Legal Counsel for Youth and Children

What Legal Counsel for Youth and Children does

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) is a Washington State-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization founded in 2010 that provides free civil legal representation to youth ages 12–24. The organization operates four core program areas: Child Welfare (dependency cases across Clark, King, Pierce, Skagit, and Thurston Counties), Juvenile Court (criminal defense in King County), Youth Homelessness Program (civil legal services across six counties), and Immigrant Youth Legal Services (SIJ classification, asylum, T/U Visas, removal defense). Supporting these programs are a Pro Bono Champions volunteer program, multilingual legal literacy videos (English and Spanish), the Immigrant Safety Plan community resource, and the CYRAH online advocacy platform for dependency attorneys. The organization also engages in systemic and legislative advocacy, with documented influence on Washington State laws including HB 1219 (right to counsel in dependency cases) and HB 1391 (juvenile diversion expansion).

The technology stack is intentionally lean and entirely composed of commodity tools: a virtual-first service delivery model with remote attorney presence, DocuSign for document execution, Zoom/WebEx for virtual court hearings, and Tableau dashboards for disaggregated program reporting by racial and LGBTQIA+ identity. LCYC does not operate proprietary software, APIs, or AI/ML systems. Staff are physically present in six Washington counties (Clark, King, Pierce, Skagit, Thurston, Walla Walla) while the organization serves youth across 17 counties virtually.

Revenue is generated entirely through a nonprofit funding model: charitable donations from individuals and organizations, foundation grants (including Ballmer Group), event-based fundraising (Advancing Youth Justice annual event), and government contracts (notably through Washington State's Office of Public Defense for the Youth Access to Counsel program). All services are provided free of charge to eligible youth. Legal services are accessed via court appointments, community partner referrals, school outreach, and self-referrals through the website. In 2025, LCYC served over 1,000 young people across Washington State, addressing an average of 2.5 legal issues per youth.

Name

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children

Legal name

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children

Website

https://lcycwa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) is a Washington State 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free civil legal representation and advocacy to youth ages 12–24 in child welfare, juvenile court, homelessness, and immigration matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civil Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Child and Youth Services (62411), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Legal Literacy & Public Legal Education (Know Your Rights) (EDAAAFAI)

Keywords

• Youth legal services
• Civil legal aid
• Child welfare advocacy
• Juvenile defense
• Immigrant youth legal

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, LCYC is funded through charitable donations from individuals and organizations, foundation grants, and event fundraising such as the annual Advancing Youth Justice event. Major funders include Ballmer Group and private foundations.
2. Government Contracts: LCYC receives funding through Washington State's Office of Public Defense for the Youth Access to Counsel program, and potentially other government-funded legal aid programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LCYC is a nonprofit legal services organization that delivers free direct legal representation, advocacy, and education to youth and young adults ages 12-24 in Washington State. Its four core programs cover child welfare (dependency), juvenile court defense, youth homelessness civil legal needs, and immigrant youth immigration matters, supplemented by systemic policy advocacy, a pro bono volunteer program, legal literacy content, and the CYRAH online community for children's attorneys.

Product overview

LCYC operates as a single unified legal services organization providing direct legal representation and advocacy for youth in Washington state. The organization offers four interconnected core legal service programs: Child Welfare, Juvenile Court, Youth Homelessness Program, and Immigrant Youth Legal Services. Supporting these programs are the Pro Bono Champions volunteer program, Legal Literacy Video library, Immigrant Safety Plan resources, and the CYRAH online advocacy platform for attorneys. All services are designed to meet youth holistically where they are—geographically, developmentally, emotionally, culturally, and linguistically.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Welfare Legal Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 1000 young people in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TeamChildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization that contributed to LCYC's formation, alongside Columbia Legal Services. Both organizations served children in King County.
• Columbia Legal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization that contributed to LCYC's formation alongside TeamChild. Both served children in King County.
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCYC partnered with NWIRP to expand services for youth seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification. NWIRP also serves as a referral partner for youth needing immigration services LCYC cannot provide.
• YMCA Social Impact CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCYC and YMCA Social Impact Center developed a Prevention Youth Engagement Team model providing holistic support including legal aid, case management, and behavioral health services. Also collaborated on Extended Foster Care housing resources.
• A Way Home WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCYC participates in the Anchor Community Initiative, a movement to end youth homelessness in Washington State, aligning with A Way Home Washington's innovative program model.
• Davis Wright TremaineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDavis Wright Tremaine partnered with LCYC on the Name Change Project to help youth experiencing homelessness change their names to align with their gender identity. Volunteers provided over 120 hours of support.
• Stand for Children WAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLCYC partnered with Stand for Children WA to introduce and lead HB 1391, legislation to expand juvenile diversion statewide. Partners collaborated on bill strategy, drafting, and public testimony.
• Majors Leadership GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting firm engaged to apply anti-racist lens to LCYC's human resources policies and practices, and to develop a conflict resolution policy using restorative, grace-based processes.
• Jamii Pae ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting firm providing all-staff anti-racism trainings and intercultural competence assessments including the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and Intercultural Conflict Style (ICS) assessments.
• JustLeadminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWashington-based organization providing anti-racism training, conducting organizational audits, and supporting strategic planning for becoming an anti-racist organization.
• Choose180minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based diversion program that provides healing instead of punishment. Partnered with LCYC on HB 1391 advocacy and shared transformational work of their programs.
• Our Sisters' HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based diversion program offering alternatives to juvenile justice system involvement. Shared their work during HB 1391 advocacy efforts.
• K&L Gates LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided pro bono legal assistance for LCYC's incorporation in 2010, enabling the organization's formation as a legal entity.
• YouthCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided monetary contribution and space when LCYC took over the Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington (SYLAW) program, enabling the launch of the Youth Homelessness Program.
• Housing Justice CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with LCYC on co-designing the Model for Housing Stability for Youth Under 18 in Washington State report, working with youth consultants with lived experience.
• El Centro de la RazaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEthnic, community-based organization that partnered with LCYC to educate parents on the Immigrant Safety Plan in a setting where they felt safe and supported.
• Children's RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with LCYC to file a Class Action Complaint against DCYF on behalf of immigrant youth placed in state care, seeking access to legal pathways for immigration relief.
• McDermott Will & Emery (MWS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm partnered with LCYC and Children's Rights to file Class Action Complaint against DCYF for immigrant youth in care.
• Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala (PCVA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm partnered with LCYC and Children's Rights to file Class Action Complaint against DCYF for immigrant youth in care.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TeamChild: Washington-based youth legal aid nonprofit serving children and youth in juvenile and child welfare systems. Founding partner of LCYC with overlapping practice areas and geographies.
• Lawyers for Children: NYC-based nonprofit providing direct legal representation and advocacy for children in abuse, neglect, and delinquency proceedings—similar legal-services-only model and youth justice focus.
• Columbia Legal Services: Washington statewide anti-poverty legal aid organization that was a founding partner of LCYC, providing overlapping civil legal services to low-income youth and families.
• Children's Rights: National nonprofit that uses impact litigation and advocacy to reform child welfare systems; LCYC partnered with Children's Rights on the 2026 DCYF class action, directly aligning practice areas.
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP): Washington-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services to low-income immigrants; LCYC's existing SIJ and immigrant youth work overlaps with NWIRP's core practice and co-counsel arrangement.
• Public Counsel: Largest pro bono public interest law firm in the U.S., providing direct legal services and systemic advocacy across child welfare, immigration, and homelessness—closely parallel to LCYC's multi-practice youth legal aid model.
• National Center for Youth Law (NCYL): California-based nonprofit that advances justice for youth through impact litigation, policy, and advocacy; comparable size, mission, and youth-justice systemic advocacy orientation.
• Children's Law Center (DC): Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit providing legal services to children and families in child welfare, custody, and education matters; structurally and operationally comparable to LCYC.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit providing pro bono legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children—directly overlapping LCYC's immigrant youth practice area and pro bono Champion model.

Regional players

• King County Department of Public Defense: Government public defense agency that appoints juvenile defense attorneys in King County, the same jurisdiction where LCYC's juvenile court representation program operates; a key referral and co-counsel entity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LCYCWA
• Facebookfacebook.com/lcycwa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lcycwa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Legal Counsel for Youth and Children