The Legal Aid Society

Kawan Clinton has been promoted to Attorney-in-Charge of the Criminal Defense Practice Manhattan Trial Office. Kawan’s Legal Aid journey spans more than 20 years, with leadership roles across our Criminal Defense Practice, including Staff Attorney in the Bronx, Supervising Attorney, and Deputy Attorney-in-Charge in Manhattan. Her dedication to excellence, equity, and client-centered advocacy has had a lasting impact on our practice and the communities we serve. As Kawan shared: “It's my sincere honor to step into this next chapter and continue my deep commitment to equity, justice, and ensuring an affirming workplace for all. I will work alongside the entire team in strengthening our client-centered values in the midst of the current challenges we face.” Please join us in congratulating Kawan on this well-deserved promotion.

VICTORY! The Legal Aid Society and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice secured a court order reopening hundreds of wage claims and secured class certification in litigation against the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) on behalf of home care aides forced to work 24-hour shifts for only 13 hours of pay. https://lnkd.in/eGT6Cngr

The Legal Aid Society and Jenner and Block LLP today filed a lawsuit challenging the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ (OCFS) unlawful policy and practice of routinely locking children in their care in secure placement in solitary confinement, at times for weeks or months on end. https://lnkd.in/eRwz-KdF

Proud to share a thoughtful new article co-authored by Andrea Tan, Supervising Attorney in The Legal Aid Society’s Community Development Project, alongside pro bono colleagues from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS). Drawing on what they see every day in practice, the piece examines the real challenges facing today’s microentrepreneurs. Many small business owners are focused on survival, not scale, as they navigate rising rents, mounting debt, immigration enforcement, supply-chain pressures, and increasingly complex legal risks. The article also offers important insight into how lawyers can better support these entrepreneurs with legal tools and advocacy that reflect the realities on the ground: https://lnkd.in/emCmJUX4

The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice is seeking a visionary, justice-driven Attorney-in-Charge to lead our Bronx County Trial Office. This role is ideal for a dynamic leader deeply committed to trial advocacy, racial justice and equity, transformative public defense, and the growth and empowerment of interdisciplinary teams. The Attorney-in-Charge will collaborate with a diverse staff of attorneys, social workers, paralegals, and support professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, inclusion, and continuous learning. With a strong foundation in trial litigation and team leadership, the Attorney-in-Charge will champion exceptional defense representation that centers the dignity and humanity of every client. 🔗 Click the link to apply or tag someone who would be a great fit: https://lnkd.in/ea7H7U9i

For the past 18 years, Hannah Shapiro’s tenure at The Legal Aid Society has focused on representing immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking. After 12 years as a staff attorney, she has had the privilege of leading the Immigration Law Unit’s Domestic Violence Immigration Project. "The past year has been one of the most challenging for NYC’s immigrant communities and for those fighting to protect due process and push back against ICE’s aggressive detention efforts. These policies have had a chilling effect on survivors of abuse, who are often afraid to seek protection or pursue legal pathways established more than 30 years ago under the Violence Against Women Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. They have also emboldened abusers who weaponize a survivor’s immigration status, threatening deportation to maintain power and control. This moment has been deeply destabilizing for clients already facing significant barriers, including limited access to legal resources, financial and housing instability, and unresolved custody issues. Even so, in the face of these challenges, our work continues to be driven by our clients’ resilience, pushing us to fight for strong outcomes even when the obstacles feel overwhelming."

The Legal Aid Society’s Community Justice Unit joined 28 other Crisis Management System providers at City Hall in receiving the Keys to the City, recognizing the daily frontline work of preventing violence, de-escalating conflict, supporting healing after trauma, and strengthening safety and trust across New York City communities. As part of NYC’s Crisis Management System, our Community Justice Unit works alongside trusted community partners using a public health approach to address the root causes of violence. We are proud to stand with organizations across the city that show up every day to keep communities safe and build neighborhoods rooted in care, dignity, and trust. Congratulations to all the providers who were honored, and a special shout-out to our community partners featured in the photo, from left to right: Omar Jackson of Getting Out Staying Out, Iesha Sekou of Street Corner Resources, and Anthony Posada of The Legal Aid Society.

The Legal Aid Society recently held its 149th Annual Meeting, where staff were recognized for their service and dedication to the organization and its clients. The Orison S. Marden Awards were created in 1976 during Legal Aid’s centennial year to recognize the excellence of the staff and to honor the memory of Mr. Marden, a partner at White & Case who served as a Director and Chairman for many years. The Core Staff Marden Award was presented to Milagros Oliveras, Paralegal I, Civil Practice. The Staff Attorney Marden Award was presented to Frederic Pratt, Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice, and the Manager Marden Award was presented to Sheneka McKenzie-Sage, Senior Director, Social Work & Holistic Service, Juvenile Rights Practice. The Sandra Scott Memorial Award honors the memory of our beloved Chief Financial Officer, who lost her battle with cancer in 2016. Bernette Carway, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, was presented with this year’s award. Congratulations to all of the award recipients! More: https://lnkd.in/eTF-_8h7

The Legal Aid Society and Empire Justice Center are proud to announce a landmark $4 million grant to build and launch a first-of-its-kind statewide Training Center dedicated to strengthening and expanding civil legal services across New York. https://lnkd.in/e2QPE_uG

In 2022, we first met our client, John Munoz — and in 2025, he finally achieved the freedom he had been waiting for his entire adult life. Mr. Munoz was arrested at 17 in the late 1970s during the “war on drugs.” He had no idea that the plea he accepted would make him automatically deportable from the United States. His defense attorney never asked about his immigration status before advising him to take the plea. For the next 40-plus years, Mr. Munoz lived in fear, doing everything he could to avoid contact with immigration authorities. In August 2022, he came to The Legal Aid Society seeking help with his Section 8 benefits. His housing attorney referred him to our immigration team, where we determined that his original defense lawyer had provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to warn him about the immigration consequences of the plea. In September 2023, his immigration attorney persuaded the Kings County District Attorney’s Office to agree that his constitutional rights had been violated — and his plea was vacated. Once that conviction was no longer on his record, our team helped him apply for citizenship, as Mr. Munoz had been a lawful permanent resident for more than fifty years. In September 2024, we submitted his application, and by February 2025, we successfully demonstrated to immigration authorities that he no longer had any deportable convictions. Mr. Munoz was granted U.S. citizenship shortly afterward. After nearly five decades of living in fear, Mr. Munoz is finally safe — and proudly a United States citizen.