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FAMILY JUSTICE LAW CENTER INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 991757253 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE I83 · Crime & Legal-Related · Micro (<$100K) · fjlc.org
revenue
$11K
expenses
$310K
net assets
$1.2M
employees
8
program ratio
78%
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION IS TO USE STRATEGIC AND CIVIL RIGHTS LITIGATION TO COMBAT SYSTEMIC HARMS IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Family Justice Law Center is a New York-based legal nonprofit that uses strategic civil rights litigation to challenge systemic abuses in the child welfare system. It represents families subjected to unconstitutional practices such as warrantless home searches, emergency removals without due process, and retaliatory reporting by government agencies. The organization focuses on reforming policies that disproportionately harm Black, Latino, and low-income families.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Archer v. The City of New York
Class action lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional use of emergency removals by the Administration for Children’s Services without court orders or due process.
FJLC v. New York State Office of Children and Family Services
Freedom of Information Law lawsuit to compel disclosure of data on delays in the SCR appeal process.
Fraser v. NYC Department of Education
Federal civil rights lawsuit challenging retaliatory false reporting by the DOE against parents advocating for disabled children.
Gould v. The City of New York
Landmark class action alleging illegal, coercive home searches by ACS in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Poe et al. v. Harris-Madden et al.
Class action challenging due process violations in the appeal process for indicated child abuse reports on the Statewide Central Register.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Family and Juvenile Legal Defense 2 activities
    • Advocacy to end unlawful child welfare practices and surveillance
      Challenges systemic child welfare abuses through legal advocacy, including illegal emergency removals, coercive home searches, and unwarranted surveillance of non-respondent parents and domestic violence survivors. The organization documents systemic failures, highlights unjustified removals, and promotes accountability by demonstrating the scale of harm and taxpayer cost savings from reform.
    • Strategic civil rights litigation to challenge child welfare system abuses
      Engages in affirmative litigation and appellate advocacy on behalf of poor families of color to challenge unconstitutional practices in the child welfare system, including illegal family separations, unwarranted surveillance of domestic violence survivors, and due process violations in child abuse report appeals. The organization files federal and state class-action lawsuits and individual civil rights cases to hold agencies accountable and establish legal precedents.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Capacity building through legal academic collaboration
      Established an Academic Advisory Board composed of legal scholars from multiple law schools to support strategic litigation and policy reform in child welfare law.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$11K
Contributions & grants$10K87%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1K10%
Other revenue$332
expenses
Total expenses$310K
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead22%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$255K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.25M
Cash$1.23M
Investments$0
Liabilities$3K
Net assets$1.25M
Liquid reserves47.6 mo
1 years on record · 2024–2024
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DAVID SHALLECK-KLEIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $25K
board members · 10
  • ANISHA QUEEN-SIMMONS — DIRECTOR
  • AUDRA J SOLOWAY — DIRECTOR
  • CHIKE B CROSLIN — DIRECTOR
  • CHRISTINE GOTTLIEB — DIRECTOR
  • EMMA KETTERINGHAM — DIRECTOR
  • JULIE FINK — DIRECTOR
  • MARTIN GUGGENHEIM — DIRECTOR
  • MARY ANNE MENDENHALL — DIRECTOR
  • NANCY CHEMTOB — DIRECTOR
  • RUBY J GARRETT — DIRECTOR/SECRETARY
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Administration for Children's Services Government — Entity whose child removal practices are scrutinized and challenged by Family Justice Law Center.
  • Administration for Children’s Services Government — Government agency whose emergency removal practices are being challenged in litigation.
  • Administration for Children’s Services Government — Government agency whose practices were challenged in litigation resulting in landmark rulings limiting surveillance of non-respondent parents.
  • Brustein Law Partner — Co-counsel in appellate representation of Mr. W. and K.A. before the Second Circuit
  • City of New York Partner — Defendant in multiple class action lawsuits related to child welfare practices
  • Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP Partner — Co-counsel with FJLC in filing a class action lawsuit against New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services
  • NYU School of Law Family Defense Clinic Partner — Co-counsel with FJLC in filing a class action lawsuit against New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services
  • New York City Department of Education Partner — Defendant in a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging retaliation against parents of disabled children
  • New York City Department of Education Partner — Named defendant in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the Family Justice Law Center on behalf of a parent.
  • New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services Government — Defendant in a class action lawsuit filed by Family Justice Law Center over unlawful home search practices.
  • New York State Office of Children and Family Services Government — Defendant in a federal class action lawsuit filed by FAMILY JUSTICE LAW CENTER INC over due process violations in the SCR appeal process.
  • New York State Office of Children and Family Services Partner — Defendant in a federal class action lawsuit over due process violations in child abuse reporting appeals
  • Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP Partner — Co-counsel with FJLC in filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the New York City Department of Education
  • Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Partner — Co-counsel with FJLC in filing a class action lawsuit against New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services
  • Peter Romer-Friedman Law PLLC Partner — Co-counsel with FJLC in filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the New York City Department of Education
  • Risman & Risman Partner — Co-counsel in appellate representation of Mr. W. and K.A. before the Second Circuit
  • Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Partner — Pro bono legal counsel collaborating with FJLC on litigation to compel the New York State Office of Children and Family Services to release records on child abuse report appeal delays.
  • The Bronx Defenders Partner — Organizational affiliation where key staff, including the founder, previously worked and which informs the organization's model.
  • WilmerHale Partner — Co-counsel in appellate representation of Mr. W. and K.A. before the Second Circuit
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.

  • Constitutional and Civil Rights-Based Family Defense Model
    methodology: constitutional_litigation
    By integrating constitutional litigation—particularly around the Fourth Amendment, due process, and equal protection—with a family defense framework, the organization protects families from coercive state actions, because grounding advocacy in civil rights law strengthens legal claims and centers dignity, especially for poor families of color facing systemic inequities.
  • Racial Justice in Child Welfare Advocacy
    methodology: racial_justice_in_child_welfare
    By challenging child welfare policies that disproportionately impact Black and Latino families—such as emergency removals based on racialized assumptions—the organization addresses systemic racial discrimination, because reforming racially biased enforcement practices reduces unwarranted family separations and advances equity in family integrity protections.
  • Right to Counsel as Power-Balancing Advocacy
    methodology: right-to-counsel advocacy
    By providing legal representation to parents in administrative proceedings—such as challenging indicated reports on the State Central Register—the organization counters systemic power imbalances between families and state agencies, because access to counsel enables meaningful due process and prevents unjust administrative penalties that can lead to family disruption.
  • Strategic Litigation for Systemic Child Welfare Reform
    methodology: strategic_litigation
    By using strategic, precedent-setting litigation, the organization challenges unconstitutional and discriminatory practices in the child welfare system to prevent unwarranted family separations and enforce structural change, because court-driven legal victories create binding accountability and shift institutional behavior at scale.