Senator Steve Saland Announces State Grant For Legal Aid Society

According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the 2000 findings of the National Violence Against Women Survey estimated 1.5 million women are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. Low income women can be placed at a disadvantage in these situations if they cannot afford an attorney to represent their interests in legal proceedings.

“The Legal Aid Society has a long history of providing free legal services for crime victims who cannot afford to hire their own attorney,” said Senator Saland. “As the author of the Family Protection and Domestic Violence Intervention Act, which dramatically changed the way domestic violence cases are handled in New York, I am keenly aware of the devastation domestic violence can wreak on women and their children. The low income women of Columbia County have a strong advocate in the Legal Aid Society and I am extremely pleased to be able to continue to secure funding to help them carry on their very important work”.

Lillian Moy, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Inc. said, “This grant allows the Legal Aid Society to have an attorney available to victims of domestic violence in Columbia County. Our representation helps ensure a victim’s safety, stability and ultimately her independence from her batterer. We are very grateful to Senator Saland for his on-going support.”