Legal Action Center of the City of New York, Inc.
Lobbying client
A nonprofit law and policy organization founded in 1973 that fights discrimination against people with arrest or conviction records, substance use disorders, or HIV/AIDS, providing free civil legal services, impact litigation and policy advocacy from its New York City office. In city lobbying filings, Legal Action Center registers citywide, reporting 28 disclosures since 2024 and contact with 51 City Council members, retaining Back Chamber Consulting LLC and Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, LLC to advocate mainly for city budget funding for its programs.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 28
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $147,053
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts
- none active as of 2026-08-22 · $8,038,909 awarded since 2010
- Paid to date
- $7,443,538
- Won without a fresh bid
- 99% of contract value · $7,981,409 · 14 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $8,470,295 · 31 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2009 (19 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2024)
- $370,714 · Paul Samuels, Director/President
Part of
- Legal Action Center of the City of New York Nonprofit / institution family
Represented by lobbyist firms
- Back Chamber Consulting LLC Lobbyist firm
- Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, LLC 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 - Funding
- Budget - NYC Budget Funding Request
- Budget - Secure Funding
- Budget - funding for programs
- Local Legislation (including introduction) - advocacy for Legal Action Center
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).
- Discretionary - Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820258802291 · ended 2026 $2,976,855
- Alternative-to-incarceration (ATI) programs Mayoralty · CT100220238803729 · ended 2022 $796,828
- Discretionary - Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Mayoralty · CT100220248801925 · ended 2023 $793,828
- FY20 LAC CC Mayoralty · CT100220211403576 · ended 2020 $726,825
- Funding will support ATI Reentry Coalition p Mayoralty · CT100220218802272 · ended 2021 $654,443
- ATI, reentry, and legal services Mayoralty · CT100220211410533 · ended 2019 $526,825
- ATI, reentry, and legal services Mayoralty · CT100220191400890 · ended 2018 $327,325
- ATI, reentry, and legal services Mayoralty · CT100220171416443 · ended 2017 $327,325
- Legal Action Center - City Council FY16 Mayoralty · CT100220161416888 · ended 2016 $227,325
- FY15 City Council- Legal services and public policy advocacy Mayoralty · CT100220151417028 · ended 2015 $198,825
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.
- Discretionary - Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Office of Criminal Justice · FY2025 · 3 payments $1,373,037
- Alternative-to-incarceration (ATI) programs Mayoralty · FY2023 $796,828
- Discretionary - Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Mayoralty · FY2024 $793,828
- Discretionary - Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Office of Criminal Justice · FY2026 · 4 payments $745,993
- FY20 LAC CC Mayoralty · FY2021 $726,825
- Funding will support ATI Reentry Coalition p Mayoralty · FY2022 $654,434
- ATI, reentry, and legal services Mayoralty · FY2022 $526,825
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2023 $793,828
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2024 $793,828
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2025 $793,828
- Alternatives to Incarceration and Reentry Programs (Formerly Alternatives to Incarceration, Discharge Planning, and Diversion Programs) Alternatives to Incarceration and Reentry Programs (Formerly Alternatives to Incarceration, Discharge Planning, and Diversion Programs) · MOCJ · FY2026 $793,828
- Alternatives to Incarceration and Reentry Programs Alternatives to Incarceration and Reentry Programs · MOCJ · FY2027 $793,828
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2020 $723,825
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2021 $651,443
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2022 $651,443
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2018 $323,825
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2019 $323,825
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2017 $223,825
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2019 $200,000
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2015 $198,825
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2016 $198,825
- Alternatives to Incarceration Alternatives to Incarceration · Misc · FY2009 $144,283
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI's) · MOCJ · FY2022 $142,385
- Alternatives to Incarceration Alternatives to Incarceration · Misc · FY2010 $141,146
- Alternatives to Incarceration Alternatives to Incarceration · Misc · FY2011 $109,780
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) · Ocjc · FY2012 $105,075
- Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI · Ocjc · FY2013 $105,075
Funded by these council members
City Council members who steered discretionary (member-item) money to this organization, largest first (FY2020 and later, where the sponsoring member is disclosed). Sitting members link to their page.
- Farah N. Louis FY2020-2022 · 3 awards $9,000
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2024). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Paul Samuels Director/President $370,714
- Sally Friedman SR. VP Of Legal Advocacy $239,289
- Roberta Meyers Douglas VP Of State Strategy & Ree $193,680
- Gabrielle De La Gueronniere VP Of Health & Justice Pol $183,339
- Adela Prignal Chief Financial Officer $177,753
- Sharon Hayes Director Of Operations $165,884
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed -7% from FY2020 to FY2024. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Paul N Samuels · 22.22% of revenue $351,054
- FY2021 Paul N Samuels · 12.84% of revenue $356,658
- FY2022 Paul N Samuels · 16.04% of revenue $345,701
- FY2023 Paul Samuels · 29.06% of revenue $359,218
- FY2024 Paul Samuels · 27.56% of revenue $370,714