Call 212-577-3300

Our History Mirrors the City We Serve

For nearly 150 years, it has been The Legal Aid Society’s privilege to protect, defend, and advocate for the rights of generations of vulnerable New Yorkers, families, and communities.

Milestones and History

Preserving New York City’s Right to Shelter

Passage of the Clean Slate Act

A Historic Dental Settlement

LAS Suit Protects 136K Households From Eviction

Twyla Carter Joins LAS as Attorney-In-Chief and Chief Executive Officer

Explore this Milestone

A Housing Win for Young Adults

Passage of the START Act

Wifi Access for Students who are Homeless

A National Model for Marijuana Legalization

Rising to the Challenges of COVID-19

Major Rent Reform Comes to NYC

A Victory for Young Immigrants

Joe Biden Recognizes The Legal Aid Society

A Temporary Restraining Order Against Family Separation

Queens Celebrates 50 Years of Service

Rallies for Criminal Justice System Reform

The Juvenile Rights Practice Receives Prestigious Congressional Award

New Administration Sparks Immediate Action

Explore this Milestone

Ensuring Legal Protections Under a New Administration

Fighting for Continuous Reforms to Housing, Healthcare, & More

Victories on Behalf of New York’s Children and Mentally Ill

The Loss of Two Great Leaders

Explore this Milestone

Seymour W. James Jr. Becomes Attorney-in-Chief

Hurricane Sandy Response Continues & DNA Unit Launches

Juvenile Rights Practice Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

The Legal Aid Society Receives the City Bar’s “Diversity Champion” Award

Explore this Milestone

Hurricane Sandy Creates Critical Need

Explore this Milestone

Juvenile Rights Practice Helps Achieve “Close to Home” Law

Criminal Practice Challenges Unlawful Marijuana Arrests

Civil Practice Challenges NY City Housing Authority

Prisoners’ Rights Project Celebrates 40 Years

Yvonne McCain’s Legacy Honored in The New York Times

Explore this Milestone

A Century of Service in the Bronx

Challenging Unlawful Housing Practices & Supporting Haitian Immigrants

Criminal Defense Caseload Standards Established

A Proposal to Modernize Restrictive Criminal Discovery Rules

The Legal Aid Society Updates Brand

Juvenile Rights Challenges Unjust Treatment in OCFA Residential Centers

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman Presides Over Pro Bono Awards

An Enforceable Right to Shelter is Permanently Established

Explore this Milestone

Children in Custody are Arraigned within 24-Hours

Post-Release Supervision Additions are Struck Down

Awareness Month Tradition Launches with Black History Month

Explore this Milestone

New York Enacts Law Requiring Client Caseload Limits

Improvements in the Treatment of Prisoners with Mental Illnesses

A Landmark Settlement Benefitting Thousands of New Yorkers with Disabilities

Restructuring Continues & New Practice Heads are Appointed

Legislative Reform Leads to Re-Sentencing Representation

Requiring Landlords to Accept Section 8 Subsidies

Defending Public Assistance for Immigrants

Organizational Restructuring

Explore this Milestone

Progress Made in the McCain Case

Filing Suit Against New York State Department of Correctional Services

Major Victories for Children Across the City

Challenging the Denial of Mental Healthcare to Prisoners

Fighting to Remove Homeless Families from Bronx House of Detention

Tragedy Sparks Togetherness

Explore this Milestone

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is Keynote Speaker for Legal Aid Society Exhibition

Ensuring Young Prisoners’ Access to Education

Protecting the Health of Homeless Children

Defending Homeless Families from Shelter Eviction

Protecting Benefits and Improving Shelter Conditions

Health Law Unit Challenges Denial of Benefits for Immigrants

Responding to Mass Violations of Elderly Rights

Ending Jail Brutality

Disputing Single-Parent Workfare Assignments

The Appellate Division Defends McCain Ruling

The Legal Aid Society Headquarters Moves to Church Street

Federal Funding Rejected

Counsel to the Coalition for the Homeless

Capital Defense Unit Established

Fighting for the Rights of the Hearing-Impaired

Challenging Inadequate Medical Access

Court of Appeals Issues Landmark Ruling in McCain

Explore this Milestone

Commemorative Plaque Installed

Public Housing Provided for Victims of Racial Discrimination

Special Litigation Unit Wins 24-Hour Standard from Arrest to Arraignment

Prisoners’ Rights Project Secures Health Standards for City Jails

Advancing City Shelter Standards

Fighting for the Rights of New York City’s Children

Homeless Rights Project Launches

Explore this Milestone

The Supreme Court Commends The Legal Aid Society

Challenging the Denial of Social Security Benefits

Yvonne McCain Contacts The Legal Aid Society

Three Supreme Court Victories

Defending Medicaid Nursing Home Patients

The Legal Aid Society Celebrates its 100th Year

Explore this Milestone

Archibald R. Murray Becomes First African American Attorney-in-Chief

Explore this Milestone

Case Victories for More New Yorkers

Brooklyn Office for the Aging Opens

Challenging Unethical Punishment in State Facilities for Youth

Parole Revocation Defense Unit Established

Landmark Litigation on Behalf of Mentally Disabled

Federal Rights & Standards Established for PINS Children

The Prisoners’ Rights Project Launches

Explore this Milestone

Successfully Challenging the NYCHA

Supreme Court Victories for Due Process

Association of Legal Aid Attorneys Established

Civil Appeals and Law Reform Unit Launches

Merged with the Community Law Office Program

Bronx Neighborhood Office Opens

Law Student Intern Program Established

Influencing National Law Reform

The Civil Practices Launches

Explore this Milestone

The Primary Defender in State Criminal Courts

Offices Expand to Queens and Richmond Counties

Victories on Behalf of the Defenseless

The Juvenile Rights Practice Launches

Explore this Milestone

Distinguished Honorary Vice Presidents

New Roles for a Modern Era

King and Bronx County Criminal Court Offices Open

Felony Court Branch Opens

“Thou Shalt Not Ration Justice”

Explore this Milestone

Federal Courts Branch Opens

Undertaking Appeals

Representation in the Court of Special Sessions

Litigation Creates the Small Claims Court

Services Endure During the Great Depression

New York City’s Primary Provider of Public Defense Representation

The Legal Aid Society Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Explore this Milestone

Our First Criminal Branch Launches

Explore this Milestone

Charles Evans Hughes Becomes Our Third President

The “Rockefeller Lawyers” Represent Criminal Defendants

At the Forefront of a National Movement

First Lawyer Assigned to Criminal Cases

Our First Federal Appearance Secures Sailors’ Rights

Explore this Milestone

Brooklyn Office Opens

Hansel and Gretel Benefit for the Society

President Theodore Roosevelt Becomes Honorary Vice President

Harlem Office Opens

Rosalie Loew Becomes Our First Woman Attorney-in-Chief

Explore this Milestone

Defending Immigrants from Loan Sharks

“Honor to The Legal Aid Society”

New Branches, New Missions

The Seaman’s Branch Launches

A New Name to Fit a New Organization

Explore this Milestone

Financial Panic Spurs Action

Arthur von Briesen Becomes Our President

20,000+ Cases in 10 Years

Expansion to Meet a Growing Need

The Legal Aid Society is Founded

Explore this Milestone