named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
Civil Justice
Protects clients' rights to housing, public benefits, education, and employment through legal representation and advocacy.
Community Engagement
Empowers communities through Know Your Rights education, legal clinics, and opportunities for civic involvement.
Criminal Defense
Provides zealous legal defense to individuals accused of crimes, working to uphold constitutional rights and achieve best-case outcomes.
Family Defense
Defends parents in family court to prevent child removal and foster-system involvement, aiming to keep families together.
Immigration
Represents immigrant clients facing deportation, minimizes immigration consequences of criminal charges, and assists with applications for immigration benefits.
Policy, Advocacy & Reform
Drives systemic change through legislative advocacy, strategic litigation, and public education to reform unjust legal systems.
Social Work
Provides trauma-informed social work services to help clients achieve stability in housing, health, employment, and family life.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 2 activities
- Engage in legislative and policy advocacy for systemic legal reformAdvocates for policy change at city, state, and federal levels through testimony, public education campaigns, and coalition-building, including efforts to reduce pretrial detention, improve discovery compliance, and oppose custodial arrests for low-level offenses.
- Run public education campaigns on systemic injusticesConducts public education campaigns using social and traditional media to highlight systemic inequities in the legal system and advocate for reform.
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Constitutional and Government Accountability Litigation 1 activity
- Challenge unconstitutional policies through impact litigation and amicus participationChallenges unconstitutional policies via class action and civil litigation, and participates in joint amicus briefs to defend laws such as New York’s Protect Our Courts Act, often in coalition with other legal and immigrant rights organizations.
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Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
- Conduct community engagement and legal education initiativesEngages in community outreach through Know Your Rights education, public legal information sharing, and creating opportunities for public participation in legal processes, both in-person and online.
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Direct Mental Health Counseling and Support Services 1 activity
- Deliver trauma-informed social work and client support servicesProvides trauma-informed social work services to support clients in achieving personal goals, complementing legal representation with holistic care.
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Legal Education and Career Pipeline Programs 1 activity
- Provide clinical training and field education for law and social work studentsOffers clinical placements and field training for law students and graduate social work students through formal academic partnerships, contributing to professional development in public interest law and social services.
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
- Provide comprehensive legal defense and advocacy servicesProvides full-spectrum legal representation and advocacy in criminal, family, immigration, housing, public benefits, education, and employment matters, including investigation, litigation, and access to resources for low-income individuals and families. Served over 23,000 clients in 2023, with 89% of clients identifying as people of color.
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Public Benefits Navigation and Enrollment 1 activity
- Support clients in navigating government systems and accessing benefitsAssists clients in applying for and accessing immigration status, housing, health benefits, unemployment benefits, and individualized education plans, including submitting applications and advocating for access to resources both during and after court proceedings.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$92.80M
Contributions & grants$92.44M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$362K
expenses
Total expenses$89.40M
Program expenses88%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$72.31M
Grants paid out$26K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$37.07M
Cash$3.27M
Investments$0
Liabilities$32.04M
Net assets$5.02M
Liquid reserves0.4 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +4.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LISA SCHREIBERSDORF | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $428K |
| LAURA SAFT | DEPUTY ED, MD CRIMINAL DEFENSE | 40 | $332K |
| LAUREN A SHAPIRO | MD OF FAMILY DEFENSE PRACTICE | 40 | $277K |
| KWAME MILLAR | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $272K |
| Kelli McTaggart | General Counsel | 40 | $261K |
| Chauncey R Walker | Managing Director of Criminal Defense | 40 | $252K |
| JUAN ALMONTE | MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FINANCE | 40 | $249K |
board members · 7
- ANDREA BONINA — BOARD MEMBER
- CINDI GIGLIO — TREASURER
- GREGORY CERCHIONE — SECRETARY
- JASON STARR — BOARD MEMBER
- JEFFREY RONA — BOARD MEMBER
- KEVIN SNOVER — CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
- ROBERT J GUNTHER JR — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 126
Who they work with
- ACS Government — Defends clients in cases involving investigations or proceedings by the Administration for Children's Services.
- Allianz Foundation for North America Partner — Foundation partner providing funding for specialized programming
- American College of Trial Lawyers Partner — Foundation partner providing funding for specialized programming
- Ancient Song Doula Services Partner — Family defense organizational partner
- Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- BOOM!HEALTH Partner — LEAP network member and civil justice partner
- Beyond Boxing Partner — Criminal defense organizational partner
- Bluesky Partner — Social media platform used for public communication and outreach
- Boies Schiller Flexner LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Booth Ferris Foundation Partner — Foundation partner providing funding for specialized programming
- Brooklyn Law School, Disability and Civil Rights Clinic Partner — Law school partner providing clinical placements and internships
- Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A Partner — LEAP network member and civil justice partner
- CAMBA Legal Services, Catholic Migration Services Partner — LEAP network member and civil justice partner
- Center for Community Alternatives Partner — Social work organizational partner
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Columbia School of Social Work Partner — Social work academic partner for field placements and training
- Community Healthcare Network Partner — Immigration organizational partner
- Cornell Law School Partner — Law school partner providing clinical placements and internships
- Covington & Burling LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Craig Newmark Philanthropies Partner — Foundation partner providing funding for specialized programming
- Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Dentons Partner — Pro bono legal partner working on individual cases, appeals, litigation, and amicus briefs
- Equal Justice Works Fellowship, Sponsored by PepsiCo. Partner — Civil justice organizational partner supporting fellowship programs
- Esperanza N.Y. Partner — Social work organizational partner
- Facebook Partner — Social media platform used for public communication and outreach
- Families Rising Partner — Social work organizational partner
- Fordham Law School, Feerick Center for Social Justice Partner — Law school partner providing clinical placements and internships
- Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service Partner — Social work academic partner for field placements and training
+ 96 more
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Client-Centered Holistic Defensemethodology: holistic-defenseBy organizing legal, social work, and advocacy services around the client’s full range of needs, we produce more effective representation and better outcomes, because legal problems are deeply intertwined with social and economic conditions.
- Decarceration Through Structural Alternativesmethodology: decarceration-through-policy-reformBy advocating for community-based mental health, housing, and non-custodial responses to low-level offenses, we reduce jail populations and uphold the presumption of innocence, because pretrial detention is a policy choice that can be reversed through systemic investment in care.
- Integrated Direct and Systemic Advocacymethodology: integrated-direct-and-systemic-advocacyBy combining individual legal representation with systemic advocacy, we address both immediate client harms and the root causes of injustice, because lasting change requires transforming unjust systems while defending those they harm.
- Policy Reform Informed by Frontline Practicemethodology: policy-advocacy-informed-by-practiceBy grounding policy advocacy in direct legal experience and client stories, we generate credible, impactful reform efforts, because real-world data and lived experience produce more effective and just policy change.