Describing what it says is an “unprecedented crisis,” Attorneys for Children organizations across New York say their lawyers’ annual salaries after working five years—about $81,000 in some portions of the state, but lower depending on the region—can be as much as $20,000 less annually than the equivalent of a government attorney who’s on his or her first day on the job.

On top of that, the AFCs’ caseloads of up to 150 children can be triple those of government and parent attorneys.