About The Legal Action Center
For over 50 years, The Legal Action Center (LAC) has used legal and policy strategies to fight discrimination, build health equity, and restore opportunity for people with arrest and conviction records, substance use disorders, and HIV or AIDS.
We seek to end punitive responses to health conditions like addiction, mental illness, and HIV or AIDS — and to create equitable access to affordable, quality treatment. We envision a society that upholds the civil rights of all individuals, regardless of their history of justice involvement or medical condition.
Each year, LAC:
Provides free legal services to thousands of New Yorkers trying to access to employment, housing, and health care;
Handles thousands of cases to break down discriminatory barriers and defend people’s dignity;
Wins major policy victories at the state and federal levels — including safeguarding, and for the first time ever, baselining millions for alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs in New York City; and
Establishes landmark civil rights protections through impact litigation.
Action is our middle name.
Take Action today with Team LAC! Support our incredible Team LAC runners and help us advance health and justice for all. To our runners: thank you for putting your time, heart, and determination into this effort.
When so much hangs in the balance for people living with substance use disorder, HIV/AIDS, and/or arrest/conviction histories, your generosity ensures LAC can keep fighting on every front: through direct legal services, precedent-setting litigation, and city, state, and national policy advocacy, so that every person receives the care, dignity, and opportunities they deserve.
Together, we’re turning miles into momentum and action into lasting change.
