Legal Aid & Record Relief
Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS)
Brooklyn · Queens
Free court-appointed defense in criminal, family and immigration matters (Brooklyn and Queens), plus civil advocacy, social work, and the Reentry Speaks support group.
Legal Aid & Record Relief in Brooklyn
Legal help for reentry covers record sealing, certificates of relief and good conduct, parole and probation questions, housing court, family court and the immigration consequences of a conviction. Most services here are free for people who can't afford a lawyer.
New York's Clean Slate Act, in effect since November 2024, seals many eligible convictions automatically, generally 3 years after sentencing or release for misdemeanors and 8 years for felonies. Not every conviction qualifies and older records are being sealed in stages, so ask a legal aid provider where yours stands.
Tip: request a copy of your own criminal record from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services before your first appointment. Fee waivers are available, and it saves time.
Brooklyn is large, so check the address and travel time before you go, and ask whether the program takes walk-ins.
15 services based in Brooklyn, plus 97 citywide
Based in Brooklyn
Housing & Shelter
Housing Works
Brooklyn
Housing, healthcare, job training and legal help for homeless and low-income New Yorkers affected by HIV/AIDS; Emergency and Transitional Housing program gives 12 months of housing for people recently released.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Center for Community Alternatives (CCA)
Brooklyn
Statewide network for people affected by mass incarceration: substance treatment and recovery communities, sentence mitigation, court advocacy, workforce readiness, civic restoration, emergency/transitional housing, youth mentoring.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Federal Defenders of New York
Brooklyn
Defends people accused of federal crimes who cannot afford a lawyer, handles appeals, and supports reentry programs for people with substance use disorder and mental illness. Eastern District covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island; Southern covers Manhattan and the Bronx.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Arab American Association of New York
Brooklyn
Immigration help, English classes, youth programs and family support in Bay Ridge.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) - Youth Services NYC
Brooklyn
Provides services to youth, both court-involved and non-court-involved, including case management, financial literacy and life skills workshops, civic engagement opportunities, community benefits projects, internships, unsubsidized job placements, and mentoring. Visit the website for more information and requirements.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Center for Justice Innovation - Brownsville Community Justice Center
Brooklyn
Youth-focused justice center in Brownsville offering alternatives to detention, job training and community programs.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Center for Justice Innovation - Red Hook Community Justice Center
Brooklyn
Neighborhood court and service hub in Red Hook offering counseling, youth programs and alternatives to incarceration.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Common Justice
Brooklyn
Restorative justice alternative to incarceration for violent felonies, centered on the harmed party's needs.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Correctional Association of New York (CANY)
Brooklyn
Independent prison monitor that tracks conditions in NYS prisons and takes reports from incarcerated people and families.
Education & GED
Exalt Youth
Brooklyn · Manhattan
Education and paid internships for court-involved youth.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Make the Road New York
Brooklyn
Legal services, adult education, job help and organizing for immigrant and working-class communities.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Mixteca Organization Inc.
Brooklyn
Provides a range of services to Spanish speaking immigrants in NYC. Offers ESOL classes, computer classes, and adult basic education and literacy classes in Spanish.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Police Athletic League (PAL) - Juvenile Justice
Brooklyn
The Brooklyn location offers the Mentorship and Advocacy Program (MAAP) for court-involved and underserved youth ages 12–21, where participants are matched with a mentor after a referral from either the Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI), Close to Home, or the Family Assistance Program (FAP).
Legal Aid & Record Relief
VOCAL-NY
Brooklyn
Membership organization of low-income people affected by HIV/AIDS, the drug war, incarceration and homelessness; organizing plus direct services.
Citywide services
These serve people from every borough, often by phone, online or at more than one office.
Housing & Shelter
Housing Court Answers
Citywide
Information for tenants, landlords and advocates: housing court procedures, landlord-tenant rules, code violations, referrals to free legal help and back-rent assistance.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
LawHelpNY
Citywide
Online directory of free legal services across New York with plain-language rights information, court info, and live chat Mon-Thu 9am-9pm.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Legal Services NYC
Citywide
Free civil legal services in housing, benefits and immigration, plus representation for conviction-history employment discrimination.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Mobilization for Justice
Citywide
Provides free legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers on housing, civil rights, disability rights, aging rights, bankruptcy, tax, consumer, employment, government benefits, and kinship care matters, including advice, counsel, and representation to help people with past criminal records re-enter the workforce.
Family & Reunification
NYC HRA - Office of Child Support Services (OCSS)
Citywide
Help with child support orders, license suspensions, lowering or eliminating child support debt owed to the government, paternity, DNA testing, mediation, and free financial counseling.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Prisoners' Legal Services of New York (PLSNY)
Citywide
Provides free legal services to people incarcerated in NYS DOCCS prisons on matters including mental health and medical care, discrimination, disciplinary hearings, excessive force, conditions of confinement, sentence calculation, and immigration. A Pre-Release and Re-Entry Program (PREP) offers counseling and planning for people within 6-18 months of release, and an immigration unit represents noncitizens in removal proceedings. Case acceptance is decided individually and does not extend to county, federal, or out-of-state facilities.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
The Legal Aid Society
Citywide
Free legal representation and advice on criminal, civil and juvenile issues: policing, bail, benefits, housing, immigration, parole, sealing and more.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Community Justice Connect
Citywide
Free legal information, assistance and referrals from trained non-lawyer volunteers supervised by an attorney: benefits, employment, housing, family, immigration, health, divorce, domestic violence.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
NYC Bar Legal Referral Service
Citywide
Referrals to screened, experienced lawyers; initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for $35 or free depending on case type.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Public Access Law Libraries
Citywide
Operates public law libraries in each borough where people can access legal research materials; librarians cannot give legal advice, interpret legal materials, or draft legal language. Remote reference help is also available through the Ask a Law Librarian online chat, text, or email service.
Legal Aid & Record Relief
Board of Elections in New York City
Citywide
Handles voter registration for NYC residents, including people whose voting rights have been restored after parole, and provides voter registration forms, absentee ballots, and registration information by phone.
Family & Reunification
NYC Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence - Family Justice Centers (FJC)
Citywide
Provides free and confidential legal, counseling, and supportive services for survivors of domestic violence, gender-based violence, elder abuse, and sex trafficking, with immediate assistance regardless of language, immigration, or economic status. Centers operate in all five boroughs.