New York, NY (May 2,2024)– Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the largest provider of free civil legal services in the country, has named Shervon M. Small, Esq. as its next Executive Director, effective June 17, 2024. The LSNYC Search Committee, comprised of board and staff, led a rigorous national search in partnership with Koya Partners/Diversified Search Group, a search firm that specializes in placing CEOs in mission-driven roles.

Shervon M. Small. Photo courtesy of Legal Services NYC.

“Shervon Small has been a passionate and effective advocate for his clients in every organization he has joined and led,” said Liza M. Velazquez, Board Chair of Legal Services NYC. “He has a remarkable talent for bringing a mission to life, and he is especially devoted to the mission of LSNYC. He knows New York City; he is deeply connected to its diverse neighborhoods and people. The Board looks forward to a LSNYC guided and inspired by his direction.”

A life-long advocate and mission-driven leader, Small’s new role as Executive Director represents a return to LSNYC as he began his career as a Staff Attorney in LSNYC’s Bronx office representing taxpayers before the Federal and New York tax authorities and litigating residential real estate foreclosure actions, predatory lending, and deed theft cases.

Small has dedicated his career to serving low-income New Yorkers, most recently as Attorney-in-Charge of the Bronx Neighborhood Office for The Legal Aid Society. He previously built and led the Economic Equities Practice there. In addition, Small is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, where he co-instructs the Economic Justice and Empowerment Externship.

"I am deeply honored and excited to lead Legal Services NYC, a well-established and highly-regarded provider of civil legal services embedded in communities across the City,” said Shervon M. Small. “There is no doubt that LSNYC’s services are desperately needed right now as NYC’s poverty rate continues to soar. I look forward to partnering with LSNYC's Board and collaborating with its dedicated staff to strategize and expand the incredible work they are doing to lift up and empower New Yorkers in need.”

Small earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Albany Law School and is a proud resident of the Bronx. He succeeds Raun J. Rasmussen, Esq., who has served as Legal Services NYC’s Executive Director since 2011. Rasmussen has been a member of the LSNYC family for nearly 40 years and is a deeply honored and valued member of the legal services community in New York and across the country.

About Legal Services NYC
Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC fights every day to ensure New Yorkers and their families have access to the services, resources, and protections they need to survive. http://www.legalservicesnyc.org/