The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA), representing over 3,000 legal aid lawyers and advocates in New York, has agreed to a $315,000 settlement with three of its members who alleged retaliation after opposing the union’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/nyc-legal-aid-union-settles-with-lawyers-who-claimed-anti-israel-bias-2025-11-13/?utm_source=openai))
In July 2024, attorneys Ilana Kopmar, Diane Clarke, and Isaac Altman from the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County filed a lawsuit challenging a 2023 union resolution that called for a Gaza ceasefire and an end to Israeli apartheid. The plaintiffs described the resolution as “blatantly anti-Semitic” and claimed they faced disciplinary actions for their opposition. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/nyc-legal-aid-union-settles-with-lawyers-who-claimed-anti-israel-bias-2025-11-13/?utm_source=openai))
As part of the settlement, ALAA will issue a statement acknowledging that certain communications during the resolution’s discussion were inappropriate and hurtful. The union has also committed to providing training to its executive board on members’ rights and agreed that any future disciplinary actions against members will be reviewed by outside counsel through 2028. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/nyc-legal-aid-union-settles-with-lawyers-who-claimed-anti-israel-bias-2025-11-13/?utm_source=openai))
The union denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the plaintiffs were attempting to undermine union democracy and free speech. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/nyc-legal-aid-union-settles-with-lawyers-who-claimed-anti-israel-bias-2025-11-13/?utm_source=openai))
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which supported the plaintiffs, described the settlement as a significant step in combating anti-Semitism within the legal aid sector. ([brandeiscenter.com](https://brandeiscenter.com/legal-aid-attorneys-union-agrees-to-315k-settlement-to-zionist-members-it-attempted-to-expel/?utm_source=openai))