Appellate Advocates

Tax-deductible

New York, NY501(c)(3)Since 1995Crime & LegalEIN 11-3305212Revenue $17.3M in FY2025

On file with the IRSappad.org111 John Street 9th Floor, 10038-3101 · New York, NYTax-exempt since Jun 1996Publicly supported — 509(a)(2)

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The organization was formed solely for the purpose of providing high-quality representation for individuals who have been convicted of crimes and cannot afford private lawyers. The organization believes in fighting for every person's constitutional right to a fair trial and in working to overturn unjust convictions or sentences.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
85¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$1.8M paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $454K a year · 3% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
85%
of spending
Looks good: 85% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$1.8M
to officers and key staff · 10% of spending
Top officer’s pay higher than 80% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 10% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
1 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 1.4 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $20K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$8.2M
63% of total assets
Fine: liabilities are 63% of assets; 50% to 65%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
8
of 8 voting members
Looks good: 8 of 8 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$17.3M
-0.7% vs prior year
Spent
$17.1M
To programs
85%
Net assets
$4.9M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$17.3M
FY2025▼ -0.7%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$8.7M
FY2021$9.3M
FY2022$12.1M
FY2023$15.4M
FY2024$17.4M
FY2025$17.3M
Expenses
$17.1M
FY2025▲ +11%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$9.1M
FY2021$10.4M
FY2022$10.9M
FY2023$14.4M
FY2024$15.4M
FY2025$17.1M
Net assets
$4.9M
FY2025▲ +3%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.8M
FY2021$677K
FY2022$1.8M
FY2023$2.8M
FY2024$4.7M
FY2025$4.9M

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 1996.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

85 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 85% · $14.5M Management & general 15% · $2.6M Fundraising 0% · $60K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

14 people listed on the 990; $1.8M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Board Director, President,
$312,587Pt VII · Sec A
Board Director and Assista
$229,446Pt VII · Sec A
Supervising Attorney
$226,835Pt VII · Sec A
Assistant Attorney-In-Char
$219,722Pt VII · Sec A
Supervising Attorney
$211,560Pt VII · Sec A
Supervising Attorney
$211,237Pt VII · Sec A
Supervising Attorney
$193,111Pt VII · Sec A
Supervising Attorney
$172,908Pt VII · Sec A

Pazner Patricia M’s $313K as Board Director, President, is at the 80th percentile of top reported officer pay among 247 $10–100M crime & legal nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Pazner Patricia M$312,587$293,980$243,626$168,616$125,089$126,971
Vorkink Mark W$229,446$223,519$188,542$167,251$125,157—
Kastin William G$226,835$221,460$204,972$168,616$149,595$152,615
David Greenberg$219,722$221,460$204,972———
Laisure Paul S———$114,495$211,332$217,813
Napoli Lisa$211,560$213,660$197,289$173,710$158,809$162,095
Powell Denice$211,237$208,940$191,670——$137,638
Ascher Alexis$193,111$201,260$174,335$151,716——

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Provides legal representation for low-income individuals facing criminal convictions.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $14.5M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Contract with new york city to provide appellate legal representation to indigents who are appealing judgements of criminal conviction. Approximately 1,886 cases were assigned during the fiscal year ended june 30, 2024.

$14.5Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$20K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$17.3M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$17.0M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$222K
Money outPt IX
$17.1M
Ln 25
Programscol B$14.5M
Managementcol C$2.6M
Fundraisingcol D$60K
Owns and owesPt X
$4.9M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.1M
Total assetsLn 16$13.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$8.2M
PeoplePt VI, VII
14
listed · VII A
PaidVII A8
Voting boardVI 1a8
IndependentVI 1b8
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$222K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$17.0M
Total revenueLn 12$17.3M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$2.1M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$2.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$208K
Other assetsLn 15$5.3M
Total assetsLn 16$13.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$8.2M
Net assetsLn 32$4.9M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
VolunteersI 60
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.6M$2.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$246K$208K
Total assetsLn 16$11.4M$13.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$6.7M$8.2M
Net assetsLn 32$4.7M$4.9M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$1.8M$1.1M$670K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$8.2M$7.3M$862K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$1.4M$1.2M$216K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$2.7M$2.3M$408K
Payroll taxesLn 10$872K$797K$75K
Legal feesLn 11b$74K$74K
Accounting feesLn 11c$57K$57K
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$60K$60K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$346K$337K$9K
Office expensesLn 13$417K$364K$52K
OccupancyLn 16$729K$666K$63K
InterestLn 20$12K$10K$1K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$51K$47K$4K
InsuranceLn 23$131K$60K$71K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$315K$305K$10K
Total functional expensesLn 25$17.1M$14.5M$2.6M$60K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $17.3M$17.1M$146K$4.9M 990 PDF
FY2024 $17.4M$15.4M$1.9M$4.7M 990 PDF
FY2023 $15.4M$14.4M$983K$2.8M 990 PDF
FY2022 $12.1M$10.9M$1.2M$1.8M 990 PDF
FY2021 $9.3M$10.4M−$1.1M$677K 990 PDF
FY2020 $8.7M$9.1M−$415K$1.8M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $17,257,916 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $93,126$222,293
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $17,286,061$17,035,623
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $17,379,187$17,257,916
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $13,395,534$14,921,750
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $60,050$60,250
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $1,986,826$2,130,349
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $15,442,410$17,112,349
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $1,936,777$145,567
Part VI · Governance 8 of 8 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body8
VI-1b Independent voting members8
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $17,257,916 across 4 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$222,293
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$222,293
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $17,035,623$17,035,623
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $17,035,623 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$17,257,916
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $17,112,349 across 15 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $1,107,432 · Management $669,974$1,777,406
IX-6 Pay of disqualified personsPrograms $7,344,011 · Management $861,534$8,205,545
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $1,185,750 · Management $215,581$1,401,331
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $2,257,204 · Management $408,326$2,665,530
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $796,951 · Management $74,987$871,938
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $73,622$73,622
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $57,376$57,376
IX-11e Professional fundraising feesFundraising $60,250$60,250
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $336,583 · Management $8,991$345,574
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $364,075 · Management $52,439$416,514
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $665,875 · Management $62,653$728,528
IX-20 InterestPrograms $10,233 · Management $1,474$11,707
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $46,899 · Management $4,413$51,312
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $59,891 · Management $71,259$131,150
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $304,881 · Management $9,685$314,566
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $14,479,785 · Management $2,572,314 · Fundraising $60,250$17,112,349
Part X · Balance sheet $13,062,743 assets, 13 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $1,634,371$2,051,735
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $3,606,958$5,377,559
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $175,181$134,553
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $245,812$207,939
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $5,723,417$5,290,957
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $11,386,446$13,062,743
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $141,903$605,093
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $1,000,000$2,500,000
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $5,518,437$5,085,977
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $6,660,340$8,191,070
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $4,726,106$4,871,673
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $4,726,106$4,871,673
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $11,386,446$13,062,743
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $4,871,673 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$17,257,916
XI-2 Total expenses$17,112,349
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$145,567
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$4,726,106
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$4,871,673

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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