal assistance to the indigent through Article 18-B, section 722 of the County Law. The complaint asserts that the City is not authorized to assign conflict cases to institutional providers without the consent of the petitioner county bar associations.
The CPLR article 78 proceeding is scheduled for trial in September. The litigation is important for the county bar associations and other institutional providers who are committed to ensuring that indigent defendants receive the best possible defense. The complaint seeks to preserve and enhance the statutory right to private counsel under Article 18-B, as well as other judicially created protections for the public.
New York Lawyers of the Public Interest
NYLPI’s lawyers take a broad approach to social justice, working to protect the civil rights of New Yorkers, strengthen communities, and attack systemic problems. Their work includes litigation, policy advocacy, and partnerships with community groups and nonprofit organizations. The organization also provides pro bono services through its Pro Bono Clearinghouse, which matches volunteer attorneys from prestigious law firms and corporate legal departments with community-based groups.
In addition to the opportunities that are available through its clearinghouse, NYLPI’s in-house legal team also does substantive legal work on disability rights, environmental justice, and access to health care cases. For example, a class action lawsuit filed by NYLPI and coalition partners against the City and its police force challenges the constitutionality of the practice of sending officers to respond to mental health crises, which has resulted in unnecessary detentions, serious injuries, hospitalizations, and 19 deaths of people with disabilities at the hands of the police.
Another example of NYLPI’s advocacy work involves its ongoing partnership with CMS to run naturalization clinics, which allow legal permanent residents to meet one-on-one with a volunteer attorney to complete their applications for citizenship. This partnership has been halted as a result of the pandemic, but NYLPI is committed to restarting these clinics once the crisis subsides.
Nonprofits face a variety of administrative issues, including financial management, regulatory compliance, and contract negotiation. NYLPI helps address these issues through its Administrative Law Program, which provides representation in litigation, administrative proceedings, and legislative advocacy. The program also helps nonprofits comply with state and federal regulations, and assists with the preparation of tax-exempt applications.
As an integral part of its work, NYLPI also provides educational opportunities for students and other community members. Its Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law is dedicated to advancing the social justice missions of nonprofit organizations and increasing the number of highly skilled public interest lawyers. The Center offers academic programs, events, publications, experiential opportunities, and other initiatives that serve the needs of the community. It also serves as a “one-stop” resource for students seeking public interest-focused academic and career advising.
The New York Legal Assistance Group
The New York Legal Assistance Group of New York City combats social and economic injustice by delivering comprehensive free civil legal services. These include representation, case consultation, policy advocacy, community education and training. NYLAG has multiple programs that focus on specific legal issues, including family law, domestic violence, immigration, civil rights and evictions. They also offer financial counseling and advocacy to help clients access other necessary resources.
The organization’s Matrimonial/Family Law Unit provides representation for divorce, custody, visitation and support issues. They also provide mediation for couples who wish to resolve their disputes without going to court. The unit also helps families find pro bono or low-bono lawyers to represent them in their cases.
Other areas of practice include disability rights, housing and consumer debt, evictions and homelessness, civil rights and veterans’ affairs. In addition, NYLAG runs the first mobile legal help center in the state. The organization aims to increase the number of people who receive legal help. Its staff includes volunteer lawyer programs, law school students and recent graduates. Its programs serve many populations, including those living in poverty, the elderly, children with special needs and immigrants.
DRNY’s mission is to ensure that all adults and children with disabilities are able to exercise their rights, live independently, work in the community, and participate fully in society. The organization advocates for change through public information and advocacy, coalition building, and litigation. They also provide technical support to individuals and organizations working on similar issues. DRNY is a member of the American Association of People with Disabilities and the New York Council on Developmental Disabilities. Founded in 1990, the organization provides a variety of free legal services to poor and near-poor individuals and families. Its staff of attorneys and paralegals is trained to identify potential legal issues for their clients. They also provide referrals to other organizations for additional services. They also assist victims of domestic violence and children in need of a guardian ad litem. Their work is funded by grants and donations. The organization is registered as a non-profit and is subject to federal tax laws.
