Legal Action Center

What Legal Action Center does

Legal Action Center (LAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization founded in 1973 by the Vera Institute of Justice and headquartered in New York with a Washington DC office. LAC delivers free legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and education/training to fight discrimination against people with arrest and conviction records, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, and mental health conditions, and to build health equity. Its core products include direct legal representation for New York residents (via phone intake at (212) 243-1313 and the CHAMP Helpline at (888) 614-5400), national training and technical assistance, and online resources, complemented by leadership of major coalitions including Coalition for Whole Health (150+ organizations), Clean Slate NY, NY ATI/Reentry Coalition, National H.I.R.E. Network, and Parity for All.

LAC's underlying technology is minimal — it operates through human-driven legal representation, training delivery, and advocacy coordination rather than proprietary software. The organization runs no API, no app, and has no disclosed AI capabilities. Its technical infrastructure consists of a website (lac.org), a Constant Contact–managed email newsletter, and social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube). Strategic content assets include a resource library of reports, toolkits, legal cases, and presentations curated over five decades.

LAC is funded through diversified philanthropic revenue streams rather than commercial pricing: individual donations (one-time, monthly, stock gifts, bequests, Donor Advised Funds, Facebook fundraisers, Walmart Spark Good round-up), foundation grants, and government grants. Recognition of financial stewardship includes the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, BBB Accredited Charity status, and Charity Navigator 4-star rating. The organization has 11-50 employees and is led by President/Director Paul Samuels, who also co-chairs the Coalition for Whole Health. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Legal Action Center

Legal name

Legal Action Center of the City of New York, Inc.

Website

https://lac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Legal Action Center is a 1973-founded nonprofit providing free legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and training to individuals facing discrimination due to criminal records, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, or mental health conditions, primarily in New York State.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid / Public Interest Law

NAICS

Other Legal Services (54119), Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK)

Keywords

• Civil legal services
• Legal aid nonprofit
• Policy advocacy
• Impact litigation
• Training and technical assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: LAC relies on individual donations, with various giving options including one-time and monthly donations. The organization also accepts gifts via Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), stock gifts, and planned giving (bequests). Facebook fundraisers and Walmart Spark Good round-up program are also utilized.
2. Institutional Funding: LAC receives support from institutional funders including foundations and government grants. The organization maintains transparency through Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and Charity Navigator 4-star rating.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Legal Action Center provides free, direct legal services (brief advice through full representation) primarily to New York State residents facing discrimination or barriers related to arrest and conviction records, substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and HIV/AIDS. It complements those direct services with impact litigation, state and federal policy advocacy, coalition leadership (e.g., Coalition for Whole Health, Clean Slate NY, National H.I.R.E. Network), and national training/technical assistance for providers, advocates, and policymakers. Services are delivered through a phone-based legal helpline, the CHAMP Helpline for health insurance access, webinars, and an online Resource Library, and are funded entirely by donations and institutional grants.

Product overview

Legal Action Center (LAC) is a non-profit legal services organization offering a unified suite of direct legal services, advocacy campaigns, and educational resources. The core offerings include free legal representation for New Yorkers with conviction records, substance use disorders, and HIV/AIDS (via the CHAMP Helpline), complemented by national advocacy through coalitions like the Coalition for Whole Health, National H.I.R.E. Network, and Parity for All. LAC also provides a Resource Library and Training & Technical Assistance services to educate providers, policymakers, and directly-affected individuals. These services work together to fight discrimination, build health equity, and restore opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Legal Services for New Yorkers with Conviction Records Free legal services for New York State residents with arrest or conviction records, including help with RAP sheets, Certificates of Relief/Good Conduct, record sealing, employment discrimination, professional licensing barriers, and housing denials. Delivered via phone intake (212-243-1313) with brief advice through full representation.
• Legal Help for People Who Use(d) Drugs and Alcohol Free legal services to fight discrimination based on substance use disorder and to help access addiction and mental health care, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and health insurance coverage of SUD care. Includes national assistance for individuals facing MOUD discrimination in healthcare settings outside New York.
• Legal Help for New Yorkers Living with HIV Free legal services for people living with HIV or AIDS in New York State, including health privacy protection, discrimination defense, healthcare proxies, and family support services.
• CHAMP Helpline Dedicated helpline providing free and confidential assistance to New York State providers or consumers seeking help with mental health and substance use disorder treatment access and health insurance coverage.
• Training and Technical Assistance Custom training programs and technical assistance delivered to directly-affected individuals, providers, attorneys, policymakers, and advocates nationwide on topics including Medicaid work requirements, employment barriers, voting rights, cannabis legalization, HIV/SUD privacy, MOUD rights, health insurance parity, and justice-involved healthcare access. Includes on-demand Virtual RAP Sheet Workshop and live webinars.
• Resource Library Online library of reports, presentations, memos, issue briefs, samples, templates, legal cases, toolkits, and guides covering addiction and mental health parity, fair hiring, housing, health privacy, crisis response, and reentry.
• National H.I.R.E. Network National clearinghouse for information and policy advocacy to increase job opportunities for people with conviction records through public policy change and employment practices reform.
• Medicare Addiction Parity Project (MAPP) Project improving access to substance use disorder care in Medicare for individuals ages 65 and older and younger individuals with long-term disabilities.
• NYS Opioid Settlement Watch Initiative helping community-based organizations and families impacted by the overdose crisis advocate for the effective spending of New York State's Opioid Settlement Fund.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped dozens of New Yorkers with conviction records overcome barriers to obtaining professional licensure
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and historical.

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Jointly developed a report offering guidance for policymakers to prevent Medicaid coverage losses for people with mental health conditions due to work reporting requirements.
• Coalition for Whole HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Established in 2009 to ensure mental health and SUD are fully included in healthcare reform. Staffed by LAC and co-chaired by Paul Samuels, LAC President/Director. Consists of 150+ national, state, and local organizations.
• Vera Institute of JusticehistoricalOthers · 1 January 1973Founded LAC in 1973 to break the cycle of addiction and crime using direct legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and education.
• Community Service Society of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leads Clean Slate NY coalition with LAC, working to automatically clear New Yorkers' conviction records when eligible.
• Center for Community AlternativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor organization in Clean Slate NY coalition focused on ensuring New Yorkers are not punished beyond their sentences.
• Just Leadership USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor organization in Clean Slate NY coalition representing directly-impacted communities.
• Legal Aid SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor organization in Clean Slate NY coalition.
• Next 100coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor organization in Clean Slate NY coalition.
• The Kennedy ForummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in parity advocacy efforts to end illegal, discriminatory insurance policies and ensure compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.
• National Alliance for Care at HomemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome care advocacy organization jointly concerned about narrow Medicaid 'medically frail' definition impacting vulnerable adults receiving home care services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Legal Aid Society: New York-based legal aid nonprofit providing direct civil and criminal legal services to low-income residents; co-leads the Clean Slate NY coalition with LAC and serves a directly overlapping client base.
• National Health Law Program: National nonprofit providing legal services and policy advocacy on behalf of low-income consumers in health care; mirrors LAC's health-equity and Medicaid/parity advocacy focus.
• Drug Policy Alliance: National advocacy organization promoting drug policy reform, harm reduction, and decriminalization — overlaps directly with LAC's SUD, MOUD, and decarceration work.
• Center for Community Alternatives: NY-based nonprofit offering reentry and alternatives-to-incarceration programs; an anchor partner in Clean Slate NY with LAC and a closely aligned mission on reentry and record-related barriers.
• JustLeadershipUSA: National advocacy organization led by directly-impacted people working to cut the U.S. incarceration rate; Clean Slate NY anchor partner with overlapping reentry and justice-involvement mission.
• Bronx Defenders: NY-based holistic public defense nonprofit integrating civil, criminal, and reentry legal services for low-income Bronx residents; comparable mission and service-model overlap with LAC.

Broad incumbents

• Vera Institute of Justice: National criminal-justice research and reform organization that founded LAC in 1973; overlapping focus on criminal record reform, reentry, and decarceration at a broader programmatic scale.
• Lambda Legal: National civil rights organization litigating and advocating for LGBTQ+ and people living with HIV; directly comparable to LAC's HIV-related legal services and anti-discrimination work.
• Brennan Center for Justice: National law and policy institute advancing criminal-justice reform, voting rights, and democracy; broader scope than LAC but overlapping criminal-record and reentry reform policy agenda.

Regional players

• Community Service Society of New York: NY-based anti-poverty nonprofit co-leading the Clean Slate NY coalition with LAC; comparable regional anti-discrimination and economic-justice focus but concentrated in New York.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lac_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@legalactioncenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/legalactioncenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legal-action-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/legalactioncenter

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Legal Action Center