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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: March 2026 Expires: March 2028

Legal Aid Society

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards

416 W Muhammad Ali Blvd Ste 300
Louisville, KY, 40202

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Legal Aid Society meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:

The mission of the Legal Aid Society is to pursue justice for people in poverty. It is a non-profit organization that provides civil legal assistance to families and individuals in poverty in 15 counties in Kentucky. It is the only organization in Louisville and the surrounding counties that provides these free civil legal services.

Clients turn to Legal Aid for civil legal problems that threaten their health and safety and the stability of their families. Those assisted include the elderly, children, victims of domestic violence, and other vulnerable groups.

Year, State Incorporated:
1921, KY

Secure Housing
Legal Aid Society advocacy supports the right of all people to be safe and secure in their home. It assists with eviction and landlord/tenant disputes; foreclosure; unlawful set outs or lockouts; uninhabitability and code violations; wrongful terminations of utility assistance; wrongful denials of subsidized housing assistance; denials of housing vouchers; violations of Fair Housing laws.

Economic Stability
Legal Aid Society advocacy supports economic stability of individuals, neighborhoods, and entire communities. It assists with government benefits (SNAP, TANF); healthcare (Medicaid, Medicare); wage garnishments; debt collection; predatory lending; criminal record expungement; driver and occupational licenses; nonprofit legal support; tax controversy.

Personal Safety and Family Stability
Legal Aid Society advocacy supports the well-being of the family and promotes personal safety.  It assists with protective orders for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking; divorces for survivors and assistance for those representing themselves (pro se assistance); custody and visitation; guardianship; economic supports for children; educational rights.

Empowered Communities
Legal Aid Society advocacy removes barriers to civil legal aid due to age, sex, disability, veteran status, involvement in the criminal legal system, immigration status, geographic barriers, or communication limitations. It achieves this by providing language services to those with Limited English Proficiency; partnering with community service providers to meet clients where they are; using technology to remove barriers like geography or disability; engaging in community development; developing programs specific to a populations needs, like Project H.E.L.P. (Homeless Experience Legal Protection), Veterans Legal Project, Doctors & Lawyers for Kids, HIV/AIDS Legal Project, and Project Renew.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, Legal Aid Society's program expenses were:

Program services $5,604,984
Total Program Expenses $5,604,984

Chief Executive
John Young, Executive Director

Chair of the Board
Jeremiah Byrne

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Louisville Bar Association, Frost Brown Todd

Board Size
27

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.), Other

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Legal Aid Society's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Source of Funds
Grants and contracts $4,314,067
Donated legal services $719,576
Contributions $679,951
Filing fees $593,351
Interest on lawyer trust accounts $226,800
In-kind contributions $100,400
Special events, net $73,180
Investment return, net $62,225
Rent income $23,906
Miscellaneous $12,204
CY Pres Award $8,401
Attorney fees $2,000
Total Income $6,816,061

Programs: 74% Fundraising: 7% Administrative: 19%

Total Income $6,816,061
Total expenses: $7,601,977
  Program expenses $5,604,984
  Fundraising expenses $547,211
  Administrative expenses $1,449,782
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $-785,916
Beginning Net Assets $3,480,507
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $2,694,591
Total Liabilities $2,551,278
Total Assets $5,245,869
Ending net assets as reported above include $2,317,986 without donor restrictions and $376,605 with donor restrictions.

Total assets as reported above include $130,563 in property equipment, net.

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

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Report completed by:
BBB serving Greater Kentucky and South Central Indiana