Brooklyn Defender Services

Lobbying client

One of the largest public defense organizations in the United States, Brooklyn Defender Services provides free criminal, family, and immigration legal representation to tens of thousands of Brooklyn residents annually. The organization holds about $175.9 million in active city contracts as of August 2026. With 33 filings since 2024, registered citywide, it retained Urban Strategies and Yoswein New York to lobby for budget funding for indigent defense and immigration defense programs.

Council members lobbied
51 (citywide)
Filings (since 2024)
33
Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
$283,646
Industry (per city contracts)
Human Services
City contracts (active)
$175,946,090 · 5 contracts
Awarded all-time
$932,309,110 · 98 since 2010, incl. expired
Paid to date
$763,837,762
Won without a fresh bid
77% of contract value · $718,268,032 · 90 contracts
Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
$70,339,485 · 178 awards
Funding history
Funded every year since FY2011 (17 years running)
Top officer pay (FY2023)
$400,192 · Lisa Schreibersdorf, Executive Director
Based in
Brooklyn, NY

Represented by lobbyist firms

Holds contracts at

Funded by these agencies

What they lobbied on

subjects from their filings

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).

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 funding received

City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.

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.

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.

Officer pay over time

Total officer pay changed +23% 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.

Sources