The Legal Aid Society is a 501 non-profitlegal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil matters in both individual cases and class action lawsuits. The organization is funded through a combination of public grants and private donations. It is the largest recipient of funding among regional legal aid providers from the New York City government and is the city's primary legal services provider.
History and leadership
The Legal Aid Society was founded in 1876 in New York to defend the individual rights of German immigrants who could not afford to hire a lawyer. A large donation from the Rockefeller Family in 1890 enabled the organization to expand its services and include individuals from every background. It was renamed the New York Legal Aid Society in 1890. The society is governed by a board of directors. On December 2, 2010, Richard J. Davis was elected chairman of the board.
Presidents
Charles Evans Hughes, third president beginning 1916.
Arthur von Briesen, second president from 1890 to 1916.
Cornelius Porter Kitchel, 1905 to 1906. He was the sixth attorney-in-chief.
Charles K. Lexow, beginning 1876. He was the first attorney-in-chief.
Services
The Legal Aid Society provides a range of civil legal services, as well as criminal defense work, and juvenile representation in Family Court. The organization's primary purpose 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. It 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 other prisoners. The Legal Aid Society is the city's primary provider of criminal legal aid contract attorneys, 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 from the city.
