named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Case Processing Reform Initiative
Internal data-driven review of court operations and case delays to inform systemic reform recommendations
Competency Restoration Advocacy
Advocates for timely transfer of clients found incompetent to stand trial to forensic psychiatric hospitals
Mental Health Diversion Advocacy
Represents clients seeking admission to mental health diversion programs and challenges delays in access to treatment and housing
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 6 activities
- Defend clients facing homicide and major felony chargesMaintains dedicated homicide and major case defense teams to represent clients facing life imprisonment or serious felony charges.
- Deliver paralegal and case support servicesEmploys paralegals who conduct legal research, organize evidence, prepare documents, and assist clients and attorneys throughout the legal process.
- Operate 24/7 emergency legal hotlineOperates a free 24/7 emergency hotline (1-833-3-GOODCALL) that connects recently arrested individuals in New York City with legal counsel before arraignment and first court appearance.
- Provide civil legal services related to criminal casesOffers civil legal representation on housing, asset forfeiture, immigration consequences, and other collateral civil matters arising from clients' involvement in the criminal legal system.
- Provide free legal defense in criminal courtsProvides free criminal defense representation to individuals accused of crimes in Manhattan's Criminal and Supreme Courts, appointed by the court upon first appearance. Represents tens of thousands of New Yorkers annually and has represented over half a million clients historically.
- Represent clients in specialty problem-solving courtsProvides specialized legal representation in Manhattan’s mental health, veterans’ treatment, and integrated domestic violence courts through senior attorney specialists with expertise in these areas.
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 4 activities
- Advocate for criminal justice reformEngages in special litigation and policy reform efforts to challenge systemic inequities in the criminal legal system at city and state levels, including playing a key role in achieving 2019 legislative reforms such as bail, discovery, and speedy trial reform in New York.
- Conduct defense investigationsConducts investigative work including witness interviews, evidence collection, and crime scene documentation to support criminal defense cases. Supports attorneys with forensic analysis, including DNA and other scientific evidence.
- Conduct research on criminal justice system performanceConducts original research on case processing times, pretrial detention impacts, and systemic delays; analyzed 112 felony cases finding a median processing time of 419 days and identified prolonged incarceration periods contributing to jail populations.
- Contribute to criminal justice policy research reportsContributed research and data analysis to external policy reports, including the 2021 Trial Penalty Report published by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and its New York State affiliate.
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Family and Juvenile Legal Defense 1 activity
- Defend youth in adult and juvenile courtsRepresents youth clients in both adult and juvenile courts using specialized legal and social work support tailored to young people in the criminal legal system.
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Reentry Support Services 1 activity
- Provide reentry and post-incarceration supportProvides reentry services including discharge planning, parole hearing guidance, and post-release advocacy to support formerly incarcerated clients in transitioning back into the community.
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Justice System Innovation & Inclusion Programs 1 activity
- Support incarcerated clients through corrections specialistsOperates a Corrections Specialist Team that maintains direct communication with and advocates for incarcerated clients at Rikers Island and other NYC detention facilities, providing weekly monitoring and condition checks.
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Professional Certification and Continuing Education 1 activity
- Train new public defendersOperates a six-week training institute and extensive training program for recent law school graduates and new trial attorneys, covering motion practice, trial preparation, arraignments, investigations, and holistic defense, followed by supervised court appearances.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Develop and implement legal technology systemsDeveloped and implemented a cloud-based, paperless case management system (LegalServer) to improve operational efficiency and data tracking across defense cases.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$27.85M
Contributions & grants$27.85M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$27.18M
Program expenses87%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$23.23M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$16.29M
Cash$569K
Investments$0
Liabilities$15.54M
Net assets$746K
Liquid reserves0.3 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +8.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 10
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| STANISLAO GERMAN | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $395K |
| CAROLYN P WILSON | PRESIDENT | 40 | $370K |
| CHRISTOPHER BOYLE | DIRECTOR OF DATA RESEARCH | 40 | $271K |
| SERGIO DE LA PAVA | LEGAL DIRECTOR | 40 | $268K |
| RENATE LUNN | DIRECTOR OF TRAINING | 40 | $255K |
| CHARLES SIDNEY LESTER | SUPERVISING ATTORNEY | 40 | $252K |
| WENDY FISHER | DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION & CFO | 40 | $240K |
| JOSEPH CONZA | SUPERVISING ATTORNEY | 40 | $237K |
| BASIMA HAFIZ | MANAGING DIRECTOR | 40 | $220K |
| HOWARD SCHUMAN | SENIOR TRIAL ATTORNEY | 40 | $216K |
board members · 7
- ANTHONY RICCO — BOARD MEMBER
- GARY VILLANUEVA — BOARD MEMBER
- KEVIN D OCONNELL — BOARD MEMBER
- LORI COHEN — TREASURER
- LOUIS FASULO — CHAIRMAN
- MATTHEW MYERS — BOARD MEMBER
- PATRICK JOYCE — SECRETARY
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- ActionNYC Partner — Partners with ActionNYC, a program of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and CUNY, to support access to free immigration legal help.
- ActionNYC Partner — Refers clients to ActionNYC for free and safe immigration legal help through a trusted network of community organizations and schools.
- C.H. Scholar Law Firm, PLLC Partner — Board member organization
- Center for Family Representation Partner — Refers parents facing child abuse or neglect allegations to the Center for Family Representation for free legal and social work services.
- Centro de Representación Familiar Partner — Refers parents facing allegations of abuse or neglect to the Family Representation Center for free legal representation and social work services.
- Colson Law, PLLC Partner — Board member organization
- Correctional Health Services Partner — Requests medical records from Correctional Health Services for client representation and diversion applications.
- Department of Correction Government — Interacts with DOC to advocate for incarcerated clients and monitor compliance with legal and humane standards.
- Fasulo Giordano & DiMaggio, LLP Partner — Board member organization
- Law Office of Donaldson & Chilliest, LLP Partner — Board member organization
- Law Offices of Patrick J. Joyce Partner — Board member organization
- Legal Action Center Partner — Refers individuals seeking to seal criminal records or gain employment and housing to the Legal Action Center for legal and rehabilitation services.
- Legal Services NYC Partner — Refers clients to Legal Services NYC for assistance with child custody, visitation, and child support enforcement matters.
- Legal Services NYC Partner — Refers clients with family law issues such as custody and child support to Legal Services NYC for legal assistance.
- Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Government — Interacts with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office regarding mental health diversion applications and prosecutorial decisions.
- Myers & Galiardo Partner — Board member organization
- NYC Department of Correction Government — Uses incarceration reports from the NYC Department of Correction to inform case timeline analysis.
- NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) Government — Engages with HRA requirements in efforts to secure housing for clients.
- NYC Well Partner — Refers individuals seeking mental health or substance misuse support to NYC Well for 24/7 confidential counseling and service access.
- NYC Well Partner — Refers individuals to NYC Well for confidential, multilingual mental health and substance use support available 24/7.
- NYS Court Information System (NYSCIS) Partner — Cross-references adjournment data with NYSCIS records to analyze case timelines.
- Nathaniel ACT Team Partner — Seeks placements for clients in the Nathaniel ACT Team, a community-based mental health treatment program.
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Partner — Collaborated on the 2021 Trial Penalty Report.
- New York City Board of Correction Government — Engages with the Board through formal testimony and advocacy on jail conditions and policy reforms.
- New York Civil Liberties Union Partner — Collaborates on providing up-to-date know your rights guides for immigrants and protesters during police encounters.
- New York County Government — Provides legal defense services within New York County’s criminal courts and problem-solving courts.
- New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Partner — Co-published the 2021 Trial Penalty Report with NACDL.
- Our City Our Rights Partner — Coalition partner supporting a website providing immigration rights information.
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, LLP Partner — Board member organization
- The Bowery Mission Partner — Directs individuals in need of food, shelter, clothing, and medical help to The Bowery Mission for comprehensive social services.
+ 1 more
strategies · 5
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.
- Decarceration Through Community-Based Alternativesmethodology: decarcerationBy advocating for the closure of Rikers Island and expanding access to community-based health and support services, we reduce reliance on incarceration because incarceration is often a consequence of unmet health and social needs, not criminal intent.
- Early Intervention Legal Accessmethodology: early-intervention legal accessBy providing immediate legal assistance post-arrest through a 24/7 hotline, we increase the likelihood of favorable pretrial outcomes because early counsel prevents coercive interrogation, reduces unnecessary detention, and preserves rights at critical decision points.
- Holistic Defense Modelmethodology: holistic-defenseBy integrating legal defense with social work, investigative, and reentry support services, we produce better client outcomes and reduce recidivism because addressing underlying social needs—such as housing, mental health, and trauma—is essential to effective legal representation and long-term stability.
- Integrated Advocacy for Systemic Changemethodology: integrated-advocacyBy combining direct legal representation with data-driven systemic advocacy, we produce structural reforms in the criminal justice system because legal cases reveal patterns of inequity that can be leveraged to challenge unjust policies and practices.
- Youth-Centered Legal Advocacymethodology: youth-centered_defenseBy applying developmental science and youth-specific legal frameworks in defense representation, we produce more equitable outcomes for young clients because adolescent brain development affects decision-making and culpability, requiring tailored legal strategies.