New Office Will Connect New Yorkers With Free Legal Services, Focused on Protecting Constitutional and Civil Rights
Building on Mayor Adams’ Best Budget Ever, New York City’s Adopted Budget Invests More Funding on Immigration-Related Legal Services Than Any Other Major City in United States
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today established the Mayor’s Office to Facilitate Pro Bono Legal Assistance, a mayoral office dedicated to protecting New Yorkers’ constitutional and civil rights by connecting them with free, existing legal services and resources throughout the five boroughs. This new office will serve as a centralized repository that gathers legal resources and connects New Yorkers needing legal representation for constitutional or civil rights facing violations and who are unable to afford their own counsel with existing legal and support services for pro bono representation. Mayor Adams today also appointed Makousse Ilboudo as executive director of this office. Ilboudo previously served as general counsel at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Asylum Seeker Operations (OASO).
This announcement comes on the heels of the passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Budget, which includes $76.3 million in funding for free legal assistance to immigrants, bringing the coming year’s immigrant legal services budget to $120.7 million — a record level. The Mayor’s Office of Pro Bono Legal Assistance will work closely with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, which will be administering the funding for the legal supports recently added through the Adopted Budget. To serve these communities, nearly $42 million is slated to go toward programs providing free legal assistance to immigrants, including representation for those facing deportation and assistance with applications for various immigration benefits. Additionally, over $12 million of the funding will go towards funding for pro-bono attorneys to assist unaccompanied minor immigrants in removal proceedings.
“In the United States, everyone is entitled to legal representation, but too often, the cost of legal fees places effective counsel out of reach for too many,” said Mayor Adams. “That is why, through the Mayor’s Office to Facilitate Pro Bono Legal Assistance, we will help New Yorkers access a directory of existing, free legal services and reduce barriers so that they can bring legal actions, defend themselves, and protect their civil liberties. This office will serve as a centralized information hub, helping our city’s residents navigate the complex process of finding a pro bono lawyer. And, at a time when many immigrants in our city live in fear of being detained or deported, the new budget includes $121 million in related legal services for New Yorkers, more than any other major city in America, and the most in the city’s history. The launch of the Mayor’s Office to Facilitate Pro Bono Legal Assistance and our investments in the American Dream are another way how we are making New York City safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family.”
“This is the logical extension of this administration’s successful efforts to match asylum seekers with pro bono counsel,” said First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. “This is what a city should do that cares about helping people in need, so I could not be prouder of Mayor Adams for putting forward this mayoral initiative at a time when people need legal services to protect their rights more than ever, and, with the latest budget allocation of more than $120 million for legal services, we are helping immigrants defend their legal right to stay in this country and keep their families together. Because of these investments, we are able to continue delivering the kinds of legal services this administration has skillfully spearheaded for this community over the past three years as we have managed the asylum seeker crisis.”
Rather than directly providing legal representation, the office will act as an information hub that streamlines access to pro bono attorneys in the private sector, at law school clinics, at not-for-profit legal services organizations, and at government-sponsored programs. This initiative will facilitate accessibility, visibility, and coordination for those in need of legal support and serve as a resource to match New Yorkers unable to afford counsel with pro bono legal services.
In addition to serving as a centralized information hub, the office will aim to improve public awareness of available legal aid by working closely with the New York City Bar Association, legal aid groups, and law school clinics. It will also offer guidance on alternative assistance programs that can supplement legal aid — ensuring that residents are aware of financial, housing, and social services that may be available to them, while also connecting them with the appropriate city agencies. Finally, the office will serve as a repository for attorneys seeking to offer pro bono services and connect them with organizations and individuals in need of assistance.
Executive Director Ilboudo will report directly to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.
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