We have fought for more than 40 years to protect civil rights and achieve lived equality for communities in need. NYLPI combines the power of law, organizing, and the private bar to make lasting change where it’s needed most.

Our Mission AND VALUES

We pursue equality and justice for all New Yorkers. In our vibrant and diverse New York, millions confront bias and barriers based on race, poverty, disability, and immigration status. Our work activates the power of these communities as they lead the fight to make equal justice a reality. Their priorities drive our commitments to civil rights and to health, disability, immigrant, and environmental justice. We tackle big problems and invest years of effort to solve them. We build individual power, organize collective action, and demand responsive institutions. Our mission and our values are at the heart of all our work: community and client power, justice and accountability, integrity and humility, inclusion and accessibility, resilience and solidarity. 

Our History And model

Inspired by an era of urban protests, racial injustice, and rapid expansion of legal rights, young lawyers joined with leaders of the bar to launch NYLPI in 1976. Their vision: use the resources of the private bar to turn rights on paper into real opportunities for New Yorkers in need. Four decades later, we are a community-driven civil rights organization. We work towards a New York that fairly distributes both resources and burdens without regard to race, poverty, disability, neighborhood, or immigration status. NYLPI pioneered the practice of community lawyering in New York, and we look to these communities to define our work. Led by their priorities, we fight for equal access to healthcare, education, government services, housing, and a clean environment. These struggles for justice require innovative solutions. We use every tool available to achieve lived equality for all New Yorkers. We are lawyers, organizers, social workers, and advocates. We represent individuals, launch impact litigation, and conduct organizing and policy campaigns. We build the capacity of local nonprofits, to serve our communities and we hold powerful institutions accountable. Together we attack systemic bias based on race, poverty, disability, and immigration status.

Our Impact

Our committed staff of lawyers, community organizers, policy experts, and other advocates combine forces with 80 member firms, 900 pro bono attorneys, and thousands of community members. We marshal these resources to protect civil rights and improve the lives of millions of New Yorkers. You can read more about our impact here.