Legal Services NYC, LSSA Agree on New 3-Year Contract After Months of Bargaining

New York, NY – After months of bargaining, Legal Services NYC’s union, Legal Services Staff Association (LSSA), voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses some of staff’s main concerns, including pay parity for lower paid staff and generous wage increases for attorneys, including a bump for first year law graduates. The new contract also includes other benefits, such as a 50% remote work policy, a student loan payment program, and generous health and other benefits, aimed at making Legal Services NYC a better and more attractive place to work for new and existing hires.

Legal Services NYC’s Financial Package includes:

• Front Office/Support, Receptionist, Staff Investigator/Process Server, Clerk/Messenger, Maintenance Person receive between a 27% and 36% increase over three years (depending on experience) when you factor in step increases, with up to a 14% increase in their first year. 
• Executive Secretary II, Intake Paralegals, Hotline Paralegals, Non-Confidential Technical Support, Production Assistant receive between a 23% and 31% increase over three years when you factor in step increases. 

• Staff attorneys receive between a 19% and 31% increase over three years when you factor in step increases. 

• As of July 1, 2025, no one employed at LSNYC will be making less than $60,000. 

• This offer is fully retroactive to July 1, 2024. 

Additionally, LSNYC continues to offer one of the most generous benefit packages to staff among legal services providers, including: 

• 50% remote work schedule 
• exceptional healthcare, dental insurance, a vision plan 
• 23 vacation days per year (increasing to 28 days after the first year) 
• 18 sick days per year, 7 personal days 
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program 
• financial assistance for adoption, surrogacy, and infertility treatments 
• financial assistance for gender affirming care 
• generous 403(b) retirement plan 

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our bargaining teams, we were able to reach a generous agreement we think is strong and fair,” said Shervon Small, executive director of Legal Services NYC, the nation’s largest provider of free civil legal services. “We didn’t agree on everything, but we prioritized fair wages for our lowest paid staff and secured across the board wage increases to ensure fair compensation. This agreement also strengthens LSNYC’s ability to offer competitive salaries, helping us attract and retain the talent needed to serve our clients effectively. With this contract in place, we will continue to do what we do best, provide high-quality legal help to New Yorkers in need.”

To learn more about LSNYC’s bargaining this year, read summaries of our sessions on our website here.

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Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC fights every day to ensure New Yorkers and their families have access to the services, resources, and protections they need to survive. www.legalservicesnyc.org.