New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

#DOGE now plans to try to assign teams to #nonprofits that receive federal funds. Vera had the courage to say "no" to this illegal demand. If your nonprofit receives a similar demand, please contact New York Lawyers for the Public Interest through our confidential intake form (link below in the comments).

Had a blast with my Mayer Brown colleagues at the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Pro Bono Advisory Council Trivia Night last week. Doesn't hurt that we took first place in trivia AND won the raffle 😊 Great times in support of an even greater cause!

Last week I went to a #NonProfit fair organized by Nonprofit New York (thank you!) and I wanted to share some of the resources I learned about. We need them! - New York Lawyers for the Public Interest is hosting a free webinar on Advocacy and Lobbying TOMORROW so we can understand the laws in this team of heightened attacks and scrutiny. https://lnkd.in/eWapGpTD - I met Bernadette Cruzfrom the The Ops Collective, which does people centered operations from a liberatory, collaborative, and equitable ethos. - I talked with Keith Timko from the Support Center For Nonprofit Management, which helps trains and place Interim Executive Directors (among other services). We also talked about baseball, but that’s neither here nor there. - Community Resource Exchange (CRE), which Jews for Racial and Economic Justice successfully worked with when we were doing our Strategic Visioning Process, talked about their services on leadership development, DEI, and strategy. - And I saw Jessica Jarahian Jackson and Steve Schack two great consultant leaders at the Association of Nonprofit Specialists. I am a member as well, and encourage other nonprofit consultants to join! What are some useful resources you know about that you want to share with other nonprofit leaders? Let’s get them out there!

“On its face, all of this is totally illegal,” said Jody Freeman, the director of the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program and a former White House official under President Barack Obama. “Either the real lawyers have left the building or they just don’t care and want to take a flier on all these cases and see if the courts will bite.”

Join us next week for a session on advocacy and lobbying for nonprofits. The nonprofit sector plays a crucial role in advocating for social issues and driving change in public policy. As New York City faces new challenges and developments, it is more vital than ever for nonprofit leaders to understand the laws governing advocacy and lobbying. Key Takeaways: • How nonprofits can encourage public policy through advocacy. • What is and is not considered lobbying. • How to account for and protect your tax-exempt status while lobbying. This workshop will be presented in partnership with Nonprofit Staten Island will be presented by James Walsh of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP . Register here: https://bit.ly/42aoixC

"We must stop looking towards coercion when our mental health system fails those most in need of support." In a powerful New York Daily News op-ed, our CEO Cal Hedigan and Ruth Lowenkron of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest call on New York leaders to reject the proposed expansion of Kendra’s Law, a policy that mandates involuntary psychiatric treatment and disproportionately harms Black and brown communities. Instead, we must invest in voluntary, community-based mental health services that are rooted in dignity, equity, and healing; not surveillance and force. Read the full op-ed: https://lnkd.in/erymfD8J

Today, we are highlighting five of our Bronze Level #F2F2025 Sponsors: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, TYA/USA, Magic Box Productions, GlobalArts to Go & Get Empowered!, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest! Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts is the leading legal aid and education organization dedicated to New York artists and its arts and cultural organizations. VLA strives to protect the artistic community’s livelihoods, businesses, and creative works through access to dedicated legal representation and focused education programs. TYA/USA’s mission is to connect, cultivate, and advocate for the field of Theatre for Young Audiences by providing opportunities and resources in programming, professional development, research, and leadership. Magic Box Productions provides rich media arts instruction for both students and teachers. By supporting the advancement of creative, collaborative, and technical skills, MBP prepares young people to navigate the world with curiosity and a critical lens. GlobalArts to Go and sister organization Get Empowered! specialize in activating empowerment through multicultural arts, education, entertainment and mindfulness for kids and people of all ages. New York Lawyers for the Public Interest's mission is to advance equality and civil rights, with a focus on health justice, disability rights, and environmental justice, through the power of community lawyering and partnerships with the private bar. We are so grateful to these sponsors for their support of this year’s Face to Face conference. Learn more at bit.ly/F2F2025.

Join NYCMHC’s 2025 Mayoral Town Hall on May 1—a key opportunity to hear directly from mayoral candidates and raise your voice on the future of mental health care in New York City. Candidates will respond to community-submitted questions about access to care, equity, and policy reform. Submit your question and RSVP to attend in person here: https://lnkd.in/e67Wx9Fj

Over 60 general counsel and former GCs filed an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie's challenge to the unconstitutional Executive Order that undermines the fundamental right to zealous legal representation. #CourageIsContagious https://lnkd.in/e-QqdScy

"A world in which federal courts lacked the power to order the government to take every possible step to bring back to the United States individuals like Abrego Garcia is a world in which the government could send any of us to a Salvadoran prison without due process, claim that the misstep was a result of 'administrative error,' and thereby wash its hands of any responsibility for what happens next."