Legal Aid Society
THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY IS A PRIVATE, NOT-FOR-PROFIT LEGAL SERVICES ORGANIZATION, THE OLDEST AND LARGEST IN THE NATION, DEDICATED SINCE 1876 TO PROVIDING QUALITY LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO LOW-INCOME …
The Legal Aid Society
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The largest, most influential social justice law firm in New York City, The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no person should be denied the right to equal justice.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
Mission
The legal aid society is a private, not-for-profit legal services organization, the oldest and largest in the nation, dedicated since 1876 to providing quality legal representation to low-income new yorkers. (mission continued on schedule o)it is dedicated to one simple but powerful belief: that no new yorker should be denied access to justice because of poverty. During the year, the society handled more than 185,260 individual cases and matters and provided a comprehensive range of legal services in three areas: the civil, criminal and juvenile rights practices. Unlike the society's criminal and juvenile rights practices, which are legally mandated and supported by the government, the civil practice relies heavily on private contributions.
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar human services in United StatesConcerns
· None foundWhere every $1 goes
· FY2023 · IRS 990 (FY2023)GiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
GiveRadar's verified records show Legal Aid Society with a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- Established in 1876, it is among the oldest human services charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks. View this cohort
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 99% of the 136,181 human services charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- It is one of the better-documented human services charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (4 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a donation page
- third-party accreditation
- a contact email
- an owner-submitted profile claim
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Common questions
· Auto-generated from filings + methodologyLegal Aid Society is a registered human services nonprofit based in New York, NY, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1876 and has been operating for 150 years. Its EIN is 135562265. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 72/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $377M in annual revenue. 278 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Legal Aid Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 135562265. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Legal Aid Society has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 72/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 72 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 93% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for human services charities in United States is 90/100.
Legal Aid Society is located in New York, NY, United States. The organization was established in 1876 and has been active for 150 years. Its registered address is 199 Water Street, United States.
Based on official tax filings, Legal Aid Society has $377M in annual revenue. It allocates 93% of expenses to programs and services. This is above the average of 84% for human services charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $3M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Legal Aid Society is classified as a Human Services organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a major organization. It has $377M in annual revenue. The organization has 278 disclosed officers and directors.
No red flags have been detected for Legal Aid Society. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.
According to GiveRadar's records, Legal Aid Society holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 93% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 84%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.
The largest, most influential social justice law firm in New York City, The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no person should be denied the right to equal justice. Legal Aid Society is classified as a human services organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1876.
Among human services charities registered in United States: It allocates 93% of expenses to programs, above the peer average of 84%. Its annual revenue of $377M is well above the peer average of $3M.
Yes, donations to Legal Aid Society are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 135562265, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Filing history
4 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2023): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
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Tax-deductibility for donors
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
LEGAL AID SOCIETY is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
From filings and published profiles
Leadership
From FY2023 filing
Officers & trustees (25)
Source: Public filings
25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
Latest news
From global news sources
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Activity timeline
Filings and press mentions, merged
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Sign up to write a reviewCause areas in United States
How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in United States
Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.
Sources and verification
- Registration and legal identity
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
- Financial filings
- IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2023 most recent on file.
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 278 disclosed in the public registry.
- Supplementary verification
- Charity Navigator
Data freshness
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · FY2023 on record
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Named leadership · 278 officers on file
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Executive pay · Disclosed
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Mission statement · Published
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Tax-deductibility · Verified
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Founding date · 1876
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Programs & activitiesNo named programs listed by the charity
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
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Quick facts about Legal Aid Society
- What is Legal Aid Society?
- Legal Aid Society is a human services publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in New York, United States. The largest, most influential social justice law firm in New York City, The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no person should be denied the right to equal justice.
- When was Legal Aid Society founded?
- Legal Aid Society was founded in 1876.
- Who leads Legal Aid Society?
- Premali Shah serves as CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
- Where is Legal Aid Society located?
- Headquartered in New York, NY, United States.
- What is Legal Aid Society's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2023 is approximately $100M-$1B. 93% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Legal Aid Society trustworthy?
- Legal Aid Society has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 72 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Legal Aid Society's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 135562265.
- What is Legal Aid Society's website?
- https://www.legal-aid.org