Legal aid strike doubles in size as public defender powerhouse threatens to follow

Roughly 750 legal aid workers across the city have gone on strike in a massive escalation of contract bargaining. Eagle photo by Noah Powelson

By Noah Powelson

The threat of massive disruptions to the city’s courts grew Friday as the ongoing mass strike of public defenders and legal services attorneys doubled in size.

Potentially even more detrimental to the city’s ability to provide legal services to New Yorkers is the increasing threat from attorneys with the Legal Aid Society to join the strike next week, a move that could leave the city short of 2,000 attorneys who provide representation to low income defendants.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Legal Aid Society, the city’s largest public defender organization, and their union was terminated on Friday, and the union, which represents roughly 1,100 attorney and non-attorney staff, said they’d go on strike by July 25 unless a new contract is agreed upon before then.

Friday also saw three unions representing other legal aid organizations issue their own strikes as the final days of bargaining produced no agreements. As of reporting time, roughly 750 legal services workers across seven organizations have walked out the office.

If LAS workers join the ongoing strike, the city will see the largest public defender mass strike in 30 years, with potentially 2,000 legal aid workers on the picket line. A strike of that scale could put vital legal services for indigent and underserved people into disorder, causing long delays and reduced service as remaining working attorneys take on their colleagues’ caseloads.

Representatives of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys, UAW Local 2325 – the union that represents public defenders at nearly two dozen legal services organizations across the city – have said bargaining sessions with the Legal Aid Society have yielded some progress but a deal isn’t quite on the horizon.

"They were bargaining late through the night in good faith," UAW Political Director Aaron Eisenberg told the Eagle over the phone. "This has the potential to be one of the largest strikes in the city's history. Our members understand the significance of this, and the deadline was extended in hopes of reaching an agreement…Our members are not trying to go on strike; they are being forced to go on strike."

LAS leadership has called on the city to expand legal aid funding so that they could use the increase in funds to meet union demands. Union representatives and elected officials, including Attorney General Letitia James, have likewise called on Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council to use the city’s budget reserve to expand legal aid funding.

LAS Attorney-in-Chief and CEO Twyla Carter told the Eagle in a statement they intend to continue good faith bargaining despite the strike deadline.

"Our goal remains the same, which is to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the vital contributions of our staff attorneys and strengthens the long-term sustainability of a career at Legal Aid. LAS will continue to operate in the event of a strike,” Carter said. “If a strike is called, we will take the necessary steps to minimize the impact on the people and communities we serve."

As the mass strike grows, the void in legal manpower will have to be filled by supervisors, the few remaining non-striking attorneys and other private attorneys. Sources familiar with the city’s and court’s response to the potential major strike said 18-B attorneys will be the first line to address gaps in representation – 18-B attorneys already carry notoriously high caseloads and it’s unclear how they’d manage a sudden increase in cases.

City Hall has also said they are working with multiple public and private interests to mitigate any disruptions in court service and available representation.

“While the attorneys on strike are not city employees and we are not a party to their negotiations, the city has proactively worked to ensure their decisions do not harm the vulnerable New Yorkers who rely on their services every day,” Deanna Logan, director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, said. “We are specifically mitigating potential disruptions by working with our contracted providers to get supervisors and directors to pick up cases, calling on our deep bench of private, pre-authorized attorneys to assist, and working closely with criminal and family courts to ensure that nobody is left without representation.”

The Office of Court Administration also said they are aware of the strike and are working with the city to address any troubles in the city’s courthouses.

“At this point there have been no significant disruptions of court operations, and the courts remain fully open,” Al Baker, state OCA spokesperson, told the Eagle. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and hope that the parties can arrive at an equitable agreement soon.”

Who’s on strike?

As of reporting time, seven public defender unions have gone on strike, bringing roughly 750 attorney and non-attorney staff to the picket lines. While LAS makes up the vast majority of city legal aid workers, the organizations currently on strike provide extensive and valuable legal services in housing, child custody and immigration cases. Union demands vary, but all share similarities such as a higher wage floor, higher cost-of-living adjustments and lower health care premiums.

Here’s more on all the union shops that have gone and strike:

The New York Legal Assistance Group (approximately 280 members)

The current largest union on strike is NYLAG, a civil legal services organization that offers services representing immigrants, asylum seekers, tenants, homeowners and children. NYLAG also offers a variety of legal services and resources around LGBTQ rights, consumer rights, disability advocacy and other issues. They represented over 127,700 adults and children last year.

Bronx Defenders (approximately 270 members)

The second largest union on strike is the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit that provides free legal defense in criminal, civil, child welfare and immigration cases. Serving low-income Bronx residents, BD said they serve nearly 20,000 people every year.

A spokesperson for Bronx Defenders said they had made significant salary increases in their offers to the union, but required another $600,000 in funding to meet the rest of the union’s demands.

Urban Justice Center (approximately 70 members)

The Urban Justice Center is a nonprofit legal services and advocacy organization that serves roughly 10,000 New Yorkers a year. UJC operates several projects that provide advocacy and services for specific cases, such as the Domestic Violence Project, the Street Vendor Project and the Sex Workers Project.

Center for Appellate Litigation (approximately 65 members)

CAL is one of several appellate legal service organizations on strike, and their attorneys represent clients appealing felony, misdemeanors and other criminal violations. Appellate attorneys have a unique and specialized workload compared to other organizations, and CAL attorneys often work with clients for years to appeal their cases and advocate for their rights while their clients are incarcerated.

CAMBA (approximately 50 members)

CAMBA is a non-profit that offers a variety of volunteer programs throughout the city, including free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers in the areas of housing, foreclosure, immigration and consumer law. In 2024, CAMBA’s attorneys served over 14,000 New Yorkers.

Office of the Appellate Defender (approximately 20 members)

OAD is the other appellate advocacy group on strike. They represent low-income New Yorkers convicted of felonies in Manhattan and the Bronx in the New York Supreme Court, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department, the New York State Court of Appeals, and the federal courts.

Goddard Riverside Law Project (approximately 12 members)

Goddard Riverside is a non-profit human service organization that operates housing and family programs, but also has its own law project focusing on tenant advocacy in western Manhattan. GRLP’s union was the first to go on strike on July 10.

The first potential deal

While most unions have stated they have a long way to go before a contract can be reached, one organization may have a deal on their hands.

The union representing Appellate Advocates reached a tentative agreement with management for a new contract on Friday. AA had previously set a strike deadline for July 18, but called it off after the agreement was made. The agreement was not official as of press time – AA union members still needed to vote to pass it – but they may be the first union to establish a new contract.