Description
Founded in 1876, The Legal Aid Society is the nation's oldest and largest not-for-profit organization providing high quality legal services to low-income families and individuals in New York City. The Legal Aid Society is an indispensable component of the legal, social, and economic fabric of New York City-- passionately advocating for individuals across a variety of civil, criminal and juvenile rights matters, while also fighting for legal reform. The Legal Aid Society has performed this role in the city, state and federal courts for over 130 years. It does so by capitalizing on the diverse expertise, experience and capabilities of 850 of the brightest legal minds. It works with 600 social workers, investigators, paralegals, and support and administrative staff in every borough of the city. It takes on more cases for more clients than any other organization in New York City. And it brings a depth and breadth of perspective that is unmatched in the legal profession. The Legal Aid Society at the vanguard of the cause of equal justice under law for all people. Its unique value is an ability to go beyond any one case to create more equitable outcomes for individuals and broader, more powerful systemic change for society as a whole. The Legal Aid Society operates through a network of borough, neighbohood and courthouse offices in 25 locations in New York City and provides comprehensive legal services in all five boroughs free of charge for clients who cannot afford to pay for counsel. In addition to the three major practices: Civil, Criminal and Juvenile Rights, The Legal Aid Society receives volunteer help from law firms and corporate law departments that is coordinated by the Pro Bono Practice. The Legal Aid Society handles more than 295,000 cases and legal matters for clients each year. The Civil Practice handles more than 30,000 client matters providing assistance to the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including senior citizens, chronically ill or disabled children and adults, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, low-wage or unemployed workers, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and homeless or imminently homeless children and adults. The Criminal Practice, the primary provider of indigent defense services in New York City, is comprised of trial offices in the four major boroughs, an Appeals Bureau, a Parole Revocvation Defense Unit, an Adolescent Intervention and Diversion Unit and a MICA Unit for mentally ill, chemically addicted clients. The Criminal Practice handles a total of 235,000 cases. The Juvenile Rights Practice's core client service is the representation of children in Family Court in abuse and neglect cases, juvenile delinquency matters, and persons in need of supervision. The Practice handles approximatley 90 percnt of these cases in the Family Court and represents more than 30,000 children.