The Legal Aid Society of Rochester

What The Legal Aid Society of Rochester does

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit civil legal aid organization (EIN# 16-0743070) founded in 1917 and headquartered at One West Main Street, Rochester, New York, serving the Greater Rochester area and approximately 13 surrounding Western New York counties. The organization provides free or low-cost legal services to financially eligible adults and children across five practice areas: Attorney for the Child, Education Law, Family Law, Housing & Consumer Law, and Immigration Law. Its operating model is community-based, combining direct office intake, daily court-based outreach at Rochester City Court (particularly for eviction matters), and a coordinated community response delivered through established referral partnerships with human service agencies.

Underlying infrastructure is intentionally lightweight: the public website runs on Squarespace, with Showtime Analytics and Squarespace analytics cookies used for basic performance tracking. There is no mobile application, no public API or SDK, and no proprietary technology platform. The organization does not charge clients; its revenue mechanics rely entirely on charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and community members, supplemented by United Way Donor Designated Fund support (Agency #239) and several restricted designated funds (General Fund, Ed Orlando Fund, Basic Needs Team, and Immigration Client Fund).

The go-to-market motion is community-led rather than commercial: clients are reached through court presence, agency referrals, and direct intake, while fundraising is conducted through the website, email newsletter, and donor cultivation. The organization maintains cross-jurisdictional referral partnerships (Empire Justice Center, JustCause, Legal Assistance of Western New York, Hiscock Legal Aid in Syracuse, and the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York in Albany) to extend foreclosure-prevention and immigration coverage. Leadership is headed by President and CEO Carla Palumbo, with operational contacts routed through [email protected] and (585) 232-4090.

Name

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester

Legal name

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester, N.Y.

Website

https://lasroc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1917 that provides free or low-cost civil legal services to financially eligible individuals in the Greater Rochester area across five practice areas: child advocacy, education, family, housing/consumer, and immigration law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAFAC

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

SECONDARYBPAGAEAM

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAEAD

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Family law services
• Housing law
• Immigration law
• Education law

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Fundraising: The organization relies on charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and community members to fund operations. Donations are tax-deductible under EIN# 16-0743070.
2. United Way Funding: Receives support through United Way Donor Designated Fund: Agency #239
3. Designated Funds: Operates several designated funds including General Fund, Ed Orlando Fund, Basic Needs Team, and Immigration Client Fund to support specific programs and client needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester is a not-for-profit organization that provides direct civil legal services, including lay advocacy and related human services, to financially eligible adults and children in the Greater Rochester area and surrounding counties. Services are delivered across five practice areas — Attorney for the Child, Education Law, Family Law, Housing & Consumer Law, and Immigration Law — at no or low cost through a coordinated community response model involving daily court presence and partnerships with human service agencies.

Product overview

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester is a not-for-profit organization that provides direct civil legal services, including lay advocacy and related human services, to adults and children who cannot otherwise afford representation. The organization operates as a single unified service offering with five distinct practice area modules: Attorney for the Child, Education Law, Family Law, Housing & Consumer Law, and Immigration Law. These practice areas are delivered through a coordinated community response model, providing free or low-cost civil legal services to financially eligible individuals in the Greater Rochester area and surrounding counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Attorney for the Child Legal representation for children in family court proceedings, providing zealous advocacy to protect the rights and interests of minors.
• Education Law Civil legal services addressing educational rights and school-related matters for financially eligible individuals.
• Family Law Legal assistance in family law matters including divorce, custody, support, and related civil proceedings for qualifying individuals.
• Housing & Consumer Law Legal services protecting clients' homes and financial security, including eviction defense, foreclosure prevention, bankruptcy, consumer credit issues, and real estate transactions.
• Immigration Law Legal representation, advice, and information on immigration matters for non-citizen community members, including those fleeing persecution and seeking protection in the United States.

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Empire Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for foreclosure prevention services, providing coordinated legal assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure in the service area.
• JustCausecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for foreclosure prevention services, collaborating to provide legal assistance to prevent foreclosures.
• Legal Assistance of Western New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for foreclosure prevention services, working together to provide comprehensive legal support to prevent home foreclosures.
• Hiscock Legal Aid (Syracuse)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for immigration services - clients in certain counties are referred to Hiscock Legal Aid in Syracuse for immigration legal assistance.
• Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (Albany)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for immigration services - clients in certain counties are referred to Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York in Albany for immigration legal assistance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hiscock Legal Aid Society (Syracuse): Central New York-based civil legal aid society with overlapping practice areas. Named referral partner for immigration services; directly comparable as a non-profit legal aid organization serving low-income individuals in New York State.
• Empire Justice Center: A statewide civil legal services organization focused on systemic advocacy and direct representation in housing, family law, and consumer matters. Named partner of LASROC; comparable as a non-profit legal services provider targeting low-income New Yorkers.
• Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (Albany): A regional legal aid society serving Northeastern New York with practice areas including housing, family, and immigration law. Named referral partner; comparable mission, structure, and service model.
• Legal Aid Society of New York (NYC): The flagship NYC-based civil legal aid society offering housing, family, immigration, and other civil legal services. Directly comparable as a non-profit legal aid society providing free civil legal representation to low-income New Yorkers across multiple practice areas.
• Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY): A regional civil legal aid organization serving Western New York with similar practice areas. Named as an active partner of LASROC for foreclosure prevention, indicating directly comparable service offerings, geography overlap, and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services Corporation (LSC): The federal funder of civil legal aid in the United States, providing grants to legal aid programs nationwide. Comparable space as the dominant funding and policy umbrella organization for civil legal aid providers like LASROC.

Others

• National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA): The national membership and advocacy association for civil legal aid and public defense organizations. Comparable ecosystem position as a support and advocacy body for the legal aid sector in which LASROC operates.
• Pro Bono Net: A national nonprofit that builds technology and infrastructure to support legal aid organizations and pro bono efforts. Adjacent to LASROC as a technology and capacity-building partner within the legal aid ecosystem rather than a direct service competitor.

Regional players

• Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County: A Rochester-based pro bono legal services organization matching volunteer attorneys with low-income clients. Operates in the same geography as LASROC with overlapping client base but relies on volunteer rather than staff attorneys.

Emerging players

• JustCause: A legal aid tech nonprofit focused on eviction defense and housing justice through technology-enabled service delivery. Named LASROC partner for foreclosure prevention; comparable target population but differentiated by tech-enabled delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LegalAidRoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The Legal Aid Society of Rochester