New York City public defender organizations and their allies rallied on the steps of City Hall on Thursday to continue to put pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration to bring legal aid attorney salaries in line with those of their counterparts in city prosecutors' offices.

The Legal Aid Society, along with borough-based public defender organizations from Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, were joined in their call for an appropriation of $50 million from the mayor's office in next year's budget by two citywide elected officials, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Scott Stringer.

“I have seen for years, up close, the incredible work that public defenders are doing on behalf of New Yorkers in need of legal aid, especially in low-income areas.” Williams said. “Those who are defending the people of our city deserve the same resources as those who are defending the City itself.”

According to the defenders, the city's DA offices received an increase of $15 million last year as part of the budget process, specifically meant to create greater parity between prosecutors and attorneys working for the city in the Corporation Counsel's office.

While government attorneys have benefited from efforts by the city, public defenders have “for too long” been paid “dramatically less than their counterparts,” according to Stringer.

“Closing this divide is an issue of fairness, not just for the staff and attorneys working to defend the most vulnerable, but for all New Yorkers who care about justice. The status quo isn't working and it has to change,” the comptroller said.

The City Council this year has recommended a similar amount be allotted to public defenders, who receive a significant portion of their funding through city contracts. But for Legal Aid Society attorney-in-chief and CEO Janet Sabel, the current allocation doesn't cover the wide variety of legal work being done by groups engaged in legal representation in places like housing and immigration court.

“Our staff works tirelessly to defend New Yorkers on a range of legal matters across the city each day. This is critical work, and the City must ensure that staff are being compensated at a wage commensurate with what their courtroom adversaries earn,” Sabel said.

Legal Aid Society criminal practice chief defender Tina Luongo speaks on May 30, 2019 during a rally by city public defenders and their allies, calling on the city to provide $50 million in funding for legal service providers in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Photo: Spencer Lee Gallop

The organizations on hand Thursday employ more than 2,000 attorneys covering all five boroughs of the city, according to a spokesman for the groups.

A City Hall spokesman said conversations with the council about the issue remained ongoing, adding that the de Blasio administration has increased providers' contracts by $44.2 million since 2014.

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