Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (LawNY)

Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.® (LawNY) is a not-for-profit law firm providing free legal services to eligible clients in civil cases through seven regional offices covering a 14-county area over 10,000 square miles in Western New York State. LawNY serves one urban county and 13 rural counties. 

LawNY receives funding from the Legal Services Corporation, New York State Office of Court Administration, Interest on Lawyer Accounts (IOLA) Fund of the State of New York, United Way, AmeriCorps, Equal Justice Works, and numerous municipalities, foundations and donors. Our workforce of approximately 170 attorneys, paralegals and support staff work across areas of specialization to bring a holistic approach to addressing issues affecting our clients and communities. LawNY is committed to equitable inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are striving to transcend the construct of race and be an anti-racist law firm. We encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work each day and pledge to celebrate every aspect of who they are.

It is LawNY’s mission to increase access to justice through excellent legal representation, advocacy and service. LawNY seeks to address systemic inequalities and injustices and foster racial, social and economic justice. Our staff members focus on assisting clients with obtaining and maintaining the essentials of life, including food security, public benefits, stable housing, access to healthcare, and employment.  

LawNY's pro bono team has several volunteer projects, including uncontested divorces, Wills, name changes, and criminal record sealings. We are also looking for pro bono attorneys to assist clients involved in collections or estate administration matters.

Our flexible range of opportunities let’s you as a volunteer decide the level of your involvement from one-day virtual or in-person legal clinics, to full representation or limited scope. If you have skills in areas of law that our organization provides and would like to get more involved, please reach out to our team and we can talk more! 

We also have a dedicated pro bono team to support volunteers, and our staff can assist with both case issues and technology concerns. All volunteers have access to our materials, templates, and legal area-specific trainings.