Legal Aid Society
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| Founded | 1876 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit |
| Location | |
| Services | Legal representation, class action litigation |
| Fields | Legal services to the indigent |
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Key people
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Charles K. Lexow, Steve Banks |
| Website | legal-aid |
The Legal Aid Society in New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal aid to the indigent. It operates both traditional civil and criminal law cases (public defenders).
The Society is governed by a board of directors. On December 2, 2010, Richard J. Davis was elected by said board as chairman of the board.
Founded in 1876, to defend the individual rights of German immigrants who could not afford to hire a lawyer, the Society now provides a full range of civil legal services, as well as criminal defense work, and juvenile representation in Family Court. The Society's core service is to provide free legal assistance to New Yorkers who live at or below the poverty level and cannot afford to hire a lawyer when confronted with a legal problem.
The Society handles more than 200,000 indigent criminal cases every year, serves as attorneys to more than 30,000 children and represents families, individuals and community groups in more than 30,000 cases. Legal Aid also conducts major class action litigation on behalf of thousands of welfare recipients, foster children, homeless families, elderly poor, inmates at Rikers Island and prisoners.
The Legal Aid Society is contracted as the New York City's primary public defender, along with New York County Defender Services in Manhattan, Brooklyn Defender Services in Brooklyn, Bronx Defenders in the Bronx, Queens Law Associates in Queens, and the Neighborhood Defender Service in northern Manhattan. For New York City in FY 2014, Legal Aid handled 225,776 cases for $102.5 million in compensation (an average of $454 per case).
Holland, Rupert Sargent (June 1907). "Defending the Rights of the Poor". The World's Work: A History of Our Time. XIV: 9091–9042.
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