The Legal Aid Society exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that no New Yorker is denied the right to equal justice because of poverty.

For over 140 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those that have struggled in silence for far too long – working on the front lines and behind the scenes to offer our clients the exceptional legal services they deserve.

Through our Civil, Criminal Defense, and Juvenile Rights Practices, we offer an unmatched depth and breadth of legal expertise to vulnerable New Yorkers in over 300,000 legal matters each and every year. 

Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of our clients with the help of our supporters.

For immediate help, call 212-577-3300

OUR THREE PRACTICES

 

WHAT WE DO

Deborah's Story

Mia's Story

Wilmer's Story

Meet immigration attorney Carina Patritti, who recently won an incredible asylum victory for her young clients, brothers E and R. E and R came from El Salvador in 2014, arriving as unaccompanied children at the ages of 15 and 13, respectively. In El Salvador, E and R suffered severe physical and psychological abuse by their grandfather and other caretakers, who also forced them to engage in child labor. Carina and the LAS team began working with the siblings the year after their arrival and submitted their asylum applications before the Asylum Office. The Asylum Office did not grant their applications despite voluminous evidence of abuse and referred their cases to be heard by a Judge in Immigration Court. Five years after they entered the United States, they had their trial in court. Despite an evidence package demonstrating the abuse that E and R had experienced (including photos of the self-harm E inflicted on himself as a result of that abuse, and the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for both brothers), the government attorney insisted that the siblings would have to testify, re-traumatizing them and exacerbating the pain they endured. Finally, after E’s grueling testimony where he bravely spoke about the many years of severe abuse he and his brother had experienced and its impact on his psychological well-being, the judge and government attorney determined that no one else would need to testify. Thanks to an amazing collaborative effort between Carina, a LAS youth social worker, and a paralegal, the Immigration Judge issued a written decision that granted asylum to both siblings in June 2019! Follow @carinita13 and visit www.legalaidnyc.org/carina-patritti (link also in bio).
Thank you @fox5ny for spotlighting the work of our newly minted #WrongfulConvictionUnit! (Pictured: LAS Investigator #ThomasMcCall, @ernieanastos, LAS Supervising Attorney #ElizabethFelber) #FreeJamesDavis
This morning we to stood with fellow advocates and the @newyorkstateag as she announced that New York, along with Connecticut and Vermont, are suing the Trump Admin. to block the #PublicCharge rule from taking effect on Oct 15th. We will continue to defend our clients and all immigrant New Yorkers to help ensure that anyone eligible for government benefits can access them without jeopardizing their future in the U.S.
#BREAKING: NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill just fired Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner in 2014. Link to the full statement in our bio.

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