NYLAG

What NYLAG does

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a New York City-based nonprofit legal services organization founded in 1990 that provides free civil legal representation to low-income New Yorkers. NYLAG operates with 251-500 employees and coordinates a network of over 2,000 pro bono attorneys and volunteers who contributed more than 74,000 hours of legal services in Fiscal Year 2025. Its practice areas span healthcare-related legal assistance for Medicaid recipients and cancer patients, immigration defense, special education advocacy for students with disabilities, and homelessness prevention through coalition-led shelter policy advocacy.

NYLAG delivers services across practice areas including Medicaid and public benefits, cancer-related legal issues, immigration defense, special education advocacy, and housing/shelter matters. The organization does not operate proprietary technology products; all service delivery is performed by staff attorneys and a coordinated volunteer pro bono network sourced from major law firms including Patterson Belknap, Orrick, DLA Piper, and Fried Frank, among others. NYLAG uses an annual Pro Bono Awards ceremony as both recognition and pro bono recruitment infrastructure.

NYLAG's business model is that of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded primarily through grants, principally from the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLA) Fund, which has requested $102.5 million across a five-year cycle for statewide civil legal services. Additional funding is sourced from corporate and foundation grants (e.g., a $250,000 MetLife Foundation grant in December 2023), individual donations, and in-kind pro bono attorney contributions. Services are provided free of charge to eligible clients, so no pricing model applies. NYLAG also engages in impact litigation and regulatory advocacy, notably partnering with the Coalition for the Homeless and Legal Aid Society in March 2025 and with 100+ bar associations in February 2026 to advance civil legal services funding and tenant protections.

Name

NYLAG

Legal name

New York Legal Assistance Group

Website

https://nylag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NYLAG is a New York City nonprofit founded in 1990 that provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers — including Medicaid recipients, cancer patients, immigrants, and students with disabilities — through a pro bono network of over 2,000 attorneys and volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Civil legal services
• Pro bono legal aid
• Nonprofit legal services
• Immigration legal defense
• Public benefits advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding (IOLA Fund): NYLAG receives grant funding from the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLA) Fund, which provides grant funding for civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers. The IOLA Fund requested $102.5 million for a five-year grant cycle. NYLAG also relies on pro bono contributions from volunteer attorneys.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NYLAG provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers across multiple practice areas including healthcare-related legal assistance for Medicaid recipients and cancer patients, immigration defense, homelessness prevention and shelter advocacy, and special education advocacy for students with disabilities. Services are delivered directly by NYLAG staff and through a coordinated network of over 2,000 pro bono volunteer attorneys who contributed more than 74,000 hours in Fiscal Year 2025.

Product overview

NYLAG is a legal assistance organization offering a unified portfolio of free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers. The organization connects vulnerable populations including Medicaid recipients, cancer patients, immigrants, and students with disabilities with legal support through pro bono partnerships with over 2,000 attorneys and volunteers contributing more than 74,000 hours annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NYLAG Civil Legal Services Free civil legal services covering healthcare-related legal assistance for Medicaid recipients and cancer patients, immigration defense, homelessness prevention and shelter advocacy, and special education advocacy for students with disabilities. Delivered to low-income New Yorkers through NYLAG staff and a network of over 2,000 pro bono volunteer attorneys.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74,000+ hours of pro bono legal work contributed in FY2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• New York City Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026NYLAG is part of a coalition of over 100 bar associations and legal organizations calling on Governor Hochul to allocate remaining IOLA Fund spending authority for civil legal services.
• Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP received the Champion of Justice Award at NYLAG's 2025 Pro Bono Awards for outstanding pro bono contributions. The firm contributed volunteer attorneys to support NYLAG's legal services for vulnerable populations.
• Orrick Herrington & SutcliffecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe received the Hero of Justice Award at NYLAG's 2025 Pro Bono Awards for outstanding pro bono contributions. The firm provides volunteer attorneys for NYLAG's legal services.
• DLA PipercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025DLA Piper received the Spirit of Hope Award at NYLAG's 2025 Pro Bono Awards for outstanding pro bono contributions. The firm contributes volunteer legal professionals to NYLAG's programs.
• Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP received the Spirit of Service Award at NYLAG's 2025 Pro Bono Awards for outstanding pro bono contributions. The firm provides volunteer attorneys to support NYLAG's mission.
• Coalition for the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025NYLAG collaborated with Coalition for the Homeless to review and express concern about new DHS shelter rules affecting vulnerable individuals in NYC shelters.
• Legal Aid SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025NYLAG and Legal Aid Society jointly reviewed draft shelter policy and expressed alarm about potential impacts on homeless individuals, drawing parallels to controversial Bloomberg-era policies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Legal Aid Society: The largest NYC civil legal services provider serving low-income New Yorkers with city, state, and IOLA funding. NYLAG and Legal Aid Society already partner on DHS shelter advocacy, sharing the same volunteer-pro bono model and beneficiary populations.
• Legal Services NYC: Major NYC civil legal aid organization serving low-income communities across housing, family, public benefits, and immigration matters with a closely matching pro bono model and IOLA funding reliance.
• City Bar Justice Center: Affiliated with the NYC Bar Association, this organization runs pro bono legal services projects across consumer, immigration, elder, and veterans' law - directly comparable operational model leveraging volunteer attorneys.
• Urban Justice Center: NYC-based legal services nonprofit using pro bono attorneys to advocate for marginalized populations across housing, immigration, and workers' rights - closely matching NYLAG's multi-practice, volunteer-driven model.
• New York Lawyers for the Public Interest: NYC civil rights and legal services organization providing pro bono representation in disability, immigration, and environmental justice matters - sharing NYLAG's vulnerable-population focus and pro bono model.

Regional players

• Brooklyn Defender Services: Brooklyn-based public defense organization with a holistic defense model; overlaps with NYLAG on immigration and reentry legal services but focuses primarily on criminal defense rather than civil legal aid.
• The Bronx Defenders: Bronx-based holistic public defender serving low-income community with integrated civil legal services components including immigration and housing - an adjacent operating model to NYLAG's mission.

Broad incumbents

• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: National civil rights legal organization mobilizing pro bono attorneys across voting, housing, education, and immigration - comparable volunteer-driven advocacy model but with national scope and a broader portfolio.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York: Large regional social services nonprofit providing legal, housing, and immigration services to vulnerable New Yorkers, including legal aid programming - broader scope than NYLAG but overlapping beneficiary base.

Emerging players

• Pro Bono Net: Nonprofit technology organization that builds infrastructure (online intake, case management, resource portals) used by NYLAG and similar legal aid providers - an adjacent enabling layer for the pro bono ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nylag
• Facebookfacebook.com/NYLegalAssistanceGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NYLAG