September 24, 2019
Over 100 people gathered at the Fort Orange Club in Albany to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York’s (LASNNY) Annual Justice For All campaign. The anniversary was marked by the installation of a new co-chair, David Cost a partner at the firm of Barclay Damon, LLP in Albany.
Founding co-chair of the campaign, E. Stewart Jones, Jr. of E. Stewart Jones Hacker Murphy said, “in 2004 a small group of partners from the leading firms in the Capital Region came together to stand with LASNNY in their mission of equal justice For All. Now in its 15th year the campaign has raised over $3 million dollars to provide free civil legal services to low-income individuals and families in our community.”
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York fights for fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty and for a society which is inclusive and equitable for all. LASNNY transforms lives, builds community, and empowers people by using the law to address individual and systemic wrongs and inequalities. In 2018 the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York closed 10,340 cases, benefiting 21,784 individuals at a cost of only $1,064 per case.
“Justice depends on having a fair chance to be heard,” said LASNNY Executive Director Lillian M. Moy, “regardless of who you are, where you live, or how much money you have.” Thousands of residents in Northeastern New York are fighting legal battles alone, without any access to legal help, compromising the fundamental fairness of our society. “We are grateful to have so many leaders in the legal community to stand by LASNNY to help us provide this vital lifeline to so many of our neighbors.”
Newly appointed Justice For All co-chair, David Cost, a partner at the law firm Barclay Damon LLP, said “I am honored to have been selected as the co-chair for the JFA campaign and to stand alongside E. Stewart Jones and thank the 77 firms, bar associations, and companies who took a stand in 2018 for equal justice. And I look forward to working with each of you to grow the campaign to include all of the firms located in Northeastern New York, and to have individuals stand alongside us too. Together we can be the lifeline to help our neighbors in need.”
Since 1923 the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York has worked to ensure fairness in the justice system and address some of our community’s most serious problems by providing free civil legal aid to low-income individuals and families. The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York fights for fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty and for a society which is inclusive and equitable for all. LASNNY transforms lives, builds community, and empowers people by using the law to address individual and systemic wrongs and inequalities.
LASNNY provides assistance and representation to low-income residents in 16 counties from the Catskills to the Canadian border in civil legal matters with five offices throughout the region. Located at 95 Central Avenue in Albany the Center for Civil Legal Services opened in 2018 as their flagship center. The location in the heart of the City of Albany gives the Center and the LASNNY attorneys, paralegals, and staff the opportunity to not only provide the Capital Region with urgent civil legal services, but also has a co-working space for volunteer pro bono attorneys and spaces for community legal trainings.