Queens Law Associates Not-For-Profit Corporation
City-funded organization
Queens Law Associates Not-For-Profit Corporation does business as Queens Defenders, a Forest Hills-based nonprofit founded in 1996 that provides court-appointed criminal defense and related legal services (including immigration and family court matters) to indigent New Yorkers in Queens County. Its revenue comes almost entirely from city and state indigent-defense contracts; it holds one active NYC contract worth about $9.1 million and has been awarded roughly $230 million since 2015 across agencies including Social Services, Youth and Community Development, HPD, the Mayoralty, and the Office of Criminal Justice.
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $9,056,739 · 1 contract
- Awarded all-time
- $229,995,178 · 16 since 2015, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $183,084,533
- Won without a fresh bid
- 74% of contract value · $170,930,036 · 13 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $1,627,093 · 43 awards
- Funding history
- Funded 10 years (FY2016–FY2025); not in FY2027
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $506,318 · Lori Zeno, Executive Director & CEO
Holds contracts at
- Department of Social Services City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
- Housing Preservation and Development City agency
- Mayoralty City agency
- Office of Criminal Justice City agency
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).
- Anti-Eviction Full Legal represent. Competition Pool Queens Department of Social Services · CT106920258800612 $9,056,739
- Criminal Trail Indigent Defense - Queens Mayoralty · CT100220228803217 · ended 2023 $61,603,099
- criminal trial indigent defense Mayoralty · CT100220191410402 · ended 2021 $50,007,403
- Trial-Level Indigent Defense Representation Mayoralty · CT100220160001954 · ended 2018 $34,717,125
- Criminal Trail Indigent Defense - Queens Mayoralty · CT100220248800695 · ended 2024 $32,607,029
- FY26 Assignment to BDS Office of Criminal Justice · CT112820250000334 · ended 2025 $32,607,029
- FY19 (Jul-Dec) indigent defense crim trial rep Mayoralty · CT100220190001068 · ended 2018 $6,532,051
- HPD's EHV Housing Navigator Program Housing Preservation and Development · CT180620238804427 · ended 2023 $1,891,220
- Provides after school youth programming Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020268802167 · ended 2026 $566,250
- To support a youth mentoring program in Council District 31 Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020248802529 · ended 2023 $151,000
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Queens Defenders Programming and Services CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2025 $150,000
- Queens Defenders Youth Mentoring Program CM Speaker · Speaker's Initiative · DYCD · FY2023 $100,000
- Queens Defenders Youth Mentoring Program CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2024 $100,000
- Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2017 $98,074
- Council District 31 CM Brooks-Powers · Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2022 $75,000
- Council District 31 CM Brooks-Powers · Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2023 $75,000
- Council District 31 CM Brooks-Powers · Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2024 $75,000
- Council District 31 CM Brooks-Powers · Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · Dss/hra · FY2025 $75,000
- Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative CM Richards · Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2020 $72,500
- Council District 31 CM Brooks-Powers · Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2021 $72,500
- Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2019 $70,797
- Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2018 $58,296
- Local DYCD · FY2018 $50,000
- Local DYCD · FY2019 $50,000
- Local CM Speaker · DYCD · FY2020 $50,000
- Council District 31 Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2023 $39,231
- Council District 31 Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · MOCJ · FY2024 $39,231
- Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative · Dss/hra · FY2025 $39,231
- Local DYCD · FY2016 $30,000
- Local DYCD · FY2017 $30,000
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.
- Selvena N. Brooks-Powers FY2021-2025 · 17 awards $462,500
- Donovan Richards FY2020 · 1 award $72,500
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.
- Lori Zeno Executive Director & CEO $506,318
- Anthony Licari Director Of Finance And Technology $375,110
- Hettie Powell Managing Director $371,526
- Anthony J Martone Director. Of Trials And Youth $344,249
- Lisa Saltzman Director Of Training $321,358
- Brian Schartz Director. Of Community-Based Intiatives $274,765
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +13% 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 Lori Zeno · 11.06% of revenue $454,772
- FY2021 Lori Zeno · 9.77% of revenue $420,103
- FY2022 Lori Zeno · 9.15% of revenue $490,258
- FY2023 Lori Zeno · 8.6% of revenue $506,318