Charles Scibetta Elected to NYPLI Board of Directors

February 2016 – Charlie Scibetta, Partner and Co-Founder of Chaffetz Lindsey, has been elected to the board of directors for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI).  NYLPI was established 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.  Through community lawyering, NYLPI puts its legal, policy and community organizing expertise at the service of New York City communities and individuals.  NYLPI’s partnership with the private bar strengthens its advocacy and connects community groups and non-profits with critical legal assistance.

The organization runs four major project areas:

• NYLPI’s Pro Bono Clearinghouse maintains a network of over 80 law firms and corporate legal departments willing to volunteer their time to address the legal needs of New York’s underrepresented communities.
• The Disability Justice Program works to advance civil rights and ensure equality of opportunity, self-determination, and independence for people with disabilities. Our advocacy spans many areas, including housing, transportation, education, community integration, and equal access to programs and services in New York City.
• The Health Justice Program works to bring a racial justice and immigrant rights focus to health care advocacy in New York City and State through representing immigrant  and  detained  individuals  with  serious  health  care  needs,  providing support  to community based organizations mobilizing on the ground, and seeking to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination and systemic and institutional barriers that limit universal access to health care and impact the social determinants of health.
• The Environmental Justice Program provides community organizing and legal assistance to low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that bear an unfair burden of environmental threats.
• What began in 1976 as a small-scale staff working to link low income clients and organizations with attorneys willing to volunteer pro bono legal services, NYLPI has grown into an unparalleled resource for low income, community-driven legal representation.

For more information about NYLPI, please click here.