At the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), we are supported by neighbors of all kinds–including socially-conscious law firms who support our mission by providing both financial support and by donating their attorneys’ time in the form of pro bono legal assistance for New Yorkers experiencing poverty or in crisis.
This Pride month, NYLAG is proud to spotlight Orrick, a global law firm whose New York office reflects the city itself. In 2008, with the support of Orrick, NYLAG founded our LGBTQ Law Project, one of New York City’s only legal services programs that exclusively serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) individuals with low incomes, regardless of age, immigration status, or HIV status.
Through a combination of direct legal services, community outreach and education, professional trainings, and policy advocacy, the LGBTQ Law Project continues to protect the rights of LGBTQ people and advance LGBTQ equality. With Orrick’s support, the Project provided 534 New Yorkers with free civil legal services on 715 cases in the last year.
Through its support of the LGBTQ+ Law Project, Orrick supports legal advocacy for New Yorkers like Michelle. When Michelle started a new job, a coworker made homophobic and sexist slurs towards her. Instead of addressing her coworker’s harmful behavior, the company promoted him. When another colleague began calling her slurs as well, instead of addressing the discrimination, Michelle’s employer fired her without warning, saying she had been involved in “too many incidents.” Michelle turned to NYLAG’s LGBTQ Law Project, which negotiated a settlement for her without having to go through the lengthy process of filing a complaint with an agency or a traumatizing lawsuit in court.
Orrick’s support of NYLAG expands to several other issue areas affecting everyday New Yorkers as well. In addition to funding our LGBTQ Law Project, Orrick attorneys have contributed over 4,300 hours of pro bono legal services since our partnership first began in 2007.
When asked about their experience working with NYLAG, Jill Rosenberg, a partner in Orrick’s New York office and the outgoing Chair of NYLAG’s Board of Directors, reflected, “The team at the New York Legal Assistance Group inspires me. They go to work every day to pursue a vision of inclusion, equity and justice.”
Is your law firm interested in becoming a pro bono partner? Visit https://nylag.org/attorneys/ to learn more about how you can get involved.
