Chief Judge’s 2025 Hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York, Testimonies
The New York Legal Services Coalition
Introduction
The New York Legal Services Coalition (NYLSC) is grateful to the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice for its steadfast leadership and partnership in the effort to ensure equal justice for all New Yorkers. We appreciate the opportunity to present written testimony and for the Commission’s consistent recognition of the essential role that civil legal services play in securing fairness, stability, and dignity for low-income individuals and families.
Who We Are
The New York Legal Services Coalition is a unified network of 46 nonprofit civil legal services providers across the state. These organizations provide life-changing support to income-eligible New Yorkers, preventing eviction and homelessness, protecting survivors of domestic violence, securing income and benefits, accessing health care, ensuring education services, reuniting families, and obtaining lawful immigration status - services that are, in many cases, the very “essentials of life.” Together, our member programs represent every county in New York and work to ensure that vulnerable residents can enforce their legal rights and meet their most basic needs. The majority of our clients are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who, in addition to confronting pressing legal issues, must navigate justice and economic systems that are structurally biased in favor of those with greater resources.
Catholic Migration Services
Thank you, Honorable Chief Judge Wilson for the opportunity to comment on Civil Legal Services funding in New York State.
For over 50 years, Catholic Migration Services has provided high quality legal services to low-income and immigrant New Yorkers. Our agency’s mission is to welcome “the stranger in our midst” by providing high quality legal services and education to empower and advance equality and social justice. We offer legal services in three areas – immigration, housing, and employment – with offices in Brooklyn and Queens. Our Immigration Unit is comprised of four legal teams: Removal Defense, Affirmative, Naturalization, and the Pro Se Plus Project. Our Housing Unit includes a legal team and tenant organizers. Our Employment Unit provides assistance to workers on a variety of workplace issues.
Judiciary Civil Legal Services (JCLS) Funding
We applaud the increase of $45.4 million in Judiciary Civil Legal Services (JCLS) funding included in the New York State budget for this year. The increased funding allows Catholic Migration Services to continue to meet the overwhelming demand for services, particularly in light of the fear and uncertainty that our immigrant clients are experiencing, and the cuts to federal funding that have impacted our programs
Center for Elder Law & Justice
Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony. The Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) is an 80-person full service regional civil legal services organization with dedicated staff for outreach, training, and pro bono activities. Our work includes both policy advocacy and individual direct legal services. We have units dedicated to health care, housing, kinship care, public benefits, elder abuse & consumer scams, and more. Our mission is to use the legal system to ensure that our clients live independently and with dignity.
Incorporated in 1978, in Erie County New York, Judiciary Civil Legal Services funding enabled us to expand. We now provide outreach and brief services to all counties in the Fourth Department, full-service representation to 10 Western New York Counties and have four offices in the counties of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus, have three medical legal partnerships. and operate a state-wide free civil legal advice helpline.
Empire Justice Center
Good afternoon. My name is Kristin Brown and I am President and CEO of Empire Justice Center. We are a statewide, not for profit law firm and advocacy organization with seven offices across the state: in Albany, Rochester, Yonkers, White Plains, Central Islip, and Hempstead.
We focus on areas of law where we can have the most impact, with the goal of addressing the root causes of injustice through our 360 degree approach to systems change. We center client experience to identify barriers, and we break them down using targeted training, legal intervention, and policy advocacy. In this way, we practice, teach, and change the law to make it work for all New Yorkers.
am also the President of the New York Legal Services Coalition Board of Directors, the statewide association representing the interests of civil legal services organizations and the communities we serve. Our 46 members collectively provide legal services in family law, housing, immigration, public benefits, and many other areas of poverty law in every region of New York State. My colleagues have submitted testimony on behalf of the coalition.
Legal Asistance of Western New York
I submit these remarks on behalf of LawNY with deep gratitude for the $45.5 million increase in JCLS funding this year. This investment demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring equal access to justice for New Yorkers. To uphold that commitment, support must not only be sustained but also provided with the flexibility needed to reinforce the sector, especially given current and anticipated reductions in federal funding. Flexibility enables providers to allocate resources where they are most needed, ensuring that clients continue to receive consistent services in their communities. Your support allows us to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our community members every day. To illustrate that impact, I would like to share with you stories of individuals who have received support from LawNY. I appreciate John and Sophonia for their willingness to share their stories with us, and for allowing us to pass them on to you.
A Second Chance After Student Loan Debt
John contacted our office seeking assistance with his student loans. John's health issues caused him to fall behind on his student loan payments, and he was unsure of his options. John had been carrying more than $95,000 in federal student loan debt he could never repay because of serious medical conditions that left him unable to work. John's disability was due in part to a respiratory condition he developed after coordinating six floors of volunteers for people going into detox after the September 11th terrorist attack.
Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo
Dear Chief Judge Wilson and Members of the Panel:
On behalf of the New York Legal Services Coalition (NYLSC) — a statewide network of 46 Nonprofit Civil Legal Services providers — I thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony for the upcoming hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York State. Our coalition represents organizations that deliver life-changing legal support to New Yorkers in critical areas, including housing, domestic violence, public benefits, consumer rights, health care, education, family stability, and immigration.'
Our clients are among New York’s most vulnerable residents, and the majority are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who face not only urgent legal crises but also systemic inequities in justice and economic systems that too often privilege wealth. Ensuring robust and sustainable funding for Civil Legal Services is essential to protecting the rights of all New Yorkers and maintaining stability for communities statewide.
Legal Aid Society of Rochester NY
The Legal Aid Society of Rochester, NY (LASROC) appreciates the opportunity to submit this statement and thanks Chief Judge Wilson and the members of the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice for their ongoing support for civil legal services.
LASROC is a not-for-profit law firm that provides direct civil legal services, including lay advocacy and related human services, to more than 8,000 low and moderate-income people each year in Monroe and the surrounding counties. LASROC is a founding member of the New York Legal Services Coalition (NYLSC), a coalition of 46 nonprofit civil legal services providers across New York State. NYLSC member agencies provide life-changing legal support in housing, domestic violence, benefits, health care, education, family stability, and immigration. We work to close the justice gap for low-income New Yorkers and for traditionally underrepresented communities who face both urgent legal crises and systemic inequities.
Legal Services NYC
I would like to thank Chief Judge Wilson and everyone on today’s panel for holding this hearing and for being such strong and consistent supporters of the rule of law and access to justice for all in our state. The public hearing notice asked for information about the impact of federal funding cuts and programmatic restrictions on civil legal services, the effect of Judiciary Civil Legal Services (JCLS) funding on the delivery of legal services, and the current scope of unmet civil legal services needs. I will address each in turn.
I am the Executive Director of Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the largest civil legal services provider in the country and the largest recipient of funding from the federal Legal Services Corporation. We are proud members of the New York Legal Services Coalition, a coalition of 46 nonprofit civil legal services providers across New York State, providing life-changing legal assistance to low-income people across the state.
LSNYC represents low-income people in New York City in a range of civil matters, from eviction defense to immigration representation to family law matters to public benefits assistance and more. We provide eligible clients with assistance in over 70,000 cases per year, benefiting over 125,000 clients and family members, and obtaining over $60 million in financial and in-kind benefits to our clients every year, including public benefits, financial awards, and rent abatements.
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
Thank you, Honorable Chief Judge Wilson for the opportunity to comment on Civil Legal Services funding in New York State.
For nearly 50 years, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) has advocated on behalf of marginalized and disadvantaged communities across New York including individuals with disabilities, immigrant New Yorkers with serious health conditions, and residents of environmental justice communities bearing the greatest burdens of pollution and the climate crisis. Our client communities are routinely harmed by current systems of poverty, policing, immigration enforcement, incarceration and by lack of access to legal representation, and health care including mental health services. NYLPI’s interdisciplinary team of advocates work to address the root causes of poverty and lack of equal opportunity in underserved communities, providing a wide range of legal representation to thousands of individuals and communities each year. Combining legal representation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we work to ensure that all New Yorkers have quality healthcare and housing, safe jobs, good schools, and healthy neighborhoods.
We are active members of the New York Legal Services Coalition, a group of 46 nonprofit civil legal services providers across New York State.
New York Legal Assistance Group
Thank you, Honorable Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson for the opportunity to submit testimony to the 2025 hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York. My name is Lisa Rivera and I am the President & CEO of the the New York Legal Assistance Group.
The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a not-for-profit legal services organization serving low-income New Yorkers. NYLAG uses the power of the law to help New Yorkers experiencing poverty or in crisis combat economic, racial, and social injustice. We address emerging and urgent needs with comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving clients, whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. Last year, our work impacted the lives of over 120,000 New Yorkers.
Low-income New Yorkers and vulnerable communities continue to face barriers in accessing civil legal services which are often needed to help navigate issues such as housing, benefits, access to healthcare, family stability, employment, and immigration. Investing in legal services can prevent otherwise catastrophic problems for families, address systemic issues, and create stability in communities. While investing in civil legal services has always been critical, with rapidly changing federal policies and uncertainties around federal funding, this investment becomes even more essential. Investing in legal services is a commitment in.
Pro Bono Net
Thank you, Honorable Chief Judge Wilson, for the opportunity to comment on the unmet civil legal services needs in New York, the resources required to meet those needs, and strategies to address them.
Introduction to Pro Bono Net
Pro Bono Net is a leading access to justice innovator with a 25-year history of impact. Based in New York City, we build digital tools and partnerships that help people navigate the law, access justice, and live more secure lives. Our programs serve the estimated 95% of low-income individuals who face high-stakes family, housing, economic security, and immigration issues each year without adequate legal help. Annually, our programs directly serve nearly 10 million a year nationally and more than 1.5 million people in New York. We are an active member of the New York Legal Services Coalition, a group of 46 nonprofit civil legal services providers across New York State working together to provide life-changing legal support in housing, domestic violence, benefits, health care, education, family stability, and immigration.
The Legal Aid Society
Good afternoon. I’m Adriene Holder, and I serve as Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice at The Legal Aid Society. I am also honored to serve as a member of the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice and as a board member of the New York Legal Services Coalition.
At the outset, I want to extend my deep thanks to Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson; Presiding Justices Dianne T. Renwick, Hector LaSalle, Elizabeth A. Garry, and Gerald J. Whalen; Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas; and New York State Bar Association President Kathleen Sweet for the opportunity to address you today.
Investing in civil legal services is not only an investment in access to justice but also a long-term commitment to combating racism, poverty, and inequality. With the support of Judiciary Civil Legal Services funding, providers like The Legal Aid Society are able to deliver both direct legal representation to individuals in crisis and systemic advocacy that addresses root causes and removes barriers for entire communities. In this way, legal services not only help those who walk through our doors but also create lasting change so that many others will never need to seek legal help in the first place. On behalf of The Legal Aid Society and the broader New York State civil legal services community, I extend our sincere gratitude for your continued investment and support.
Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY
Western New York Law Center
My name is Karen Welch, and I serve as the Executive Director of the Western New York Law Center in Buffalo, NY. I am honored to present testimony to the Chief Judge's 2025 Hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York.
Since 1996, our organization has been committed to providing free legal representation to low-income residents throughout Western New York. We operate walk-in consumer clinics, defend consumers facing debt collection lawsuits, help tenants avoid eviction, protect homeowners from foreclosure, advocate for students facing school suspensions, support low-income entrepreneurs, help low-income homeowners prepare vills, and tackle issues related to vacant and abandoned properties in collaboration with local municipalities. We are also part of the New York Legal Services Coalition, which brings together 46 nonprofit civil legal services providers across New York State.