LSNYC’s Pro Bono Practice
Each year, Legal Services NYC partners with more than 4,000 pro bono volunteers from nearly 100 law firms and corporations across the city to help New Yorkers facing a range of legal challenges. These volunteers collectively work on more than 3,500 cases and donate approximately 100,000 hours annually. Their work benefits more than 7,000 low-income people, including securing millions of dollars annually for clients in settlements, benefits, and debt discharge.
In addition to partnering on impact cases, LSNYC’s pro bono program serves individual clients across nearly all of our civil practice areas, including immigration, family, education, employment, benefits, trusts & estates, consumer, LGBTQ/HIV, veterans, and housing. LSNYC provides training, supervision, and technical support, while pro bono partners take the lead on the cases.
Clinics & Study Groups
LSNYC holds more than 100 clinics and study groups each year to serve low-income clients, including:
- Immigration Screening Clinics
- U-Visa Full Representation Clinics
- LGBTQ Affirmative Asylum Full Representation Clinics
- LGBTQ Defensive Asylum Pro Se Plus Clinics
- VAWA Self Petition/Battered Spouse Waiver Full Representation Clinics
- Asylee Adjustment Of Status Full Representation Clinics
- Naturalization Full Representation Clinics
- Transgender Name Change Full Representation Clinics
- Housing Repair/Anti-Tenant Harassment Full Representation Study Groups
- TPS Application Clinics
- Emergency Housing Benefits Clinics (One Shot Deals)
- Rent Freeze Clinics for Seniors & Disabled People (SCRIE/DRIE)
- Public Benefits Application Clinics for food, cash, and medical care (SNAP/cash/Medicaid)
Learn more about our Pro Bono Practice
Non-Profit Pro Bono Development
Legal Services NYC also plays a key role in promoting pro bono best practices nationally and in helping other nonprofits that seek to emulate our projects in other regions. Feel free to reach out to us if you work at a legal services organization and are interested in discussing how best to improve your program.
To facilitate replication, LSNYC has also created this Start Up Kit for creating hybrid legal services, law firm, and corporate clinics. Feel free to also check out our Public Benefits Start-Up Kit and Housing Study Group Start-Up Kit for more detailed steps on how to emulate our approach in these practice areas.
Pro Bono Resources
Our pro bono resources are for volunteers representing LSNYC clients.
Partner With Us
Law firms and corporations who are interested in getting involved should contact Adam Heintz. Individuals who are not affiliated with law firms or corporations, and are interested in volunteering should submit a volunteer application here.
