| Type | Non-profit |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1967 |
| Location | New York City |
| Key people | Raun Rasmussen, Executive director[1] |
| Services | Legal services |
| Method | legal services to low income New Yorkers |
| Website | http://www.legalservicesnyc.org/ |
Legal Services NYC (LS-NYC) is a 45 year old non-profit agency that is providing free civil legal assistance to low income people in New York City. The community-based organization serves more than 50,000 clients annually. '[2] It is the nation’s largest organization] exclusively devoted to providing free civil services to the poor. [3][4], with 11 programs located in low-income neighborhoods throughout New York City.
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In 1967, a group of federally funded legal services offices united to become Community Action for Legal Services (CALS), which later changed to Legal Services for New York City. After adopting a new logo [5] and brand, the organization changed its name in 2007, on its 40th anniversary, to Legal Services NYC (LS-NYC).[6] The first landmark win for LS-NYC came in 1970 with Goldberg v. Kelly, where the Supreme Court laid down the due process standards for the termination of government benefits.[7]
The organization's structure serves NYC’s low-income community on the local level. In Brooklyn there are five units: Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services, Brooklyn Family Defense Project, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, LS-NYC-Brooklyn Branch. South Brooklyn Legal Services. In the rest of the city there are four: Manhattan Legal Services. Queens Legal Services, Staten Island Legal Services, LS-NYC-Bronx. There is also a citywide Central Office and a Legal Support Unit. [8]
The organization represents clients in courts and administrative proceedings. It also provides advice or referral information if unable to provide representation. Assistance is provided through legal education and community workshops, help lines and written materials. The organization also provides training to poverty law attorneys and advocates through its Legal Support Unit. [9]
LS-NYC is governed by a Board of Directors; the members are appointed by Bar Associations, community groups, and other entities. The Board of Directors is led by the Executive Committee, composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, and three additional non-officer members of the board.
![[3]](http://www.probono.net/images/areas/333/LS NYC logo_Photo.jpg){kind=link}