2022-06-23T13:27:02-07:00 2021-09-30 134036703 SCHALL & ASHENFARB CPAS LLC 307 FIFTH AVE 15TH FL NEW YORK NY 10016 990 2020-10-01 133910567 Legal Information for Families Today LEGA 6466139633 32 Court Street Suite 1208 Brooklyn NY 11201 Cathy Cramer CEO 2022-06-23 true Cathy Cramer 999009999 Michael Schall P02024184 2122682800 3 AAL1 IAL1 FAL1 2020 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z Cathy Cramer 32 Court Street Suite 1208 Brooklyn NY 11201 3251705 false X www.LIFTonline.org X 1996 NY To increase access to justice in NYS Family Court. We combine legal guidance, easy to access technology, & support to help unrepresented parents & caregivers self-advocate on critical family law issues while working on reform that improves the system for everyone. 18 18 46 21 0 2736475 3205487 0 120 5 15010 19255 2751605 3224747 0 0 1798461 2200900 20600 0 332254 871458 906891 2690519 3107791 61086 116956 2239297 2412953 403111 459811 1836186 1953142 X Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) is an award winning non-profit dedicated to empowering unrepresented litigants so that they may successfully self-advocate in the New York Family Courts. false false 601498 Remote Legal Consultations:Meeting with a LIFT staff attorney virtually for about an hour, unrepresented litigants receive vital support in preparing a case. Given that public access to New York Citys family courthouses remain severely restricted due to the pandemic, our legal consultations take place over the phone, Microsoft Teams, or via LIFTs virtual platform, Family Legal Connection. Clients receive in-depth advice and counsel, and many clients return for follow-up meetings. Offering consultations remotely has allowed us to greatly increase the number of clients we can serve, making legal advice more accessible for families who urgently need it. This fiscal year we had 2,618 consultations, including 1,235 initial consultations and 1,383 follow up consultations. This is the highest number of court consultations weve ever had in our 25 years of service. 525918 Family Law Information Helplines:The past year has also brought record-breaking volume to our Telephone, Email, and Live-Chat Helplines, largely because of the Family Courts more frequent referrals. LIFT, in turn, expanded the Helpline team to meet the increased need. The Helplines became the primary point of entry for parents who need LIFTs support and guidance, and a central artery through which clients can access our more in-depth services. The Helplines thus serve as a virtual substitute for LIFTs Court-based, on-the-spot legal information services. All program associates on our Helpline team are bilingual (Spanish/English). In addition, LIFT uses Voiance Interpretation Service if an interpreter is needed for a caller who does not speak any of the languages spoken by our Helpline Associates. This fiscal year we served 24,225 people on our Helplines, a significant increase from the 15,000 people we typically served annually before the Courts moved to virtual hearings. 347387 Family Legal Connection (FLC):FLC is our interactive, online platform for the provision of legal advice remotely to clients on their mobile devices or computers. Using videoconferencing and document-sharing technology, the platform enables our clients to consult with pro bono attorneys. FLC expands LIFTs capacity to serve individuals without transportation, thus reducing the need for long-distance trips to the courthouse and eliminating barriers for disabled or homebound clients. It also mitigates expensive burdens such as taking time away from work and securing childcare services. In recent months, FLC has dramatically expanded LIFTs service capacity as we rapidly forged new partnerships with the private bar to provide pro bono services, as well as nonprofit service providers that refer their clients to FLC. This year, we began pro bono partnerships with six new law firms or corporate legal departments, created referral partnerships with three new community based organizations, and have facilitated 302 FLC consultation appointments with pro bono attorneys. We are also pleased to report that in October 2020, FLC was honored by the New York State Bar Association and the New York Unified Court System for our innovative expansion of pro bono legal services for Family Court litigants that increases access to justice for New York families. 950589 2425392 true true false true false false false false false false true false false false true true true false false false false false false false true false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 15 0 true 46 true false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false X 18 18 false false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true false false NY X X Willie Vega 6466139633 32 Court Street Suite 1208 Brooklyn NY 11201 Cathy Cramer CEO 40.00 0.00 X 177119 0 8666 Rachel D Andron CPO 40.00 0.00 122217 0 6267 Gabriella Nawi Chair 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Abigail Sheehan Davis Vice Chair 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Robert Schiffer Vice Chair 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Nancy E Hart Secretary 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Rebecca J Simmons Treasurer 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Leslie Abbey Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ellie Becker Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Corey M Chambliss Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Philip H Cohen Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Wendy H Dessy Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Valerie Borden Farkas Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Roy Haynes Jr Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Anna Klein Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jane Koltsove Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Sheri Cyd Sandler Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 William C Silverman Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Susan Warren Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Lisa Zeiderman Esq CFL Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 299336 14933 2 false true false Amy Wolfson 750 Kappock St Bronx NY 10463 Public Relations 124400 DCH Consulting Services Inc 248 W88th St 11B New York NY 10024 Consulting 156000 2 659649 1763769 782069 3205487 0 258 258 0 0 0 26705 26958 -253 -253 -253 659649 0 0 0 Other Income 900099 19255 19255 19255 3224747 19255 5 X 0 0 0 0 183172 128220 27476 27476 0 1606617 1439501 44436 122680 39572 35388 624 3560 224534 192958 8955 22621 147005 126332 5863 14810 0 0 0 0 0 0 455782 202874 245988 6920 0 25979 24135 594 1250 0 0 195058 171022 7734 16302 7008 6144 278 586 0 12424 10893 493 1038 0 0 17744 15557 703 1484 23215 20355 920 1940 Special Event Expense 106631 106631 Telephone and Communications 30647 26870 1216 2561 Dues and Subscriptions 21405 18767 849 1789 Equipment Rental 5508 4830 218 460 5490 1546 3798 146 3107791 2425392 350145 332254 1361783 397055 173418 935015 530699 920084 0 0 0 0 0 88916 101160 242899 214453 46190 28446 8888 0 0 0 0 29403 31193 2239297 2412953 121022 83525 36878 76013 229117 285837 16094 14436 403111 459811 X 1651216 1832172 184970 120970 1836186 1953142 2239297 2412953 116956 X false true X true false X 2037574 2392336 2435579 2736475 3205487 12807451 0 0 2037574 2392336 2435579 2736475 3205487 12807451 454269 12353182 102 102 102 120 258 684 0 5270 22688 14000 15010 19255 76223 12884358 0.95880 0.95770 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED false false false false false false false false false false false false false 19910 19910 188063 159617 28446 34926 34926 28446 Deferred Rent 14436 14436 X 3503684 278937 278937 3224747 3224747 3386728 278937 278937 3107791 3107791 Part X : FIN48 Footnote LIFT does not believe its financial statements include any material, uncertain tax positions. Tax filings for period ending September 30, 2018 and later are subject to examination by applicable taxing authorities. false 659649 659649 659649 659649 X X X false false false false false false false false false Cathy Cramer CEO 177119 8666 185785 Form 990, Part III, Line 4d: Other Program Services Description OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: Legal Education and Community Outreach:LIFT works with community partners throughout the five boroughs to present virtual legal clinics on family law issues that are beyond the scope of their services. Over the past year, we have held several well-attended webinars and presentations in English and Spanish we had 926 participants at 41 events. We continue to prioritize outreach to key constituent groups: 1) veterans and active military service-members; 2) Spanish-speaking and immigrant families; 3) formerly incarcerated and incarcerated parents; and 4) survivors of domestic violence and abuse. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 5: Family Legal Connection (FLC):FLC is our interactive, online platform for the provision of legal advice remotely to clients on their mobile devices or computers. Using videoconferencing and document-sharing technology, the platform enables our clients to consult with pro bono attorneys. FLC expands LIFTs capacity to serve individuals without transportation, thus reducing the need for long-distance trips to the courthouse and eliminating barriers for disabled or homebound clients. It also mitigates expensive burdens such as taking time away from work and securing childcare services. In recent months, FLC has dramatically expanded LIFTs service capacity as we rapidly forged new partnerships with the private bar to provide pro bono services, as well as nonprofit service providers that refer their clients to FLC. This year, we began pro bono partnerships with six new law firms or corporate legal departments, created referral partnerships with three new community based organizations, and have facilitated 302 FLC consultation appointments with pro bono attorneys. We are also pleased to report that in October 2020, FLC was honored by the New York State Bar Association and the New York Unified Court System for our innovative expansion of pro bono legal services for Family Court litigants that increases access to justice for New York families. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 6: OTHER INITIATIVES RELATED TO COVID-19: In 2020, LIFT launched a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) safety distribution program. Through the support of an anonymous donor, we distributed PPE and information packetscontaining masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and social service resource informationto individuals and families arriving at Family Court in all 5 boroughs.We also created a pilot Tech Hub program which aims to help close the digital divide that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. LIFT provides space in our Brooklyn-based administrative offices for individuals who may not have access to technology, a reliable internet connection, or a private space to conduct their virtual hearings with the Court and upload documents related to their case. Many of the individuals served by the Tech Hub program discovered this resource when they went to the Courthouse and encountered our PPE distribution staff. As the courts are still largely closed for in-person trials and services, LIFT is proud to do all we can to help families get the information and support they need for their Family Court cases. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 7: Family Law Navigator: We have also recently launched Family Law Navigator, a powerful new tool on our website that delivers accurate family law information customized to each persons legal case and situation. The app was developed in coordination with Brooklyn Law School and allows users to build a tailored report on their particular family law concern quickly, anonymously, and for free. In just 2-3 minutes, Family Law Navigator provides legal information that can be a helpful starting point for people who are beginning to address their family law issue. Family Law Navigator had 162 page views between its launch in late July and the end of the fiscal year. Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b: Form 990 Review Process Management reviewed a draft of the form 990 with the audit/finance committee and provided edits to the tax preparer. After this process was performed, the form 990 was sent to the full board of directors prior to being filed with the IRS. Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts The organization has a board approved conflicts of interest policy. Each board member must fill out an annual declaration stating they had no conflicts or identifying the nature of their interested party transactions. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15a: Compensation Review & Approval Process - CEO, Top Management Each year, the executive committee reviews comparable salaries based on a recognized study and reviews the performance of the executive director to determine if the existing salary falls within these ranges. After a deliberation of this matter, a new proposed salary and benefit package is voted on. The minutes of the board of directors reflect the nature of this process. Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available Documents are made available upon request.