About Legal Aid Society

The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no person should be denied their right to equal justice. Our Civil, Criminal Defense, Juvenile Rights, and Pro Bono practices work tirelessly in and out of the courtroom to defend our clients and dismantle the hidden, systemic barriers that can prevent them from thriving in New York City.

The Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project (EAP) and Education Law Project (ELP) provide Early Intervention, general education, special education, and suspension hearing advocacy for children and youth in New York City. If you are not involved in a Family Court or Criminal Court case, you can ask for help by calling The Legal Aid’s Civil Access to Benefits helpline at 888-663-6880.

The LGBTQ+ Law and Policy Unit seeks to create, support, and sustain affirming and safer spaces, practices and policies for LGBTQ+ clients and staff within the organization and throughout New York City and New York State. Unit staff provide trainings on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to Legal Aid Society staff and are active in City and State legislative and policy reform efforts, coalition building, and public education through Know Your Rights and other presentations.

The Unit also litigates issues that impact the lives of many LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Whether it was the hard-fought victories to secure the right of transgender individuals, including youth, to receive Medicaid coverage for needed health treatments, or the ongoing fight to end police profiling of transgender women of color and the criminalization of LGBTQ+ identities, the LGBTQ+ Unit is ready to assist our clients in advancing liberation against state oppression.