NEW YORK, NY (June 7, 2023) – Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), the nation’s largest provider of free civil legal help, is proud to announce that Christine Clarke will return to its ranks as Chief of Litigation and Advocacy in July 2023. As Chief of Litigation and Advocacy, she will lead LSNYC's strategic advocacy on behalf of low-income New Yorkers, including by initiating and overseeing high impact and complex civil litigation and working closely with advocates and community groups to engage in thoughtful and cutting-edge policy advocacy.
Clarke's passion for fighting oppression and injustice has been a driving force throughout her career. As the Director of LSNYC’s Civil Rights Justice Initiative until 2018, she worked on a range of civil rights matters including multiple lawsuits against the New York Police Department, NYC's Human Resource Administration and NYC Housing Authority, which resulted in critical changes to policies and procedures, including better language access for immigrant and LEP New Yorkers. Clarke also recently served as a staff attorney at Planned Parenthood Federation of America where she challenged abortion bans in multiple states, helping keep health center doors open as long as possible to ensure people had a chance to make their own decisions about their lives and futures. She is a graduate of the Oberlin College and Yale Law School, where she was a student editor of the Human Rights and Development Law Journal and a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
“We are so honored to have Christine Clarke back as our Chief of Litigation and Advocacy, a role that is a perfect fit for her litigation and advocacy and teambuilding skills,” said Raun Rasmussen, executive director of Legal Services NYC. “Christine brings with her over a decade of experience in civil rights and constitutional litigation. Those who are lucky enough to have worked with her know that she is a smart, dedicated leader who gets real results for her clients and marginalized communities. We are lucky to have her back as are all New Yorkers who will benefit from her strategic thinking and community-based lawyering.”
“I am thrilled to return to Legal Services NYC, an organization that fights for justice and equity for and with people caught in the crosshairs of unjust systems,” said Christine Clarke. “I believe in fighting the hard fights, something my colleagues at LSNYC do day in and day out. I am truly honored to join them in that fight once again, alongside our incredible clients and community partners, as the Chief of Litigation and Advocacy.”
Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For more than fifty years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that keep people in poverty and provided legal services that help our clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC is the largest civil legal services provider in the country, whose staff of more than 650 people in neighborhood-based offices and outreach sites across all five boroughs helps over 110,000 New Yorkers annually. LSNYC partners with scores of community-based and member-run organizations, elected officials, law schools, public agencies, pro bono lawyers, and the courts to maximize our effectiveness.
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