Appellate Advocates Staff Announce Formation of Wall-to-Wall Union

New York, NY -- Staff attorneys, senior staff attorneys, senior counsel, paralegals, mailroom clerks, and social work and reentry staff at Appellate Advocates today announced their intent to join the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys - UAW Local 2325 by filing an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and requesting that management immediately voluntarily recognize the union. Appellate Advocates, a public defender office handling criminal appeals and related matters, has represented indigent clients in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island since its founding in 1995 in the aftermath of the Legal Aid Society strike of 1994. In order to avoid a protracted NLRB election, Appellate Advocates staff has called on management to voluntarily recognize their union and begin directly bargaining with them. Once the union is recognized, a majority of New York City’s appellate public defense providers will be unionized for the first time in three decades.

The overwhelming majority of eligible staff at Appellate Advocates have signed cards supporting the formation of the union. Staff members plan to use the collective bargaining process to address concerns such as job security, compensation, benefits, transparency, improvements to client services, office infrastructure, and remote work policies. 

“I’m proud of the work that we do at Appellate Advocates. A union will allow us to have more of a voice in an office we care deeply about, which will help us provide stellar representation to our clients,” said staff attorney Sam Feldman.

Expressing support for the wall-to-wall union, paralegal Ella Rapp stated, “I’m excited about our union because of the level of respect and admiration I have for my colleagues at Appellate Advocates. This opportunity to advocate collectively, for each other and for our clients, will allow us to combine the expertise of the staff in each department of our office, and change things for the better.”

“I'm part of the union because solidarity and empowerment will help us best serve our clients in a sustainable and healthy way,” said staff attorney Liv Gee.

“As we all navigate these unprecedented and ever-changing times, I believe the protections a union affords are absolutely essential to ensure that Appellate Advocates continues to adapt and grow in ways that best support the health and well-being of all our employees,” said staff attorney Melissa Lee.

The new wall-to-wall union at Appellate Advocates follows a wave of unionizations at other New York City public defender offices in the past few years, including Neighborhood Defender Service, Bronx Defenders, Office of the Appellate Defender, and Brooklyn Defender Services. When their union is recognized, Appellate Advocates staff will join employees at these and other offices as members of ALAA, the nation’s oldest union of attorneys and legal workers.