Queens Defenders ( Formerly Queens Law Associates, Public Defenders)

Founded in 1996, Queens Law Associates (QLA) is one of two public defender organizations in Queens, New York.

QLA provides indigent defense to poor people in the criminal and immigration systems. Representing over 24,000 individuals each year, QLA provides services to the most ethnically diverse county in the United States. We serve six of the ten neighborhoods with the highest concentration of immigrants in New York City, including Elmhurst-Corona, Jackson Heights, Sunnyside-Woodside, Flushing-Whitestone, Forest Hills-Rego Park, and Kew Gardens-Woodhaven. QLA believes that all individuals have the constitutional right to legal representation if they are charged with a crime and cannot afford an attorney.