Roland Acevedo
Vice Chairperson

Roland Acevedo is an attorney in private practice in New York City. For over 30 years, Mr. Acevedo has been an advocate for inmates and ex-offenders.  From 1988-2009, Mr. Acevedo was the Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, an entity providing civil legal services to New York State inmates. Mr. Acevedo also formerly served as the Managing Attorney for the Osborne Association’s Legal Services Unit, where he assisted ex-offenders with Family Court problems and other civil issues.  Mr. Acevedo is also the former Program Coordinator and Instructor for Pace School of Law’s Paralegal Program Training Program, an intensive six-month program that was taught at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. The program was the first in the nation to teach law to inmates and correction officers in the same classroom setting.   Mr. Acevedo is also one of the founders of Palanca, a not-for-profit organization that assists inmates.

Mr. Acevedo is a cum laude graduate of Fordham University’s School of Law, where he was a Stein Scholar, an Associate Editor of Law Review, was inducted into the Order of the Coif and later taught as an Adjunct Professor. Following law school, Mr. Acevedo clerked for the Hon. Deborah A. Batts in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.  Mr. Acevedo has a general practice that includes criminal trial and appellate work, parole and prison related issues, family law and licensing and discrimination claims by ex-offenders.  Mr. Acevedo is a published author and has received awards for his public service, including the Austin McCormack Award for exemplary work in social justice and Fordham University School of Law’s Stein Scholars’ Public Service Award.