Legal Aid Society Celebrates 130 Years in Brooklyn
Society Began with Henry Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights
JORALEMON STREET — The Legal Aid Society celebrated 130 years of legal services in Brooklyn this week, with a special celebration held at Brooklyn Borough Hall on Tuesday night. Borough President Marty Markowitz welcomed the crowd and presented a proclamation, and New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman delivered the keynote address to mark the special event.
During the last century, The Legal Aid Society has handled more than 5 million cases in Brooklyn. There are approximately 96,488 individual cases and client matters every year in the borough.
Today, there are 10 Brooklyn offices responsible for The Legal Aid Society’s three major practice areas — Civil, Juvenile Rights and Criminal Defense law. In Brooklyn alone, there are 248 lawyers and124 non-lawyers, including social workers, investigators, paralegals and support and administrative staff.