Just in the month of July, we met with 50 clients!!! There were so many positive and a few negative feedbacks from the clients.
Based on the feedback, many clients were grateful for our services and noted that “this is a much needed service in the Asian community.” Many clients cannot afford to speak with an attorney, do not understand the legal system, and are limited English proficient. A few clients complained that the time was too short or that the attorney couldn’t answer their questions.
Many clients asked questions about immigration, housing, contracts and fraud, wills, trusts, and estates. We also met with pro se litigants who have questions about liens, wage garnishment, judgment proof, and the New York State Exempt Income Protection Act.
Thank you AABANY, our volunteers, the Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York (CCCNY). In fact, we were amazed to have dedicated law students joining us on July 30 even though they just finished their NYS Bar exam that week.
So…if anyone’s interested in the next round of mini-bar exams, please come join us at our next Pro Bono Clinics! To volunteer or to learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Services Committee, please visit probono.aabany.org.
From Flushing, Queens (7/23): Thank you, volunteers, for helping us meet with 19 clients. These cases covered various areas including immigration, housing, contract, and fraud. Of the 19 clients, 5 spoke Spanish, 11 spoke mandarin, 2 spoke Cantonese, and 1 spoke English.
| Volunteer Attorneys | Interpreters & Observers |
| Beatrice Leong | Alexandra Lao^ |
| Eugene Kim | Joy Fan^ |
| Evelyn Gong* | Nicole Morikawa^ |
| Hooney Heoh | Reni Axelrod^ |
| Jackson Chin* | Sharmie Azurel^ |
| Johnny Thach | Yvette Adiguzel^ (licensed out-of-state) |
| Kyoung Jung | Weiqiao Lin^ |
| Shirley Luong | |
| Duane Morikawa | |
| Yaoyu Liu | |
| Yvette Wang | |
| Zhaohua (Josh) Huang | |
| John Hwang (licensed out-of-state) | |
| May Wong | |
| Theresa Yuan |
| ^ = non-attorney volunteers |
| * = remote |
From Chinatown, Manhattan (7/30): Thank you, volunteers, for helping us meet with 31 clients. Majority of these cases were related to housing, contracts and fraud, and wills, trusts, and estates. Of the 31 clients, 16 spoke mandarin, 7 spoke Cantonese, 7 spoke English, and 1 n/a.
| Volunteer Attorneys | Interpreters & Observers |
| Ailsa Chau | Alex Hwang^ |
| Beatrice Leong | Alexandra Lao^ |
| Chao-Yung (Kloe) Chiu | Joy Fan^ |
| Eugene Kim | Kirin Moy^ |
| Eun Hye (Grace) Lee | Meng Zhang^ |
| Francis Chin | Nandar Win Kerr^ |
| Jackson Chin | Reni Axelrod^ |
| Kwok Kei Ng | Teresa Wai Yee Yeung^ |
| Lindsay Hao | Yvette Adiguzel^ (licensed out-of-state) |
| Lulu Jing | |
| May Wong | |
| Meghan Liu | |
| Min Jung Esther Choi | |
| Theresa Yuan |
Please feel free to join us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics in August –
Manhattan – August 20 – Cutoff time to register by 12pm, 8/17 to recruit volunteers
Location – 33 Bowery, Community Room at Confucius Plaza, New York, NY 10002
Please sign up here – https://airtable.com/shr1fbjStq7JLSaWY
Brooklyn – August 27 – Cutoff time to register by 12pm, 08/24, to recruit volunteers
Location – United Chinese Association of Brooklyn (UCA), 1787 Stillwell Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11223
Please sign up here – https://airtable.com/shreNdk1DNGzCiHp2