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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: June 2026 Expires: June 2028

Legal Aid Society

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(212) 577-3300
199 Water Street
New York, NY, 10038
https://legalaidnyc.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

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 Legal Aid Society is more than a law firm for clients who cannot afford to pay for counsel. It is an indispensable component of the legal, social, and economic fabric of New York City -passionately advocating for low-income individuals and families across a variety of civil, criminal and juvenile rights matters, while also fighting for legal reform.

Year, State Incorporated:
, NY

The Legal Aid Society has performed its legal services in city, state and federal courts since 1876. We do so by capitalizing on the diverse expertise, experience, and capabilities of more than 1,100 lawyers. The Society's legal program operates three major practices - Civil, Criminal and Juvenile Rights through a network of borough, neighborhood, and courthouse-based offices in 26 locations in New York City with more than 1,800 attorneys, paralegals, and support staff, along with volunteer help from law firms, corporate law departments, and expert consultants coordinated by the Society's Pro Bono program. As a result, we are able to provide comprehensive legal services to fulfill our mission that no New Yorker should be denied access to justice because of poverty. The Legal Aid Society takes on an annual caseload of more than 300,000 legal matters.

For the year ended June 30, 2025, Legal Aid Society's program expenses were:

Program Services $234,217,912
Civil Practice $105,597,624
Criminal Defense Practice $54,737,397
Total Program Expenses $394,552,933

Chair of the Board
Alan Levine

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Cooley LLP

Board Size
55

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Internet, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.)

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 June 30, 2025.

Source of Funds
Program Support and Review $251,692,933
Juvenile Rights Practice $108,147,160
Criminal Defense Practice $60,264,511
Contribution (net of direct expenses related to the benefit) $16,960,883
Return on Investments, net $1,976,927
Other Income $743,908
Court Awards $442,006
Total Income $440,228,328

Programs: 91% Fundraising: 1% Administrative: 8%

Total Income $440,228,328
Total expenses: $432,982,063
  Program expenses $394,552,933
  Fundraising expenses $3,039,815
  Administrative expenses $35,389,315
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $7,246,265
Beginning Net Assets $17,157,391
Other Changes In Net Assets $-8,499,077
Ending Net Assets $15,904,579
Total Liabilities $407,482,089
Total Assets $42,338,668

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 Foundation of Metropolitan New York