The Legal Aid Society is built upon one simple but powerful belief: that no person should be denied their right to equal justice.
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Justice in Every Borough
Annual Report 2018
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Our Mission
Delivering Justice in Every Borough
The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice. We seek to be a beacon of hope for New Yorkers who feel neglected—regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how they identify. From our start over 140 years ago, our growth has mirrored that of the city we serve, and today, we are proud to be the largest, most influential social justice law firm in New York City.
Our staff and attorneys deliver justice in every borough, working tirelessly to defend our clients and dismantle the hidden, systemic barriers that can prevent them from thriving in New York City. As passionate advocates for individuals and families, The Legal Aid Society is an indispensable component of the legal, social, and economic fabric of New York City.
Report of the President & Chair
At The Legal Aid Society, giving a voice to every New Yorker is our life's calling. In 2018, this mission was more important than ever as threats to the safety and liberty of our clients multiplied, driving our staff to work harder on behalf of those we serve.
We did our part to fight the discrimination and divisiveness on the national level by advocating for New Yorkers whose futures were put at risk. As immigration took center stage, our teams worked to defend and reunite children with their families—filing a class action lawsuit to demand the federal government give lawyers 48 hours notice before transferring their clients and to provide more specific plans for children’s relocation. Another highlight of the year was New York State’s passing of the “Raise the Age” law, which ended the practice of treating 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system.
This year, we also recognized it was time to ensure our brand and communications strategy reflected the organization we are today and who we wish to become. We spent months taking stock of our values, goals, and our raison d’etre, concluding that the cornerstone of our brand are both the people we fight for and the people who commit themselves to the fight. While our work is by no means done, we’re excited and proud to share our new brand in the hopes that our efforts are more clearly understood and that we're able to ensure more stories end happily for New Yorkers for years to come.
We're also pleased to start 2019 with the announcement of our new Attorney-in-Chief, Janet Sabel, who will serve on an interim basis, facilitating the search for a new permanent Attorney-in-Chief. Her 25 years of experience at The Legal Aid Society, paired with her eight-year tenure at the New York State Attorney General’s Office make her ideal for the position. We hope you’ll join us in welcoming her with enthusiasm. We would also like to personally acknowledge the incredible work of our General Counsel, Scott Rosenberg, during this transition period.
Thank you to our Board of Directors, Sustaining Firms, Practice Heads, and staff for making the essential work we do possible. We look forward to continuing to tenaciously defend and passionately advocate for the rights of all New Yorkers—finding new ways to ensure they receive equal protection and justice in every borough.
AID SOCIETY
OF DIRECTORS
At The Legal Aid Society, we’ve got the best of everything. It’s about going to communities to ask them: What do you need? How can we service you?
Justice in Every Borough
Where We Work
As the only nonprofit law firm with offices in every borough, you don’t have to look far to see the impact of The Legal Aid Society across New York City.
Brooklyn Civil Practice
Two Sunset Park landlords were forced to re-regulated their adjacent apartment buildings following our class action on behalf of a group of tenants to address a decades-long practice of discrimination against Latinos and other tenants of color.
Queens Civil Practice
We sued the landlord and property manager on behalf of residents of a building in Flushing, Queens. The landlord was reaping the tax benefits of New York’s J-51 program for nearly 40 years without abiding by rent stabilization laws.
Bronx Housing Court
Our Tenant Rights Coalition challenged 249 open housing violations on behalf of the residents of 643 Southern Boulevard—a building which has been without cooking gas since 2017.
Manhattan Juvenile Rights Practice
In 2018, our Family Reunification Project reunited 55 clients with their families—part of their larger advocacy to counter the disproportionate representation of children of color in foster care. Removals were reduced from 86% to 36% on one caseload at a time when filings and removals were elevated citywide.
Manhattan Criminal Defense
We challenged the Manhattan District Attorney’s use of social media data mining and intelligence gathering. This violated agreements with providers and raised concerns about law enforcement using social media to spy on our clients.
Staten Island Criminal Defense
We challenged the City of New York’s planned use of video cameras within private attorney-client interview booths at the new courthouse in St.George as a violation of the 6th Amendment’s right to counsel.
Brooklyn Criminal Defense
Five years worth of investigation and advocacy succeeded in securing vacature of the second-degree murder conviction of Shawn Williams, who was wrongfully convicted for a 1993 shooting for which he served 20+ years in prison.
Queens Criminal Defense
We partnered with the Queens Borough President’s Office to provide advisory workshops on legal rights and ways to alleviate unnecessary barriers to employment with our Case Closed Project.
Milestones
Our History & Future
Over the last 140 years, we have evolved with the city we serve to meet changing demands and new legal landscapes. Explore some of the many moments that shaped who we are and where we are headed.
Our clients are fathers, sons, workers, mothers, daughters: they are our neighbors.
Our Work
What We Do
When legal, economic, and personal challenges compound, they can have devastating effects on individuals’ lives, their families, and their communities. The Legal Aid Society has the breadth and depth of expertise to work across issue areas and address the specific needs of our individual clients while advancing systemic reform.
Strengthening Families & Communities
The backbone of New York’s communities are the individuals and families who live in them. We empower the voice of children involved in Family Court. We also fight for children and individuals of all ages who have faced violence, abuse, and trafficking, as well as those fighting for access to an education, seeking a divorce, or freedom from an abusive partner. While we fight for these individuals, we push for systemic reform that will support families and their communities.
70,000+
Juvenile Rights interdisciplinary teams of Attorneys, Social Workers, Paralegals, and Investigators amplified the voice of children in 70,000+ appearances in Family Court.
Defending Immigration
We provide urgent legal services to reunify families and assist low-income immigrants in obtaining lawful status, applying for citizenship, and defending against deportation so everyone has an equal chance to thrive in New York City.
6,000
Nearly 6,000 individual cases benefited more than 13,000 people were handled by our Immigration Law Unit.
Taking on Mass Incarceration
Mass incarceration rips apart families and communities. Our Decarceration Project, Prisoners’ Rights Project, Law Reform Units, and Citywide Trial Offices fight to end the injustices of money bail and the inhumane treatment of those who are incarcerated, and advocate to ensure that poverty does not deny people their right to freedom and the presumption of innocence.
1,359
1,359 people held at Rikers Island were served by our Prisoners’ Right Project to ensure access to medical treatment, mental health services and to investigate complaints involving the use of force.
Ensuring LGBTQ+ and Racial Equity
Every day, our individual and impact litigation fights to change laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate institutionalized racism, homophobia, and transphobia. This year, we launched a Racial Justice Unit that joins our LGBTQ+ Law and Policy Unit to ensure that we continue to press for reform while also working to create an inclusive and affirming workplace.
1,500+
More than 1,500 members of our staff received cultural humility and interrupting bias training by the LGBT Law and Policy Unit.
Fighting for Economic Justice
We stand with hardworking New Yorkers to ensure they can earn a living wage and participate in the economy on equal footing. Our Employment Law Unit, Consumer Law Project, and Government Benefits and Disability Advocacy Project ensure that everyone has access to the rights and benefits to which they’re entitled.
$2.8M+
Our Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic reduced tax liabilities by $2,825,654 and recovered $69,646 in tax refunds.
A great part of this job is that it’s an opportunity to get people out of poverty. We’re helping put them on the path towards economic self-sufficiency.
Making a Difference
Our 2018 Impact
In communities, courtrooms, and in the halls of government, we work tirelessly to make New York a better place. Here is some of what we have achieved in 2018:
52,500
52,500 individual civil legal services cases benefited more than 135,000 low-income adults and children.
6,000
Nearly 6,000 people facing violations of parole were served by our Parole Revocation Defense Unit on Rikers Island.
2,849
individual services were provided to Cure Violence partner organizations across the five boroughs.
52
active cases in our law reform docket.
Campaign, Projects, & Successes
Kids Separated at the Border
In May, we met four siblings in government custody in New York who’d been separated from their mother. Ranging in age from 7 to 17, the siblings were separated from each other in different foster homes, unable to easily talk to their mother. We fought to get the family reunited in NYC.
Raise the Age
In October, New York State passed the “Raise the Age” law, which ended the practice of treating 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system. We’re proud to be working with the Governor and Mayor’s Office to ensure a successful implementation.
Time Saved, Not Time Served
Faulty sentence calculations can force New Yorkers to suffer in prisons and jails even after their sentences are up. Our Time Saved Campaign works to ensure no New Yorker remains in jail because of an administrative error in sentence calculation.
Fingerprints Expunged
Working with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, The Juvenile Rights Practice SLLRU helped reduce the stigma associated with youth arrest and prosecution by succeeding in getting 10,000 juvenile records purged state-wide.
Defending Asylum-Seekers
In May, we worked with Yee Ling Poon to win an emergency stay motion to temporarily prevent the deportation of Mr. You, an asylum seeker and father of two from China with no criminal record who had been detained by ICE.
Exonerating the Innocent
After five years of investigation with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, we successfully secured vacatur of the conviction of pro bono client Shawn Williams, who was wrongfully convicted for a 1993 shooting, for which he had served more than 20 years in prison.
At the end of the day, each case is a person who is going to return to their family and community. We want to be in a good position to work in communities directly, getting to be with individuals before an issue arises.
Board of Directors
Comprised of some of the brightest minds from law firms, corporate law departments, and law schools, our board members provide crucial guidance that strengthens our mission.
Officers of The Legal Aid Society
- Blaine (Fin) V. FoggPresident of The Legal Aid Society
- Douglas F. CurtisTreasurer
- Scott RosenbergSecretary
- Ezra Miller ChiefFinancial Officer
Chair of the Board of Directors
- Richard J. Davis
Vice Chairs of the Board of Directors
- Thomas M. Cerabino
- Douglas F. Curtis
- Mark P. Goodman
- Daniel F. Kolb
- Randy Mastro
- Sara E. Moss
- Bradley I. Ruskin
Members of the Board of Directors
- Deborah N. Archer
- Christopher D. Belelieu
- Steven M. Bierman
- Barry A. Bohrer
- Bradley J. Butwin
- Juan Cartagena
- Sarah L. Cave
- Alex V. Chachkes
- Christopher P. Conniff
- Matthew Diller
- June S. Dipchand
- William R. Dougherty
- Scott A. Edelman
- Blaine (Fin) V. Fogg
- Matthew S. Furman
- Christopher L. Garcia
- Linda C. Goldstein
- David J. Greenwald
- Jason M. Halper
- James D. Herschlein
- Tracy Richelle High
- David G. Hille
- Victor L. Hou
- David G. Januszewski
- Jeffrey L. Kessler
- Atif Khawaja
- Natalie Lamarque
- Gillian Lester
- Adeel A. Mangi
- Aaron R. Marcu
- J. Kevin McCarthy
- Roger Meltzer
- Thomas C. Meriam
- Charles C. Platt
- Brian H. Polovoy
- Sharyl A. Reisman
- William Savitt
- Bart R. Schwartz
- William Schwartz
- Audra J. Soloway
- Jeremy H. Temkin
- Dina Ganz Traugot
- Christine A. Varney
- Charles Weinstein
- Jonathan B. Whitney
- Jamie L. Wine
New Leadership Program
- Sanjay Benegal
- Benjamin Bleiberg
- Lara Samet Buchwald
- Joshua Ebersole
- Natasha Fapohunda
- Melissa Francis
- Terry Hagerty
- Crystal Ho
- Kevin Kelly
- David Kerschner
- Michael Kleinman
- Jaime Lavin
- David McTaggart
- Omar Mirza
- Matthew Moses
- Caroline Pignatelli
- Katherine Rocco
- Alyssa Rower
- Alexander Synkov Garcia
- S. Christopher Szczerban
- Conray Tseng
- Julie Turner
- Joanna Zdanys
Financial Summary
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018
Statement of Financial Position
Assets
2017
2018
Cash and cash equivalents
33,300,932
26,165,373
Receivables From Grants and Governmental Contracts Investments
38,181,221
41,985,598
Investments, at Fair Value
8,859,340
24,178,987
Deferred Charges and Other Assets
5,563,289
7,050,314
Property and Equipment, at Cost, Net
5,292,176
5,514,794
Liabilities and Net Assets
2017
2018
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
3,188,235
3,188,235
Loan payable
-
2,128,222
Accrued payroll and other employee expense
37,880,341
32,249,06
Program advances
181,030
513,036
Accrued postretirement health and benefits cost
47,047,169
52,375,870
Pension liability
20,466,898
10,187,122
Deferred lease incentives and lease obligations
18,969,335
18,967,803
Commitments and Contingencies
2017
2018
Unrestricted
(42,217,546)
(20,144,724)
Temporarily Restricted
3,615,473
3,612,596
Permanently Restricted
2,066,023
2,066,023
Revenue
2017
2018
Criminal Defense Practice
157,633,083
160,636,826
Juvenile Rights Practice
43,607,277
46,439,432
Civil Practice
49,007,268
66,927,616
Contributions (net of direct expenses related to the benefit)
14,870,225
14,870,225
Return (loss) on investments, net
486,497
358,946
Court awards
216,154
205
Other income
205
1,659
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Criminal Defense Practice
2014145,448,719
2015153,103,977
2016160,074,752
2017157,633,083
2018160,636,826
Juvenile Rights Practice
201442,322,535
201542,322,535
201643,607,277
201743,607,277
201846,439,432
Civil Practice and Other
201436,239,323
201545,601,159
201654,612,631
201764,525,412
201882,436,456
Criminal Defense Practice
55.5%
Juvenile Rights Practice
16.0%
Civil Practice
28.5%
Expenses
Employee Expenses
Criminal Defense Practice
Juvenile Rights Practice
Civil Pratice
Total Program Expenses
Total Admin/ Fundraising
2018 Total Expenses
2017 Total Expenses
Professional staff salaries
71,402,713
20,941,481
25,289,784
117,633,978
4,405,090
122,039,068
121,099,244
Support staff salaries
18,016,081
5,309,483
7,876,062
31,201,626
3,686,024
34,887,650
35,422,780
Fringe benefits and other employee costs
42,244,516
13,060,033
18,088,225
73,392,774
4,257,257
77,650,031
76,671,857
Other Expenses
Criminal Defense Practice
Juvenile Rights Practice
Civil Pratice
Total Program Expenses
Total Admin/ Fundraising
2018 Total Expenses
2017 Total Expenses
Occupancy costs
10,993,112
2,695,491
6,153,756
19,842,359
1,611,481
21,453,840
20,442,991
Communications
490,528
149,881
256,411
896,820
139,743
1,036,563
1,023,782
Office operating
847,056
259,715
291,742
1,398,513
420,531
1,819,044
1,729,959
Purchases and leases of furniture and equipment
433,519
151,284
524,707
1,109,510
1,050,75
2,160,261
2,271,464
Law books and reference materials
611,287
236,600
479,934
1,327,821
12,563
1,340,384
1,170,679
Trial minutes
409,287
150,615
13,947
573,849
879
574,728
621,405
Cost of investigations and expert witnesses
1,267,957
39,815
446,420
1,754,192
50,823
1,805,015
1,646,909
Professional services
110,210
59,380
528,453
698,043
620,146
1,318,189
1,646,473
Transporation
789,850
71,878
199,106
1,060,834
29,996
1,090,830
1,024,208
Insurance
395,019
122,213
161,300
678,532
35,337
713,869
745,104
Deprecation and amortization
341,171
107,352
385,449
833,972
88,830
922,802
1,128,657
Other
466,346
159,911
599,141
1,225,398
1,941,455
3,166,853
2,710,305
Criminal Defense Practice
54.7%
Juvenile Rights Practice
16.0%
Civil Practice
22.5%
Admin & Fundraising
26.7%
Program
93.3%
Admin
6.3%
Fundraising
0.4%
We spend 93 cents of every dollar on our programs
