Fundraising

“The Legal Aid Society takes on more cases for more clients than any other legal services organization in the United States. The Society's unique value is an ability to go beyond any one case to create more equitable outcomes for individuals and broader, more powerful systemic change for society as a whole. In addition to our annual caseload of 300,000 legal matters for individual clients, the Society’s law reform work benefits some 2 million low income families and individuals in New York City and the landmark rulings in many of these cases have a State-wide and national impact.”

- Steven Banks, Attorney-in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society


“The Legal Aid Society is one of New York’s finest institutions. It keeps people in their homes, helps them to obtain benefits to which they are entitled, and secures for them necessary medical care. It keeps families together by resolving domestic disputes and helps children get a better start in life.”

- Blaine (Fin) V. Fogg, President of The Legal Aid Society


The Legal Aid Society, the oldest and largest public law firm of its kind in the nation, is dedicated to one simple but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied access to justice because of poverty. Through three core practice areas — Civil, Juvenile Rights, and Criminal Defense — the Society handles approximately 300,000 cases and legal matters annually for individuals and families in all five boroughs of New York City.

Unlike the Society’s Criminal and Juvenile Rights Practices (both of which are constitutionally and legally mandated and funded by the government), our Civil Practice relies heavily on private contributions — from law firms, corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Society's Civil Practice, which consistently wins over 90% of its cases, provides essential services to help thousands of New Yorkers living at or below the poverty line to obtain the basic necessities of life.

It is this generous private support that allows us to be a powerful and positive force in the lives of thousands of low-income New Yorkers by providing direct legal help in some 30,000 individual civil legal matters each year. Moreover, it is also a vital resource in our continuing fight for systemic law reform — our landmark cases directly benefit more than 2 million low income families and individuals in New York City, as well as many others across the nation as a whole.

To learn how to make a contribution of your own, or to read about fundraising initiatives already underway, please click on the links below: