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Alex Dery Snider, aderysnider@empirejustice.org
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Legal Services Coalition Praises Judiciary Budget as Step to
Addressing Staffing Crisis, Access to Justice
On Wednesday, November 27, the New York Unified Court System released their budget submission for SFY 2026, which included a significant increase in funding for civil legal services. The budget submission highlighted the increases in civil legal services funding as a priority: “The UCS is committed to meeting the critical needs of low-income and underrepresented New Yorkers. The FY 2026 Budget includes an increase of $45.5 million, for a total budget of $150 million.”
Unlike in criminal cases – in which people have a right to an attorney – civil legal service providers’ ability to take on clients depends on securing government contracts and private fundraising, even though civil cases determine people’s access to the “Essentials of Life”, including housing, food, education, and safety. The Permanent Commission on Access to Justice has estimated up to a $1 billion gap between current funding and unmet civil justice needs.
The budget request follows the Chief Judge’s hearing on civil legal services in September, which had the goal of “[evaluating] the continuing unmet civil legal services needs in New York and to assess the level of resources necessary to meet those needs.” Providers and others in the legal field testified on the staffing crisis in the sector, and the urgency of increasing salaries and supporting infrastructure investments as key first steps in helping low-income New Yorkers access justice.
The New York Legal Services Coalition President Kristin Brown offered the following statement:
“New Yorkers in need of civil legal services in New York state are at risk due to a dire recruitment and retention crisis. Attorneys are leaving legal services agencies for government jobs at an alarming rate because of the pay differential with comparable work.
We are grateful that the Chief Judge asked, listened, and heard what civil legal services – and our clients – are facing. Civil legal aid clients include people escaping domestic violence, people facing homelessness, and people struggling to access stabilizing services and benefits such as social security disability, healthcare, and other resources they are entitled to. New York needs a healthy, stable, and sustainable civil legal services sector to meet these urgent needs. In addition to this being the most just path, it is also the fiscally prudent one; according to the IOLA Fund, in 2024, each dollar invested in civil legal services generated a $7.50 return in New York, by preventing homelessness and health issues; helping to secure federal income supports and tax credits that generate economic activity ultimately resulting in state and local tax dollars and business earnings; helping to prevent domestic violence and securing work authorization, among many other activities. Other estimates are as high as $10 for every $1 invested.
We respectfully urge Governor Hochul and both houses of the legislature to support this critical investment in the final budget.”
The Judiciary budget submission represents one component of the overall New York State budget process. The UCS budget will be incorporated into the Executive budget, which will be delivered to the Legislature in January. It will need to be passed by the Legislature and approved by the Executive as part of the overall final budget for the increase in funding to be available to providers for contracts starting in April of 2025.
The New York Legal Services will soon be releasing a report on the need for pay at civil legal aid organizations to reach parity with government law departments to address a staffing crisis. Additionally, the Chief Judge’s Permanent Commission on Access to Justice will release its Annual Report to the Chief Judge, which will include extensive testimony on the importance of this investment.
About the New York Legal Services Coalition
The New York Legal Services Coalition is a statewide association that represents the interests of civil legal services organizations and the communities they serve. Our members collectively provide services in the areas of family law, housing, immigration, and public benefits across all 62 counties of New York State.
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