Tag: Asian Americans for Equality

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Celebrate 2026 AAPI Heritage Month with AABANY!

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month this year, AABANY is presenting or co-sponsoring several events this month. We hope to see you all there! Follow the links for more details, and please note the registration deadlines. This blog post will be updated throughout the month, as new events get added on, so check back for any updates.

May 2, 2026 

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Korean Hat Day at Yankee Stadium

1:35pm – Yankees Stadium, 1 E. 161 E. 161st Street

This event has already occured.

May 3, 2026

AABANY Sunday Run Day

11:00 am – Start at Bedford Ave (L); End at Canal St. & Chrystie St.
This event is preparation for the May 23 AAPI 5k run.

This event has already occurred.

May 5-7, 2026

Asian Comedy Fest 2026: AABANY Discount Available

7pm and 9pm – Sugar Mouse NYC, 47 3rd Avenue, Lower Level, New York, NY 10003

This event has already occurred.

May 6, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together

1:00 pm – Kings County Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Courtroom 2.95, 320 Jay Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201

This event has already occured.

May 6, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Beginner’s Mahjong

6:00pm – Sparrow’s Nest Studio, 35 W. 35th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10018

This event has already occured.

May 6, 2026

AABANY Presents: Dumplings & Discussion Series Featuring Judge Pamela K. Chen

6:00pm -Midtown location – to be emailed to registrants.

This event has already occured.

May 9, 2026

AABANY Bi-Monthly Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic

12:30 pm – 2:30 pm – CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11232

This event has already occurred.

May 10, 2026

AABANY Sunday Run Day

11:00 am – Start at Bedford Ave (L); End at Canal St. & Chrystie St.
This event is preparation for the May 23 AAPI 5k run.

This event has already occurred.

May 12, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Reflections of Unity and Strength in our AANHPI Communities

12:30pm – Queens Supreme Court – Civil Term, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Ceremonial Courtroom 25, Jamaica, New York  11435

For more details, click here.

May 16, 2026

AABANY Presents: 3rd Annual Wellness Retreat

10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Blue Cliff Monastery, 3 Mindfulness Rd, Pine Bush, New York 12566

For more details and to register by May 14, click here.

May 16, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Asian Americans and the Law, Featuring Hon. Denny Chin

2pm – White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Avenue, White Plains, New York  10601

For more details, click here.

May 16, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: 2026 Southern Brooklyn AAPI Heritage Month Celebration

11am – New Utretcht High School, 1601 80th St., Brooklyn, NY 11214

For more details, click here.

May 17, 2026

AABANY Sunday Run Day

11:00 am – Start at Bedford Ave (L); End at Canal St. & Chrystie St.
This event is preparation for the May 23 AAPI 5k run.

For more details, click here.

May 18, 2026

Appellate Division, First Dept., Presents “Fred Korematsu and His Fight for Justice: A Historical Reenactment”

5:45pm – Appellate Division, First Department, 27 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010

For more details, click here.

May 19, 2026

AABANY Corporate Law Committee – General Body Meeting

1:00pm – Zoom

For more details and to register by May 18, click here.

May 19, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: New York County Civil Court’s Screening of “Voices Against Anti-Asian Hate”

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – 111 Centre Street, Room 107, New York, New York 10013

For more details, click here.

May 19, 2026

AABANY Judiciary Committee Presents: 2026 Annual Judges’ Reception

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Nexus Club, 100 Church Street, New York, New York 10007

For more details and to register by May 17, click here.

May 19, 2026

AABANY Book Club Presents: We Do Not Part by Han Kang

6:00 pm – Anderson & Associates, 347 W 36th St, Suite 1003, New York, New York 10018

For more details and to register by May 17, click here.

May 20, 2026

AABANY Monthly Manhattan Pro Bono Legal Clinic

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), 111 Norfolk St., New York, New York 10002

For more details and to register by May 18, click here.

May 21, 2026

AABANY Issues Committee Monthly Meeting

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Zoom

For more details and to register by May 19, click here.

May 21, 2026

AABANY’S Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee Presents: Networking Night at Blue Panda Office Spaces

6:00pm – Blue Panda Office Spaces, 134 Broadway, 3rd and 4th Floors, New York, NY 11249

For more details and to register by May 17, click here.

May 21, 2026

AABANY’s Membership Committee Presents: AAPI Heritage Night at the NY Liberty

8:00 pm – Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, New York  11217

For more information, click here.

May 22, 2026

AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee Presents: May Dinner

6:30pm – Blue Blossom NYC, 108 W. 39th Street, New York, NY 10018

For more details and to register by May 20, click here.

May 23, 2026

Join Team AABANY for 2026 NYC AAPI 5K to Support AALFNY

8:00 am – Pier 45, Hudson River Greenway, New York, NY 10014

For more details, click here.

May 26, 2026

Kings County Family Court’s AAPI Heritage Committee Presents: A Celebration of Asian Resilience

1:10pm – Brooklyn Family Court, Judges Boardroom, 330 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

For more details, click here.

May 27, 2026

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Fourth Annual Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program

12:45 pm – 2:15 pm – New York Supreme Court Appellate Division – Second Department, 45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11201

For more details and to register by May 15, click here.

May 27, 2026

AABANY Trial Reenactment: Born American: United States v. Wong Kim Ark

5:00 pm – Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, 200 Liberty Street, New York, New York  10281

For more details, click here. RSVP by Thursday, May 21.

May 27-29, 2026

Lucky FM 2 by Slant – La MaMa Theatre

7:30pm – The Club, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, 74A East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. Livestream on May 29th.

For more details, click here.

May 28, 2026

AABANY Annual Dinner 2026

5:30pm – 12:00am – Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005

For more details, click here.

May 31, 2026

AABANY Presents: Match Day at Gotham FC (vs Houston Dash)

3:00 pm – Sports Illustrated Stadium, 600 Cape May St, Harrison, New Jersey 07029

For more details and to register by May 25, click here.

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AABANY Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Celebrates Commitment to Pro Bono Service

On March 26, 2026, the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee and the Government Service & Public Interest Committee continued their tradition of hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner to recognize the volunteer attorneys, law students, AABANY staff, AALFNY board members, and community partners who make our Pro Bono Clinics possible. Together, we celebrated our shared mission of serving the public and promoting access to justice for those who cannot afford legal services.

The backbone of AABANY’s public service initiatives is its dedicated volunteers. We extend our deepest gratitude to the attorneys who generously devote their time and expertise to assisting members of the community. These Pro Bono Clinics also serve as valuable learning opportunities for law students, providing hands-on experience across various areas of law while allowing them to give back through direct service.

We also express our sincere appreciation to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) for its continued support, as well as to the AABANY staff, whose administrative efforts are essential to making this work possible.

Finally, we thank our long-standing community partners, including the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), for consistently providing space, staff, and support for our clinics.

To learn more about the Pro Bono Clinics, go to probono.aabany.org.
To support the Pro Bono Clinics through your tax-deductible donations, please visit AALFNY’s donation page: https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/.

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Thank You to our Volunteers at the August Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic

We extend our sincere gratitude to AABANY, AALFNY, PBCS, AAFE, and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our pro bono legal clinic in Manhattan on August 20, 2025.

During the clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to 13 clients, addressing a range of legal matters including housing, immigration, civil litigation, personal injury and employment. Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters thoughtfully addressed client concerns, offered clarity through their answers, and facilitated connections to appropriate legal resources via AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).

We are committed to offering services in both Mandarin and Cantonese to ensure continued support for individuals facing linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking guidance on substantive and procedural legal matters.

Thanks again to all the volunteers at the August 20th Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:

Volunteer attorneys:

Vishal Chander

Marcus Cheung

Francis Chin

Justin Lee

Beatrice Leong

Lily Li

Andrew Sun

Peter Wei

Cecilia Yang

Gary Yeung

Interpreters/shadowers:

Sam Hou

Emily Kam

Xiaofei (Lucy) Liu

Dazhen Lu

Albert Tong

Shang Zhai

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

September 17th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

September 20th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

October 1st [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

Thanks once again to all our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic. We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the August 6 Pro Bono Clinic in Queens

We extend our sincere gratitude to AABANY, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and our dedicated volunteers for contributing to the success of our pro bono legal clinic in Queens on August 6th, 2025. 

The clinic began with an orientation by Gary Yeung, Co-Chair of the PBCS committee, where volunteers were instructed on how to fill out intake forms and interact professionally with the clients.

At the clinic, our volunteers offered essential support to clients facing challenges in housing, worker’s compensation, finance, and immigration. Seasoned volunteer attorneys, along with student observers and interpreters, helped alleviate client stress by providing legal insights, language assistance, and access to a broad range of legal resources including referrals to AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).

College and law students gained legal knowledge and experience through shadowing, notetaking, and asking intake questions. Many clients had limited proficiency in English, and volunteers who spoke Mandarin and Cantonese aided both attorneys and clients by acting as interpreters.

Clients most frequently encountered housing-related issues and immigration issues. These included problems such as co‑op boards neglecting to hold their required annual shareholder meetings and landlords breaching leases. Clients also brought concerns about their loved ones’ immigration status, for example, asking if they would be let back into the country if they were to travel outside the United States. Volunteers helped clients understand their circumstances and outlined general next steps should they choose to pursue further legal action.

Many volunteers stayed afterwards to connect. Law students were able to converse with experienced lawyers about the types of problems encountered during the client consultations and asked them further questions about their various legal fields. Afterwards, some remaining volunteers went to grab dessert at Yuan Yang, located on Prince Street nearby.

We thank again all the volunteers at the August 6th Queens Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:

Lawyers

Wendy Cheng

Richard In

Lord Chester So

Wendell Y. Tong

May Wong

Meng Zhang

Shadowers

Katelyn Hai

Cindy Huang

Nikita Kohli

Haau-Yi Li

Zhibiao Peng

Albert Tong

Shang Zhai

Haoyue Wang

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

August 20th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

September 17th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

September 20th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Thanks once again to all our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic.

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the July 16 Pro Bono Clinic in Manhattan

We extend our sincere gratitude to AABANY, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Manhattan on July 16th, 2025.

During the clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to clients with issues ranging from housing, personal injury, finance, and immigration. The experienced volunteer attorneys, shadowers, and interpreters assisted each client in reducing their stress by offering legal insight, language assistance, and a diverse pool of legal resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).

College and law students contributed significantly by gathering valuable legal knowledge and experience through shadowing and notetaking. They also provided much-needed linguistic and translational support as interpreters. Numerous clients had difficulty communicating fluently in English, and the Mandarin and Cantonese speaking students offered substantial assistance to their attorneys and clients.

The most frequently-raised issues during this clinic involved housing (such as retroactively-raised rents)  and personal injuries (such as high medical expenses). Many clients struggled to understand their rights and legal documents (especially those involving transactions) due to inexperience in legal matters and limited English proficiency. We provided each client with satisfactory, step-by-step legal and personal guidance to ensure that they fully understood their case and if needed, connect them with lawyers for potential litigation.

Many volunteers stayed after to celebrate another successful Pro Bono Clinic. Both the attorneys and students enjoyed this time to network and connect with each other.

We thank again all the volunteers at the July 16th Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:

Volunteer Attorneys:

Marcus Cheung

Beatrice Leong

Mike Tse

Yilan Wang

Anthony Wong

Shadowers/Interpreters:

Sisu Chou

Katelyn Hai

Kenny Ip

Emily Lai

Dazhen Lu

Priyanka Mukhara

Carrie Nie

Tammy Tam

Albert Tong

Jennifer Juang-Korol

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

August 6th [Queens link here] from 6:30-8:30 pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355 

August 20th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

September 20th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Thanks once again to all our volunteers for their commitment to Pro Bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the June 18th, 2025 Pro Bono Clinic in Manhattan

AABANY extends our sincerest gratitude to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and all of our dedicated volunteers for contributing to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic on June 18th, 2025. 

During the clinic, our volunteers met with clients addressing issues ranging from housing, real property, financial, family and matrimonial matters. Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters demonstrated exceptional expertise in addressing client concerns, answering legal questions, and connecting them with legal resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).

College and law student volunteers gained valuable hands-on experience that deepened their understanding of the unique legal challenges faced by underserved individuals in the Asian American and Pacific Islander  community. By shadowing the volunteer attorneys, the student volunteers assisted with client intake and helped translate the consultations. A frequent issue clients faced at this clinic were overdue rent and unexpected payment notices. Due to the linguistic barriers that many clients faced, they often struggled to understand their rights, which led to ineffective communication with landlords and housing authorities. This confusion contributed to heightened stress about their circumstances. Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters played a crucial role in clarifying legal obligations and guiding clients through potential future steps. 

We are dedicated to providing services in both Mandarin and Cantonese to ensure support for individuals who may struggle to obtain quality legal services due to linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking guidance concerning substantive laws and procedural issues.

Thank you again to all of our volunteers at the June 18 Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic:

Volunteer Attorneys

Justin Lee 
Beatrice Leong 
Lily Li
Bich-Nga Nguyen 
Cynthia Park 
Tammy Tran 
Mike Tse
Chenyi Wang
May Wong
Gary Yeung 
Jungeun “Evelyn” Yu 
Francis Chin

Interpreters/Shadowers

Sisu Chou
Katelyn Hai 
Emily Kam 
Nandar Win Kerr
Nikita Kohli
Emily Lai
Nasirn (Nienyin) Lin 
Carrie Nie 
Christine Shea 
Tianyuan Shu 
Tammy Tam
Albert Tong 
Shang Zhai
Kenny Ip

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming pro bono clinics:

July 12 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30-2:30 pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232 

July 16 [Manhattan link here], from 6:30-8:30 pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002 

August 6th [Queens link here] from 6:30-8:30 pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355 

Thank you once again to all our volunteers for their commitment to pro bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics! 

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit  probono.aabany.org.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the June 4th Pro Bono Clinic in Queens

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to AABANY, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and our dedicated volunteers for contributing to the success of our pro bono legal clinic in Queens on June 4, 2025. Thanks to your support, our team of volunteers was able to meet with 15 clients and provide assistance on a range of legal issues, including housing and real property, consumer debt, family and matrimonial matters, and civil litigation.

Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters demonstrated great care and expertise in addressing the concerns of our clients. They offered clear explanations and effectively connected individuals with appropriate legal resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).

We remain dedicated to providing services in both Mandarin and Cantonese to ensure we can continue to support individuals facing linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking legal guidance.

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our volunteer attorneys at the June 4th Queens Pro Bono Clinic:

Volunteer Attorneys
Wendy (Wen-Hsien) Cheng
Kevin Hsi
Richard In
David Mou
Johnny Thach
May Wong
Gary Yeung
Jungeun Yu
Meng Zhang
Interpreters/Shadowers
Nikita Kohli
Emily Lai
Christine Shea
Albert Tong

We invite you to join us for our upcoming pro bono clinics:

  • June 18 [Manhattan link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002 
  • July 12 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
  • August 6 [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

Thank you once again for your commitment to pro bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics! 

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit  probono.aabany.org.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the May 21st Pro Bono Clinic in Manhattan

We extend our sincere gratitude to AABANY, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Manhattan on May 21st, 2025.

During the clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to 10 clients, addressing a range of legal matters including housing, immigration, civil litigation, and nuisance issues. Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters thoughtfully addressed client concerns, offered clarity through their answers, and facilitated connections to appropriate legal resources via AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).

We are committed to offering services in both Mandarin and Cantonese to ensure continued support for individuals facing linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking guidance on substantive and procedural legal matters.

Thank you to our volunteer attorneys at the May 21st Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic:

Volunteer Attorneys
Ming Cheung
Francis Chin
Justin Lee
Beatrice Leong
Jasmine Sripa
Kenny Ip
Interpreters & Shadowers
Albert Tong
Collette Chang
Sisu Chou
Emily Kam
Kenny Ip

We invite you to join us for our upcoming pro bono clinics:

  • June 18 [Manhattan link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002 
  • July 12 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
  • August 6 [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the February 5th Pro Bono Clinic in Queens!

Happy Lunar New Year!  A huge thank you to AABANY, PBCS, AAFE, and all our incredible volunteers who dedicated their time and expertise at the February 5th pro bono legal clinic in Queens.  Their commitment to serving the community made a meaningful impact, providing much-needed legal assistance to those in need.  Our volunteers met with 12 clients, addressing questions related to housing, matrimonial and family law, and torts.

We extend our gratitude to our special guest speaker, Vishal Chander, for delivering an insightful “Know Your Rights” training.  His presentation provided attendees with crucial information on their rights when encountering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities.  Vishal also generously stayed to assist with complex questions regarding immigration sponsorship and divorce, further supporting our community members.

Here are some of the clients’ comments:

“Thank you for additional resources for mothers returning to the job force.”
“Thank you, Shirley [Luong].”

Thank you again to our amazing volunteers:

Volunteer Attorneys
Beatrice Leong
Gary Yeung
Johnny Thach
Kevin Hsi
Lord Chester So
May Wong
Richard In
Vishal Chander
Yan Lian Kuang-Maoga
Interpreters & Shadowers
Miao Wen
Xiaocen Zhang
Xuxia Zhao

We are deeply grateful for everyone’s contributions and look forward to continuing this important work together! Please come back and join us at our upcoming clinics:

March 8, 2025 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:00 – 3:00pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

April 2, 2025 [Queens link here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the December 4th Pro Bono Clinic in Queens!

On December 4th, volunteers had the opportunity to participate in AABANY’s Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Queens, hosted by the Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE). The clinic was organized by AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, with a dedicated team of attorney and non-attorney volunteers providing free thirty-minute legal consultations to members of the community facing various legal challenges.

The volunteers met with 11 clients, answering questions related to housing, torts, and contracts. One key issue that came up frequently was unreasonable rent increases. As New York continues to grow more expensive, attorneys volunteering at our clinics would be well-served with some basic knowledge to protect tenants’ rights.

Under the Good Cause Eviction law, tenants in covered housing are protected against unreasonable rent increases that exceed the local rent standard. The local rent standard is determined annually based on the inflation rate in the area, plus 5%, with a maximum cap of 10%. As of May 1, 2024, the local rent standard for the New York City area is 8.82%, which means any rent increase over this percentage may be considered unreasonable by the court, provided it occurred after April 20, 2024. See here:  https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/good-cause-eviction.page.

Landlords may provide justification for higher rent increases, such as significant repairs or increased property taxes, but the final decision rests with the court. Pro Bono Clinic attorneys encourage all tenants to open their mail and file an answer in court to protect their rights.

Clients expressed gratitude for the assistance, including the following comments:

  • “Extremely grateful. Appreciative of your supported services. Helped me decide on many of my bigger problems.”
  • “Attorney Yeung’s attitude was superb – he provided translation and advice.”

Thank you again to our volunteers: 

Volunteer Attorneys
Beatrice Leong
Gary Yeung
Johnny Thach
Kevin Hsi
Lina Lee
Jack Chen
May Wong
Richard In
Interpreters & Shadowers
Eugene Seong
Xiaocen Zhang
Xuxia Zhao

Please come back and join us at our upcoming clinics:

December 18, 2024, from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002, sign up here (please register by 12pm, 12/16/2024)

January 11, 2025, from 12:00 – 2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232, sign up here (please register by 12pm, 01/08/2025)

January 15, 2025, from 6:30 – 8:00pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002, sign up here (please register by 12pm, 01/13/2025)

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! 

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this blog post should be deemed to be legal advice. Do not take any action or refrain from any action in reliance on anything contained in this blog post.

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