At the Clinic, our volunteers met with 14 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, and civil litigation. Your collective efforts ensured that each client received personalized support and answers to their pressing legal questions.
We are deeply grateful for everyone’s presence and contributions, and look forward to continuing this important work together!
Special thanks to Megan Rha and D. Jenny Kim, partners from the Rha Kim Grossman & McIlwain, LLP, who came to support our Clinic and to provide valuable time and advice to the community. Also, special shoutout to Betty (Xinyue) Zhu who lives in New Jersey and came all the way out to Queens to help us out!
At this Clinic, we had so many intakes that we ran out of spaces and had to use the community playroom’s space. We are grateful for AAFE allowing us to expand to this area to do our work. At this playspace, some of our volunteers enjoyed a game of mahjong in between meetings with clients. While we would love to play more mahjong, we love helping out the community even more!
Volunteer attorneys:
Hung Yi Chien
Ting-Yu Chien
Helen Ding
Richard In
D. Jenny Kim
Emeline Kong
Grace Ouyang
Megan Rha
Sinbay Tan
Wendell Y. Tong
Anthony Wong
May Wong
Interpreters/shadowers:
Yining Pan
Ellie Wang
Jingjing Wang
Wendy Zeng
Betty (Xinyue) Zhu
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
– May 20 [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
– June 3rd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
– July 11th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Thanks 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.
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 occurred.
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 occurred.
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 occurred.
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 occurred.
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
This event has already occurred.
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
This event has already occurred.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
