AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania

What AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania does

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit public-interest law firm founded in 1988 in Philadelphia, providing free legal services to residents of Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey who are living with HIV or vulnerable to acquiring HIV. The firm describes itself as the nation's only independent public-interest law firm dedicated to people living with HIV, and offers direct representation across practice areas including HIV discrimination, immigration, landlord-tenant/housing, public and private benefits, confidentiality of HIV-related information, criminal records resolution, HIV criminalization defense, compassionate release for inmates, identification documents and name changes, utilities, estate planning, and unemployment compensation. Intake occurs via phone, online forms, walk-in consultations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, home/hospital visits for clients too ill to travel, and bilingual (English/Spanish) staffing.

The firm's business model is grant-and-donation funded rather than fee-for-service: all services are provided free of charge to eligible clients. Funding comes from foundation grants, government contracts, and individual donations, with operations delivered from a Philadelphia headquarters at 1211 Chestnut Street and a Voorhees, New Jersey office. The organization also operates several special programs — the Jaci Adams Identity Initiative (name changes), Medical and Legal Partnership, HIV Policy Collaborative, and Case Management Training — and publishes the semi-annual Good Counsel newsletter. High-impact litigation has included a $17 million class-action settlement against Aetna for HIV privacy breach (Beckett v. Aetna) and a $700,000 settlement in Smith v. Milton Hershey School for HIV-based enrollment discrimination; the firm also played a co-counsel role in Alabama Doe, et al. v. Gilead Sciences.

Operationally, the firm is led by Executive Director Ronda B. Goldfein (since 2000) with a Managing Attorney and approximately a dozen named attorneys, paralegals, and support staff, overseen by a 12-member Board of Directors. Strategic alliances include Philadelphia FIGHT, the Pennsylvania HIV Justice Alliance, Hearts on a Wire, HIAS-PA, Legal Action Center, and Berger & Montague. In 2025–2026 the firm secured a Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission order against Hettinger Tattoo for HIV discrimination and contributed to the passage of SB45, which removed the final HIV reference from Pennsylvania's criminal code.

Name

AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania

Legal name

AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania

Website

https://aidslawpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit public-interest law firm founded in 1988 that provides free legal services to people living with HIV in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, covering discrimination, housing, immigration, public benefits, and confidentiality matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAM

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services

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

SECONDARYBPAGAFAB

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAF

Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAA

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• HIV legal services
• Public interest law
• Legal aid
• Nonprofit legal services
• Discrimination law

Headquarters

HQ city

Voorhees

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: As a nonprofit public-interest law firm, the organization relies on grants, donations, and public funding to provide free legal services. The website explicitly states 'The AIDS Law Project relies on your donations to continue to provide free legal services.' Major funders and grants information is available on their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania provides free legal representation and advocacy to residents of Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey who are living with HIV or vulnerable to acquiring HIV. Services span practice areas such as HIV discrimination, immigration, housing, public and private benefits, confidentiality, criminal records, criminalization of HIV, compassionate release, name changes, utilities, and estate planning. The firm also operates special programs including the Jaci Adams Identity Initiative, Medical and Legal Partnership, Case Management Training, and HIV Policy Collaborative.

Product overview

The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit public-interest law firm providing free legal services to people living with HIV and those affected by the epidemic. The organization operates as a single, unified legal services practice rather than a platform-based product, offering direct legal representation across multiple practice areas including HIV discrimination, immigration, housing, public benefits, confidentiality, criminal records, utilities, estate planning, and name changes. The organization also runs special programs including the Jaci Adams Identity Initiative, Medical and Legal Partnership, Case Management Training, and the HIV Policy Collaborative, along with publishing the semi-annual Good Counsel newsletter. Services are provided from offices in Philadelphia and Camden County, NJ.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Counsel: The organization's semiannual newsletter distributed by mail and electronically
• HIV Policy Collaborative
• Medical and Legal Partnership
• Jaci Adams Identity Initiative

Products and services

• HIV Discrimination Legal Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 35,000+ people free of charge
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hearts on a WirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA community organization providing services to the transgender community. Listed as a partnership on the AIDS Law Project website.
• Pennsylvania HIV Justice AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition working on HIV justice issues in Pennsylvania. Listed as a partnership on the AIDS Law Project website.
• Philadelphia FIGHTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA comprehensive AIDS service organization. Executive Director Ronda Goldfein chairs Philadelphia FIGHT's Institutional Review Board. The organization has multiple connections including referrals and collaborative work.
• Brian Sanders' JUNKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAn avant garde dance troupe. Executive Director chairs the board of Brian Sanders' JUNK, which performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Collaborative relationship through board leadership and performances.
• Legal Action CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit organization that provides legal services. Co-counsel with AIDS Law Project in the Aetna HIV privacy breach class action lawsuit.
• Berger & Montague, P.C.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia-based law firm. Co-counsel with AIDS Law Project in the $17 million Aetna HIV privacy breach class action lawsuit.
• SafehouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA public health approach to overdose prevention seeking to open a supervised injection site in Philadelphia. Executive Director Ronda Goldfein is co-founder and vice president.
• HIAS-PAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania. Collaborates on immigration legal services for people living with HIV.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders): New England-based legal organization advancing LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive civil rights through impact litigation and advocacy. Comparable in combining HIV-specific legal work with broader LGBTQ+ rights cases.
• Legal Action Center: National nonprofit providing legal services and policy advocacy for people with HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders, and criminal-justice involvement. Already a co-counsel partner on the Aetna HIV privacy case.
• Lambda Legal: National civil rights organization litigating and advocating on behalf of LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV, with overlapping discrimination, healthcare access, and confidentiality case work.
• Whitman-Walker Health: Washington, D.C. community health organization with a longstanding legal services program for people living with HIV. Comparable for integrating medical and legal services through a Medical-Legal Partnership model.
• HIV Law Project: New York City-based nonprofit public-interest law firm dedicated to serving people living with HIV/AIDS. The closest peer in mission, scope, and delivery model, though operating only in New York rather than Pennsylvania.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Poverty Law Center: National civil rights organization pursuing impact litigation and advocacy for vulnerable populations. Shares the public-interest law firm model and the use of high-profile litigation to advance civil rights for stigmatized groups.
• AIDS United: National nonprofit coordinating policy, grant-making, and advocacy across HIV/AIDS organizations. Operates at the funder/policy layer rather than direct legal services but addresses the same end population.
• ACLU of Pennsylvania: Statewide affiliate of the ACLU, of which the AIDS Law Project's Executive Director serves on the Greater Philadelphia chapter board. Overlaps in HIV-related discrimination, privacy, and criminalization litigation.

Regional players

• Philadelphia Legal Assistance: Philadelphia-based legal-aid provider offering free civil legal services to low-income residents. Comparable in mission and intake model though not HIV-specialized.
• Community Legal Services of Philadelphia: Large Philadelphia-based legal-aid organization serving low-income residents across civil legal issues. Overlaps in public benefits, housing, and consumer practice areas for similar low-income client populations in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aidslawpa
• Facebookfacebook.com/AIDSLawPA
• Instagraminstagram.com/aidslawpa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aids-law-project-of-pennsylvania

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

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 AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania