Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Legal services funding and attorney retention challenges
3:26:26
·
131 sec
Council Member Justin Brannan addresses the challenges faced by nonprofit legal service providers, including high attrition rates and unsustainable caseloads. He inquires about MOCJ's efforts to ensure funding for fair contracts and wage increases to retain experienced attorneys.
- Nonprofit legal service providers have suffered high attrition rates, especially among experienced attorneys.
- Many nonprofits are currently bargaining with unions to reach fair contracts with better wages.
- MOCJ is working with the indigent defense portfolio to understand their needs and discussing the situation with OMB.
- OMB has given partners flexibility to use some FY '26 funding for salary increases to improve retention.
- MOCJ continues to work with OMB to address funding needs and provide additional flexibility.
Justin Brannan
3:26:26
Okay.
3:26:27
Staying on the federal uncertainty, as we know legal services are essential service to the city, Especially facing attacks from the federal government on due process and immigration and family separation.
3:26:42
We also know that since the pandemic, nonprofit legal service providers have suffered massive rates of attrition, particularly among their most experienced attorneys.
3:26:54
Nonprofits can't retain these workers.
3:26:56
And New Yorkers go without experienced lawyers who remain and the lawyers who remain have unsustainable caseloads.
3:27:04
So I know right now many of these nonprofits are actively bargaining with their unions to reach fair contracts with wages that will hopefully stave off attrition.
3:27:14
Some of these negotiations are heading towards contract expiration dates at the end of this month or next month, June.
3:27:20
What is MACH J doing to ensure that funding is in place to meet the contract demands of these unions?
Deanna Logan
3:27:29
Thank you very much for the question, Chair.
3:27:31
We have been working with our indigent defense portfolio to understand what their needs are, and we've also been talking to our portfolio team at OMB.
3:27:41
Currently, as of of this week, the Office of Management and Budgets gave each one of our partners the flexibility to use some of the funding that they are receiving for FY '26 to address some some funding for additional salary increases for staff in order for retention, and we continue to work with the indigent defense portfolio teams to understand where and how funding may or may not be needed so that we can have those discussions with OMB and afford additional flexibility.
Justin Brannan
3:28:21
Okay.
3:28:22
So is OMB aware of this concern?
3:28:25
I mean obviously we want to stave off a possible court shutdown in July which would be chaotic.
3:28:32
Is OMB aware?
Deanna Logan
3:28:35
OMB is aware of the status.