The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) was founded in 1990 by Kathryn O. Greenberg on the premise that low income individuals and families could improve their lives significantly if given access to legal help with civil matters.

From its inception, NYLAG has been determined to assist not only truly destitute New Yorkers, but also those near poor and working poor who are unqualified for traditional government funded legal services programs yet clearly unable to afford a private lawyer. To achieve this goal, NYLAG operates chiefly on private funding and is thus able to provide services to clients marginally above federal poverty income guidelines. Today, with a budget of over $9 million, NYLAG is over 75 percent privately funded and provides critical legal assistance annually to over 50,000 New York City residents across the five boroughs.

The ideals which spurred NYLAG’s creation remain at the forefront of the work we do and our vision for the future. NYLAG has grown from its grassroots to a paid legal staff 100 and over 800 public interest-minded volunteers. From a modest single general legal services unit in 1990, NYLAG now offers seven exceptional legal divisions addressing vital issues ranging from immigration to domestic violence to elder law, special education and health care. Our ability to reach clients is greatly increased by the hundreds of volunteer attorneys, paralegals, students and other individuals who help NYLAG meet the legal needs of the population we serve.

NYLAG is a not-for-profit law office founded in 1990 to provide free civil legal services to low income New Yorkers who would otherwise be unable to afford or receive legal assistance.

NYLAG helps the poor and near poor in New York City access legal rights of vital importance. NYLAG clients include seniors, immigrants, victims of domestic violence, at-risk children, people with disabilities, people moving from welfare to work, Holocaust survivors, and individuals suffering from chronic and serious illness. NYLAG helps those in desperate need of assistance, handling a multitude of legal issues including obtaining government benefits such as food stamps and home care, securing orders of protection and divorces and handling immigration matters.

NYLAG consists of a group of talented attorneys and support staff who believe in the power of the law to protect and serve the disenfranchised. Our ability to reach clients is greatly increased by the hundreds of volunteer attorneys, paralegals, students and other individuals who help NYLAG meet the legal needs of the population we serve.

NYLAG is a beneficiary of UJA-Federation of New York. Vital additional support comes from private foundations, federal, state and city agencies, and the generosity of philanthropic individuals.

http://www.nylag.org/