Office of the Appellate Defender, Inc.
Lobbying client
A nonprofit that provides appellate criminal defense to indigent people convicted of felonies in Manhattan and the Bronx, including direct representation, a volunteer program with private law firms, and a reinvestigation project for potential wrongful convictions. It has filed 3 lobbying disclosures in 2026, registered citywide through Hollis Public Affairs, seeking city funding for its programs.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 3
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $30,000
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $24,555,328 · 2 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $68,348,649 · 9 since 2015, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $46,660,771
- Won without a fresh bid
- 56% of contract value · $38,098,206 · 7 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $17,009 · 1 awards
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $243,285 · Caprice R Jenerson, President & Attorney-In-Charge
Represented by lobbyist firms
- Hollis Public Affairs, Inc. Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Mayoralty City agency
- Office of Criminal Justice City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Mayoralty City agency
- Office of Criminal Justice City agency
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - securing funding for programs
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- Appellate Indigent Criminal Defense- First Dept Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820268800946 $24,455,328
- FY27-28 ILS Professionalization & Modernization Grant Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820278800749 $100,000
- Contract renewal for legal services for indigent defense Mayoralty · CT100220200003737 · ended 2022 $11,343,115
- Amend#2 - new needs, ILS Hurrell, and Indirect funds Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820258800740 · ended 2025 $7,392,116
- Appellate Legal Services - First Judicial Department in NY Mayoralty · CT100220248800840 · ended 2024 $7,102,239
- Appellate Indigent Criminal Defense Mayoralty · CT100220181400230 · ended 2019 $6,170,028
- Appellate Legal Services Mayoralty · CT100220238804638 · ended 2023 $5,973,699
- Legal Services Mayoralty · CT100220160001187 · ended 2017 $5,795,115
- Discretionary Mayoralty · CT100220238804233 · ended 2022 $17,009
Largest payments, by purpose
The organization's largest individual city payments (roughly $25,000 and up), grouped by purpose, to show what recent money was for. This is NOT a total — smaller payments aren't listed; see “Paid to date” above for the complete amount paid against its contracts. Fiscal years 2020 and later.
- Appellate Legal Services - First Judicial Department in NY Mayoralty · FY2024 · 2 payments $3,916,414
- Appellate Legal Services - First Judicial Department in NY Office of Criminal Justice · FY2025 · 6 payments $3,797,998
- Contract renewal for legal services for indigent defense Mayoralty · FY2020 · 5 payments $3,338,642
- Contract renewal for legal services for indigent defense Mayoralty · FY2022 · 7 payments $3,085,235
- Appellate Indigent Criminal Defense- First Dept Office of Criminal Justice · FY2027 · 4 payments $2,629,268
- Appellate Legal Services Mayoralty · FY2023 · 3 payments $2,567,673
- Appellate Indigent Criminal Defense- First Dept Office of Criminal Justice · FY2026 · 2 payments $2,559,059
- Appellate Legal Services - First Judicial Department in NY Office of Criminal Justice · FY2026 · 4 payments $1,909,970
- Contract renewal for legal services for indigent defense Mayoralty · FY2023 · 6 payments $1,844,237
- Amend#2 - new needs, ILS Hurrell, and Indirect funds Office of Criminal Justice · FY2026 · 3 payments $1,358,312
- Appellate Legal Services Mayoralty · FY2024 · 4 payments $1,181,205
- Appellate Legal Services Office of Criminal Justice · FY2025 · 4 payments $1,126,911
- Appellate Indigent Criminal Defense Mayoralty · FY2021 · 3 payments $924,771
- Contract renewal for legal services for indigent defense Mayoralty · FY2021 $772,702
- Contract renewal for legal services for indigent defense Mayoralty · FY2024 · 2 payments $477,948
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Pandemic Support for Human Service Providers Pandemic Support for Human Service Providers · MOCJ · FY2022 $17,009
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2023). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Caprice R Jenerson President & Attorney-In-Charge $243,285
- Karena Rahall Supervising Attorney $161,823
- David Bernstein Deputy Attorney-In-Charge $155,039
- Stephen Chu Supervising Attorney $153,345
- Margaret Knight Supervising Attorney $144,008
- Rosemary Herbert Supervising Attorney $137,580
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +32% from FY2020 to FY2023. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 CHRISTINA SWARNS Term 82020 · 17.45% of revenue $147,129
- FY2021 Caprice R Jenerson · 16.28% of revenue $203,770
- FY2022 Caprice R Jenerson · 13.84% of revenue $213,354
- FY2023 Caprice R Jenerson · 14.78% of revenue $243,285