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Legal Accountability Project

EIN 88-3056019 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The Legal Accountability Projects mission is to ensure that law clerks have positive clerkship experiences, while extending support and resources to those who do not.

Income
$251,666
Spending
$216,299
Spent on programs
93%
Reserves
3.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 91%
Employees
2
Volunteers
34
Highest pay
$143,117, chairman

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 14% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 94% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    93% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 69% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 7 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (17)
  1. $200,994 spent. Launched in 2024, LAP's award-winning, nationally-recognized, first-of-its-kind nationwide clerkship transparency platform serves over 4,000 law students and recent graduates from more than 100 U.S. law schools. LAPs revolutionary Clerkships Database contains more than 2,000 clerkship reviews for more than 1,200 federal and state judges and includes information from every state, federal circuit, and U.S. District Court. Subscribers pay a small fee to access information about judicial clerkships, and LAP partners with law schools, top law reviews, and student organizations to offer broad access to this information. LAP hosted 10 events in 2025 at top law schools nationwide with law school affinity groups and bar associations, where LAPs President and Founder was the featured speaker alongside judges, law professors, and fellow subject matter experts, serving approximately 35-50 students per event.
  2. 1. LAPs President and Founder is a recognized subject matter expert and thought leader who published more than 30 articles in 2025 in mainstream publications and law journals including Law360, Above the Law, Slate, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier News, and Bloomberg Law, among others. Articles: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/articles
  3. 10. NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/nx-s1-5709042/judges-accountability
  4. 11. LAP Press Release: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/press-releases/blog-post-title-one-4hx79-82lj8-sk7nl-aarg5-prrc8-tcgfy-glm2x-jfrba-zymbc-3w3wy-bssnh-rgax3-jblh7-5yafw-25phy-cys22-g936a-z99mz-kwfds-y558g-9neg7-t7hp5-dh52e-bny2b-pg27s-nzps9-hbxh3-5khjc-mywrc
  5. 12. Advising Courts: As both a trained lawyer and a nationally recognized judicial accountability expert, LAPs President and Founder advised several state court systems on workplace conduct, internal dispute resolution, and policy changes.
  6. 13. Partnerships: LAP fostered impactful partnerships with top law reviews, student affinity organizations, and law schools nationwide.
  7. 14. ABA Legal Rebels - LAP Press Release: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/press-releases/blog-post-title-one-4hx79-82lj8-sk7nl-aarg5-prrc8-tcgfy-glm2x-jfrba-zymbc-3w3wy-bssnh-rgax3-jblh7-5yafw-25phy-cys22-g936a-z99mz-kwfds-y558g-9neg7-t7hp5-dh52e-bny2b-pg27s-nzps9-hbxh3
  8. 15. Ms. JD: LAPs President and Founder received Ms. JD 2025 Limitless Leadership Award for LAPs path-breaking work to advance gender equity in the legal profession; and was also recognized on Ms. JDs 2025 Limitless List for early-career attorneys driving change in the legal profession. Link: https://msjdlimitlessgala.com/
  9. 16. LAP press release: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/press-releases/blog-post-title-one-4hx79-82lj8-sk7nl-aarg5-prrc8-tcgfy-glm2x-jfrba-zymbc-3w3wy-bssnh-rgax3-jblh7-5yafw-25phy-cys22-g936a-z99mz
  10. 2. LAPs President and Founder also appeared on more than 15 podcasts in 2025 to discuss judicial accountability and clerkship transparency. Link: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/podcasts
  11. 3. LAP received extensive positive media coverage, and LAPs President and Founder was sought out as a recognized subject matter expert and thought leader for impactful, incisive commentary in more than 40 news articles in top publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Reuters, National Public Radio (NPR), Law360, Bloomberg Law, NBC News, MSNBC, Newsweek, and Business Insider, among others. Her judicial accountability work and legal scholarship were also cited in 5-10 top law journals. Link: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/in-the-news
  12. 4. Counseling clerks: As both a trained lawyer and a nationally recognized judicial accountability expert, LAPs President and Founder counseled dozens of mistreated current and former law clerks on their legal and accountability options, connected clerks with outside counsel, and advised on clerks' utilization of the federal and state judiciary internal dispute resolution systems.
  13. 5. Judicial Reform: As both a trained lawyer and a nationally recognized judicial accountability expert, LAPs President and Founder helped several federal and state court law clerks file judicial misconduct complaints and also filed our first complaint ourselves.
  14. 6. LAP Press Release: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/press-releases/blog-post-title-one-4hx79-82lj8-sk7nl-aarg5-prrc8-tcgfy-glm2x-jfrba-zymbc-3w3wy-bssnh-rgax3-jblh7-5yafw-25phy-cys22-g936a-z99mz-kwfds-y558g-9neg7-t7hp5-dh52e-bny2b-pg27s-nzps9
  15. 7. NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2025/12/30/g-s1-103922/judge-complaint-clerk-legal-accountability
  16. 8. Above the Law: https://abovethelaw.com/2026/01/second-circuit-judge-accused-of-bullying-her-law-clerks-again/
  17. 9. Above the Law: https://abovethelaw.com/2026/02/maryland-federal-judge-lydia-kay-griggsby-acknowledges-creating-abusive-workplace/

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since November 2023.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.