New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc. ("New York Lawyers" or "NYLPI" il-pee is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

law firm located in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, specializing in the areas of

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

, access to

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement to address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses.Schlosberg, David. (2007) ''Defining Environmental Justic ...

. NYLPI was founded in 1976 by eleven attorneys and nine law firms to meet the legal needs of underserved, underrepresented New Yorkers and their communities. This arrangement ultimately evolved into NYLPI's

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

clearinghouse, which now matches volunteer lawyers from prestigious law firms and corporate legal departments with community groups and nonprofit organizations in need of legal services. NYLPI also has a number of in-house staff attorneys,

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

s and

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

s working in the organization's three areas of specialization. NYLPI's Disability Justice Program "protects and promotes the civil rights of people with disabilities," its Environmental Justice Program "provides organizing and legal assistance to low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that bear an unfair burden of environmental threats," and its Health Justice Program "works to ensure access to quality health care for people in medically underserved communities or facing barriers due to

limited English proficiency Limited English proficiency (LEP) is a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English language, often because it is not their native language. Both LEP and English-language learner (ELL) are terms used by th ...

, racial and ethnic discrimination, and disability." NYLPI was once associated with the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights (NCRCR), "a national collaboration of lawyers, academics, students, community activists, and concerned individuals who have joined together in response to recent federal court decisions that are eroding civil rights protections," but is no longer connected to it.

Mission

NYLPI's mission is to advance equality and civil rights, with a focus on health justice,

disability justice Disability justice is a social justice movement which focuses on examining disability and ableism as they relate to other forms of oppression and identity such as race, class and gender. It was developed in 2005 by the Disability Justice Collectiv ...

, and environmental justice, through the power of community lawyering and partnerships with the private bar.

History

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest originated in proposals submitted to the

Association of the Bar of the City of New York The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization, formally known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a ...

in 1973 by its Young Lawyers Committee and the Council of New York Law Associates. Both addressed the need for legal services to organizations serving the public interest. A Subcommittee on Legal Services Programs, appointed by Orville Schell, Jr., President of the Association, and chaired by

David Sive David Sive (September 22, 1922 – March 12, 2014) was an American attorney, environmentalist, and professor of environmental law, who has been recognized as a pioneer in the field of United States environmental law. Early life and education ...

, was charged with making appropriate recommendations, and resulting issues were resolved under the Presidency of

Cyrus R. Vance Cyrus Roberts Vance Sr. (March 27, 1917January 12, 2002) was an American lawyer and United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980. Prior to serving in that position, he was the United States Deputy Secretary of ...

in 1975. Vance served as the organization's first chairman and was succeeded by Schell in 1977, when Vance became Secretary of State.

Founders

Founding board members: *

, chairman; *

Carol Bellamy Carol Bellamy (born January 14, 1942) is an American nonprofit executive and former politician. She is chair of the board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). Previously, she was director of the Peace Corps, executive ...

*Robert Carswell *

Adrian W. DeWind Adrian William DeWind Sr. (December 1, 1913 – August 7, 2009) was a tax attorney, political adviser, and founder of Human Rights Watch. Early life and education Adrian DeWind was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on December 1, 1913, to Norman an ...

*R. Scott Greathead *Hervey M. Johnson *Francis T. P. Plimpton * Frederick A. O. Schwarz, Jr. *Deborah L. Seidel *David Sive *Daniel L. Kurtz, executive director Founding law firms: * Chadbourne & Parke *

Cravath, Swaine & Moore Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (known as Cravath) is an American white-shoe law firm with its headquarters in New York City, and an additional office in London. The firm is known for its complex and high profile litigation and mergers & acquisitions ...

Debevoise & Plimpton Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (often shortened to Debevoise) is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Harvard Law School alumnus Eli Whitney Debevoise and Oxford-trained William Stevenson, the firm was original ...

Shearman & Sterling Shearman & Sterling LLP is a multinational law firm headquartered in New York City, United States. The firm's lawyers come from some 80 countries, speak more than 60 languages and practice US, English, EU, French, Spanish, German, Hong Kong, OHAD ...

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is an international white shoe law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm specializes in litigation and corporate practices, particularly mergers and acquisitions, with over 1,000 attorneys in 11 offices worl ...

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...

Willkie Farr & Gallagher Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, commonly known as Willkie, is a white-shoe, international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1888, the firm specializes in corporate practice and employs approximately 1000 lawyers in 13 offices acr ...

*Winer, Neuberger & Sive * Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts

References

Notes Further reading *{{cite book, author=Morris, Jeffrey Brandon, title=Making Sure We are True to Our Founders: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 1970-95, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5o-ELy10M0AC&pg=PA107, date=1 January 1997, publisher=Fordham Univ Press, isbn=978-0-8232-1738-0, pages=107–108

External links

New York Lawyers for the Public InterestNational Campaign to Restore Civil Rights
Civil rights organizations in the United States Disability rights organizations Civil liberties advocacy groups in the United States Law firms based in New York City Law firms established in 1976 Healthcare reform advocacy groups in the United States Disability law advocacy groups in the United States 1976 establishments in New York City

Mission

History

Founders

See also

References

External links