Following six years of service to the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ), Executive Director Dennis Parker announced his retirement for Summer 2025.
Dennis joined NCLEJ in January 2019. Under his tenure, NCLEJ continued to secure legal victories benefiting the lives of hundreds of thousands of low-income people across the country. Such highlights include ending debt-based driver’s license suspensions in New York through the passage of state legislation; expanding access to public benefits for disabled residents in Suffolk County, NY; combating ICE’s illegal retaliation against immigrant workers; ending Kentucky’s unconstitutional medical debt collection practice; launching a groundbreaking partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to expand human rights in global supply chains; expanding access to SNAP benefits in Missouri, Alaska, Georgia and New York City; relaunching the Federal Practice Manual for Legal Aid Attorneys to assist public interest practitioners in navigating their way through federal litigation; and securing more than $110 million in additional State expenditures for Michiganders with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
His strong leadership ensured that NCLEJ weathered the difficult years of the pandemic to continue its mission to advance economic, racial, and disability in the face of strong headwinds. Despite this challenging environment, Dennis oversaw growth in NCLEJ’s staff, and a very strong roster of professionals and cases. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of NCLEJ in 2025, a strong NCLEJ is delivering important legal victories for low-income people and will continue to do so in the coming years.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
