Company Profile
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
Company Overview
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York provides effective, free legal services and education to and advocacy for people with low income or other barriers to accessing the legal system. We secure basic needs, protect and preserve legal rights, provide equal access to justice and seek fairness and dignity for all our clients. We serve the low-income and needy residents of Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington Counties and the St. Regis Reservation.
Company History
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York is the successor organization to the Legal Aid Society of Albany, originally incorporated in 1923, and one of the oldest legal services organizations in the United States.
The first attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Albany was Ruth Miner, who worked part-time for $50 per month. When asked why she sought judgment in cases involving as little as one dollar, Miner replied "Justice is not measured by the amount of money: Justice is an idea". Arthur J. Harvey was the Society's next attorney, often handling 1,000 matters a year. He believed that everyone deserved representation, regardless of their situation in life.
The Legal Aid Society was one of the first programs to receive federal funding under the Economic Opportunity Act in 1966. As federal funding expanded, so did the Legal Aid Society, growing from 1969 to 1996 to include Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties.
LASNNY service area
Through the years, the Society has coped with the shifts and uncertainties of federal and state funding. Aggressive fundraising and grantwriting have helped establish and maintain a vigorous program of high quality civil legal aid. In 2002, the Legal Aid Society moved to its new, fully accessible offices at 55 Colvin Avenue in Albany. In 2004, the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York merged with North Country Legal Services and also assumed responsibility for serving Fulton, Montgomery and Schoharie Counties. We now serve a 16-county service area in northeastern New York: Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montogmery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Warren and Washington. The Legal Aid Society has offices in Albany, Amsterdam, Canton, Plattsburgh and Saratoga Springs.
Benefits
We are a unionized program and our fringe benefits are excellent.