irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $3.04MOTHER - WE REPRESENT PEOPLE IN OTHER CIVIL LEGAL MATTERS, SUCH AS CONSUMER, IMMIGRATION AND EMPLOYMENT MATTERS. IN THE CONSUMER AREA, WE DEFEND INDIVIDUALS BEING SUED IN DEBT COLLECTION CASES AND ENFORCE PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO FAIR DEBT COLLECTION. OUR IMMIGRATION PRACTICE FOCUSES ON ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS, NATURALIZATION REPLACEMENTS. IN THE EMPLOYMENT ARENA, WE HELP PEOPLE GET WAGES TO WHICH THEY ARE ENTITLED AND DEFEND PEOPLE'S EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS. WE ALSO HELP CLIENT GROUPS ASSERT THEIR RIGHTS TO HABITABLE HOMES, DECENT SCHOOLS AND NONDISCRIMINATORY HOUSING.
- #2 $2.61MINCOME MAINTENANCE - WE HELP PEOPLE ACCESS AND RETAIN GOVERNMENT BENEFITS. THROUGH OUR INCOME SECURITY AND BENEFITS WORK, WE ASSIST CLIENTS WHEN GOVERNMENT BENEFITS ARE WRONGFULLY DENIED, INACCURATELY CALCULATED, OR IMPROPERLY TERMINATED; AND WE REPRESENT FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS FOR WHOM UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, FOOD STAMPS, MEDICAID/MEDICARE AND OTHER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND SAFETY NET PROGRAMS CONSTITUTE CRITICAL LIFELINES.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Bankruptcy Assistance Project
Provides legal support to individuals navigating bankruptcy proceedings, helping them secure debt relief and financial stability.
Brooklyn Tenant Rights Coalition (TRC)
Advocates for tenant protections, fights illegal deregulation, and works to preserve rent-stabilized housing through legal action and community organizing.
Immigration Screening Clinics
Hosts clinics to assist low-income clients with immigration applications, including U-Visas, asylum, naturalization, and adjustment of status.
Pro Bono Practice
Partners with over 4,000 pro bono volunteers from nearly 100 law firms and corporations to provide legal representation in immigration, housing, public benefits, employment, and other civil matters.
Public Benefits Application Clinics
Assists clients in applying for SNAP, Medicaid, cash assistance, and other government benefits to ensure access to critical safety net programs.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 2 activities
- Provide civil legal services to low-income individuals and familiesDelivers direct legal representation and consultations in civil matters including housing, immigration, public benefits, employment rights, consumer debt defense, education, and healthcare for over 108,000 low-income New Yorkers annually across all five boroughs, with a focus on Queens. Services are provided through 12 office locations and include securing settlements, benefits, and debt discharge worth millions of dollars each year.
- Provide interdisciplinary legal and social work supportIntegrates social work into legal services by offering counseling, peer support groups, trauma-informed care, and advocacy. Uses interpreters and subject-matter experts to enhance client representation and collaborates with partner organizations to improve access to justice for vulnerable populations.
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Behavioral Health and Human Services Training 1 activity
- Build professional capacity through training and internshipsHosts social work interns and fellows from multiple universities and delivers trainings to staff, legal services providers, and law schools on topics including vicarious trauma, attorney-social work collaboration, domestic violence, trauma-informed interviewing, and de-escalation techniques. Presents at national and local conferences on forensic social work and interdisciplinary practice.
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Immigrant Rights Education & Legal Preparedness 1 activity
- Conduct community legal education and outreach clinicsHosts over 100 annual legal clinics, study groups, and Know-Your-Rights sessions in areas such as housing, immigration, public benefits, and LGBTQ-specific issues, reaching thousands of individuals in Queens and beyond. These programs are often conducted in partnership with community organizations and pro bono volunteers.
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LGBTQ+ Legal and Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Conduct research on civil legal needs of marginalized communitiesConducts citywide surveys and publishes legal needs assessments focused on low-income LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers, using findings to inform service delivery, education, advocacy, and litigation strategies. A 2016 assessment revealed widespread discrimination, harassment, and unmet basic needs within this population.
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LGBTQ+ Immigrant and Asylum Support Services 1 activity
- Deliver specialized legal services for LGBTQIA+ and immigrant communitiesOperates LGBTQIA+ Rights and HIV Advocacy programs providing targeted legal assistance, including gender marker updates on passports, immigration support, and Know-Your-Rights education. Offers free naturalization consultations for low-income permanent residents and conducts outreach clinics specifically serving trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals.
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Policy Advocacy & Research 1 activity
- Engage in systemic advocacy and policy reformAdvocates for citywide policy changes through testimony before the New York City Council, participation in Albany advocacy events, and leadership in coalitions and task forces. Contributed to impact litigation resulting in reforms related to language access, NYCHA, NYPD, and DOE practices.
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Tenant Legal Advocacy & Support Services 1 activity
- Implement Right to Counsel and prevent unlawful evictionsProvides legal representation to tenants facing eviction under New York City’s Right to Counsel law, successfully preventing illegal evictions, preserving rent-stabilized housing, and securing court dismissals and favorable rulings. Achieved systemic impact through cases such as halting over 300 eviction proceedings at Flatbush Gardens and protecting tenants from deregulation and landlord neglect.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Mobilize pro bono volunteers and manage volunteer partnershipsPartners with over 4,000 pro bono attorneys from approximately 100 law firms and corporations annually to expand service capacity, supporting more than 7,000 clients and contributing around 100,000 hours of legal work across 3,500+ cases each year.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$19.57M
Contributions & grants$4.35M22%
Program service revenue$15.21M78%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$4K
expenses
Total expenses$19.59M
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$14.07M
Grants paid out$20K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$16.19M
Cash$3K
Investments$0
Liabilities$15.59M
Net assets$603K
Liquid reserves0.0 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +9.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RASMUSSEN RAUN J | EXECUTIVE DIR., LSNYC (THRU 6/28/24) | 1 | $296K |
| BURRELL MICHELLE L | PROJECT DIRECTOR | 35 | $231K |
| COOK VERONICA J | DEPUTY DIR. & DIR. OF LITIGATION | 35 | $206K |
| ASCHER ANN R | DIRECTOR, HOUSING RIGHTS | 35 | $201K |
| DWORKIN BRIAN M | DIRECTOR, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | 35 | $188K |
| NEWTON CHRISTOPHER | DIRECTOR OF LITIGATION - HOUSING | 35 | $177K |
| SMALL SHERVON M | EXECUTIVE DIR., LSNYC (AS OF 6/17/24) | 1 | $174K |
| FLYNN WILLIAM | DIRECTOR, DISABILITY ADVOCACY | 35 | $161K |
board members · 6
- CHENG AUSTIN — DIRECTOR
- CHOWLERA PARTH — DIRECTOR
- GARVEY MICHAEL — DIRECTOR
- GOLDWEBER ANN LESLIE — DIRECTOR
- LAU KAMING — DIRECTOR
- WONG KAM S — DIRECTOR
relationships · 47
Who they work with
- 100 law firms and corporations Partner — Collaborates with law firms and corporations to engage pro bono volunteers in providing legal services to low-income New Yorkers.
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Alston & Bird LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Brooklyn Law School Partner — Hosts the Brooklyn Legal Services Champions of Justice Celebration event.
- CAI Global Partner — Collaborates with Legal Services NYC on conducting citywide surveys to assess the civil legal needs of low-income LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.
- Columbia University Partner — Social work intern and fellow placement partnership.
- Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Dechert LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- East Brooklyn Tenants Group HOPE Partner — Represents tenants organized by HOPE in legal proceedings related to unsafe housing conditions.
- Flatbush Tenant Coalition Partner — Collaborated with Brooklyn Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition to demand enforcement of the regulatory agreement and halt eviction cases at Flatbush Gardens.
- Fordham University Partner — Social work intern and fellow placement partnership.
- Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Hecker Fink LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Hunter College Partner — Social work intern and fellow placement partnership.
- Jenner & Block LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Latham & Watkins LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Lehman College Partner — Social work intern and fellow placement partnership.
- Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants Government — Collaborated with Brooklyn Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition to pause eviction cases and enforce regulatory agreement compliance at Flatbush Gardens.
- NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Government — Partnered with Brooklyn Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition to secure a moratorium on eviction cases at Flatbush Gardens.
- New York City Department of Education Government — Challenged in legal action to secure educational supports for an autistic student.
- New York City coalition Coalition — Collaborated with a citywide coalition to implement the Right to Counsel law for tenants facing eviction.
- New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal Government — Engaged in legal proceedings related to rent stabilization enforcement.
- New York University Partner — Social work intern and fellow placement partnership.
- O’Melveny & Myers LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
- Seyfarth Shaw LLP Partner — Law firm participating in LSNYC’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board
+ 17 more
strategies · 3
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-Partnered Advocacy Modelmethodology: client_partner_modelBy treating clients as co-developers of legal solutions and centering their lived experience, the organization produces more effective advocacy and better legal outcomes, because client-led problem identification increases relevance, dignity, and systemic accuracy in addressing root causes.
- Intersectional Community Lawyeringmethodology: intersectional_community_lawyeringBy integrating trauma-informed practices, social work collaboration, and community-driven data into legal advocacy, the organization addresses legal issues within broader contexts of race, gender, income, and identity, because overlapping systems of disadvantage require holistic interventions that go beyond narrow legal representation to improve long-term client stability.
- Systemic Accountability Through Strategic Litigationmethodology: systemic_accountability_litigationBy using targeted litigation to hold landlords and government agencies accountable for housing neglect—especially where public funds were misused—the organization produces structural change in housing systems, because legal enforcement of regulatory obligations creates binding precedents and deters future abuse.