Bankruptcy Judgeship Vacancy – The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit invites applications from qualified candidates for a 14-year appointment as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York. There are two vacancies in the Eastern District of New York, one in Brooklyn and one in Central Islip. For announcement click here, for application click here. The deadline to submit an application is August 7, 2025.
Thank You to Our Volunteers at the May 31st Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn
We extend our sincere gratitude to Volunteers, AABANY, Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, and the Chinese-American Planning Council, for your invaluable contributions to the Pro Bono Legal Clinic held in Brooklyn on May 31, 2025. Thanks to your dedication, we were able to assist 21 clients with a wide range of legal concerns, including housing, matrimonial and family law, probate, personal injury, workers’ compensation, immigration, tax, business fraud, public benefits, and civil litigation.
Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters demonstrated exceptional patience and commitment in addressing client questions, offering guidance, and connecting them with further legal support through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS). We are proud to offer our services in both Mandarin and Cantonese, allowing us to continue our mission of providing crucial support to individuals facing linguistic or cultural barriers in accessing quality legal care.
Thank you to our volunteer attorneys at the May 31st Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic:
| Volunteer Attorneys |
| Francis Chin |
| Jenny Dai |
| Kwok Ng |
| Shuyao Wang |
| Yilan Wang |
| May Wong |
| Gary Yeung |
| Jungeun (Evelyn) Yu |
| Interpreters & Shadowers |
| Sam Chen |
| Jingjuan Guo |
| Nandar Win Kerr |
| Nikita Kohli |
| Samuel Liu |
| Albert Tong |
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at 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!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
Celebrate 2025 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.
May 1, 2025
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Karaoke Showdown
6:00 pm, 22 W 32nd St. 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
Registration is closed for this event.
May 4, 2025
AABANY Sunday Run Day
8:30 AM (Meet at 8:30 am. Runtime 9:00 am.)
In the lawn near the 86th Street A train station (Central Park West and West 86th)
This event is preparation for the May 24 AAPI 5k run. For more information, click here.
May 10, 2025
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Southern Brooklyn AAPI Heritage Month Celebration 2025
11:00 am. P.S. 105, 1031 59th St
Brooklyn, New York 11219
For more information, click here.
May 11, 2025
AABANY Sunday Run Day
8:30 AM (Meet at 8:30 am. Runtime 9:00 am.)
In the lawn near the 86th Street A train station (Central Park West and West 86th)
This event is preparation for the May 24 AAPI 5k run. For more information, click here.
May 14, 2025
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Third Annual Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program
12 :45 – 2:15 PM – New York Supreme Court Appellate Division – Second Department
45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11201
Click here for more information.
May 14, 2025
Join AABANY for Mets v. Pirates Baseball Game
Citi Field / Mets Stadium, 41 Seaver Way, Flushing, New York 11368
Click here for more information.
May 14, 2025
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Talking with Trailblazers
6:00 pm – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
1 Manhattan West, 395 9th Ave., New York, New York 10001
Click here for more information.
May 18, 2025
AABANY Sunday Run Day
8:30 AM (Meet at 8:30 am. Runtime 9:00 am.)
In the lawn near the 86th Street A train station (Central Park West and West 86th)
This event is preparation for the May 24 AAPI 5k run. For more information, click here.
May 18, 2025
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Asian Americans in Public Service
2:00 – 5:00 pm, Clinton G. Martin Park Main Room-New Hyde Park Rd. & Marcus Ave, New Hyde Park, New York 11042
Click here for more information.
May 20, 2025
GSPI & Judiciary Committees Co-Sponsor: “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience”
12:45 – 2:15 pm, Queens Supreme Court – Civil Term, Ceremonial Courtroom 2588-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York 11435
Click here for more information.
May 21, 2025
AABANY Monthly Manhattan Pro Bono Legal Clinic
6:30 – 8:30 pm, AAFE Community Center – 111 Norfolk Street, New York, New York 10002
Click here for more information.
May 24, 2025
AABANY Presents: 2025 NYC AAPI 5K – Pier 45
Hudson River Greenway, New York, New York 10014
Click here to register and find event details.
May 24, 2025
Community Memorial Service for Honorable Justice Dorothy Chin-Brandt
12:00 – 2:00 PM – Glow Cultural Center 133 – 29, 41st Avenue Flushing, New York 11355
Click here for details.
May 28, 2025
AABANY Co-Sponsors: “Voices Against Asian Hate.”
12:00 to 2:30 PM–STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH HALL, ROOM 124 -10 Richmond Ter
New York, New York 10301
Click here for details.
May 29, 2025
AABANY Annual Dinner 2025
5:30 pm – 12:00 am – Cipriani Wall Street 55 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005
Click here for details.
May 31, 2025
AABANY Bi-Monthly Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic
12:30 – 2:00 pm – CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11232
Click here to register to volunteer.
Thank You to Our Volunteers at the March 8th Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn!
Thank you to AABANY, AALFNY, PBCS, Chinese-American Planning Council, our incredible volunteers, and our community partners for helping out at the March 8th pro bono legal clinic in Brooklyn. Our volunteers met with 16 clients, addressing questions related to housing, matrimonial and family law, and immigration.
We are grateful to have our special guest speakers, Vishal Chander and Karen Kithan Yau, provide a “Know Your Rights” training on immigration laws to our volunteers and clients. For the next couple of clinics, we will be inviting speakers to provide crucial information about immigrants’ interactions with law enforcement in the public and at the workplace.
At these clinics, we not only help answer clients’ legal questions, but we also want to teach law students and young attorneys how to explain the law in layman’s terms and provide an opportunity for the clients to be heard. We had volunteers explaining the concept of jurisdiction to a litigant who wasn’t sure why her petition was denied, the process of suing in small claims court, and discussing differences between wills and trusts. So thank you all for listening to the clients’ stories!
Thank you again to our amazing volunteers:
| Volunteer Attorneys |
| Anna Chen |
| Beatrice Leong |
| Ben Choi |
| Chenyi Wang |
| Francis Chin |
| Gary Yeung |
| Karen Kithan Yau |
| Kwok Kei Ng |
| May Wong |
| Peter Wei |
| Victoria Cheng |
| Vishal Chander |
| Interpreters & Shadowers |
| Albert Tong |
| Chia-Jung (Colette) Chang |
| Emily Kam |
| Kenny Ip |
| Kirin Moy |
| Leo Shen |
| Miao Wen |
| Nandar Win Kerr |
| Ruo Yang |
| Sam Chen |
| Shuyao (Sherry) Wang |
| Xiaocen Zhang |
| Zekai Lian |
Please come back and join us at our upcoming clinics:
April 2, 2025 [Queens link here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
[Please note that after April 2, 2025, all registrations for the clinics will take place through AABANY’s calendar. Please be patient with the transition.]
If you can’t make it to the clinics, please join our 10th Year Anniversary of Pro Bono Clinics on March 27th, 2025!
Thank You to Our Volunteers at the January 11th Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn!
On Saturday, January 11th, AABANY members had the opportunity to volunteer at AABANY’s Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic, hosted by the Chinese-American Planning Council. The Clinic was organized by AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, staffed by a dedicated team of attorney and non-attorney volunteers, offering free thirty-minute legal consultations for community members facing serious legal challenges. This was the first Clinic of the year, and volunteers met with 14 clients, who asked questions about divorce, immigration, and housing.
The Clinic facilitated a supportive and inclusive space for all in attendance. Attorneys were paired one-on-one with clients to carefully address their legal concerns, while interpreters ensured smooth communication for non-English speakers. Shadowers had the opportunity to sit in on attorney-client conversations, taking notes and learning from these real-world interactions. Through this collaborative effort, the Clinic demonstrated its ongoing commitment to fostering community involvement and empowering individuals.
With the current change of presidential administration, many immigrants are uncertain what will come next. As concerned public interest organizations, we want to protect and prepare our vulnerable clients the best we can. We greatly appreciate that immigration attorneys and legal services are taking their time to keep us updated with the law and providing accessible resources for our clients to know their rights. Please check out the Immigration Coalition’s website at https://www.nyic.org/ and Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund’s website at https://www.aaldef.org/ to learn more!
Thank you to our volunteer attorneys at the January 11 Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic:
| Volunteer Attorneys |
| Beatrice Leong |
| Gary Yeung |
| Kwok Kei Ng |
| May Wong |
| Victoria Cheng |
| Interpreters & Shadowers |
| Junjie Wang |
| Nandar Win Kerr |
| Xiaocen Zhang |
| Shuyao (Sherry) Wang |
If you’re interested in volunteering at future AABANY Pro Bono Clinics, please consider joining us at the following upcoming events:
- February 5, 2024 [register here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
- February 19, 2025 [register here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
We hope to see you there and wish you a happy Lunar New Year!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
In the News: Congratulations to Judge L. Austin D’Souza on His Appointment as Supervising Judge of Manhattan Civil Court
Judge L. Austin D’Souza has been appointed as the Supervising Judge of the Manhattan Civil Court, succeeding Judge Shahabuddeen Ally. This significant and prominent elevation attests to Judge D’Souza’s strong leadership and dedication to public service.
Judge D’Souza is part of a group of new judicial leaders appointed across New York City, including Hon. Frances Ortiz, Hon. Ira Greenberg, Hon. Edwin Novillo, Hon. Taisha Chambers, and Hon. Carmen Pacheco, each taking charge of key courts in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.
Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas praised the appointees for their “sound judgment, fairness, integrity, innovative spirit, and commitment to public service.” First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George also recognized their innovative and adaptable approaches to addressing the challenges of the legal system.
Judge D’Souza, an active member of AABANY, has consistently demonstrated a commitment to creating diversity and advancing the legal profession. His involvement with AABANY shows his passion for community engagement, further reflecting the qualities that make him a renowned and well-respected leader in the judiciary. Please join AABANY in congratulating Judge D’Souza on this noteworthy accomplishment and wishing him every success in his future judicial endeavors.
To read the full article in the New York Law Journal, click here.
Summer Internship Opportunity – U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY)’s ten-week full-time program offers law students summer internships in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. Student interns are afforded the opportunity to participate in the wide range of work performed by our Assistant United States Attorneys, including stand up participation in court proceedings, and invitations to attend a variety of events over the summer.
Details:
EDNY hires approximately 90 summer interns in both the Brooklyn and Central Islip offices, Criminal and Civil Divisions. All summer internships are ten weeks, full time and unpaid.*
Intern assignments can include:
· Making arguments in court
· Assisting in trial preparation
· Participating in witness interviews or civil depositions
· Legal research and writing
· Observing hearings, arguments and trials in the district court and Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Previous events have included:
· Brown bag luncheons featuring guest speakers on a range of topics
· Guided tours of the NYPD Ballistics Laboratory, Metropolitan Detention Center and law enforcement counterterrorism operations
· After-work social hours
Applications open December 1. More information can be found here.
*Summer interns are eligible to apply for a limited number of summer stipends awarded by the Federal Bar Council and the Eastern District Association.
Thank You to Our Volunteers at the November 9th Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn!
On Saturday, November 9th, AABANY members had the opportunity to volunteer at AABANY’s Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic, hosted by the Chinese-American Planning Council. The Clinic was organized by AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, staffed by a dedicated team of attorney and non-attorney volunteers, offering free thirty-minute legal consultations for community members facing pressing legal challenges. The volunteers met with 17 clients, who had questions about torts, family, matrimonial, and immigration issues.
As usual, the Clinic facilitated a positive and supportive environment; each client was paired with an attorney, who thoughtfully listened to and addressed their legal concerns. Shadowers observed the attorneys in action, taking notes and learning from these real-world interactions. Language interpreters were also available, ensuring that there were no language barriers between clients and attorneys. This collaboration reflected the Clinic’s commitment to community engagement and empowerment.
Thank you again to our volunteer attorneys:
| Volunteer Attorneys |
| Anna Chen |
| Jieman Tan |
| Gary Yeung |
| May Wong |
| Interpreters & Shadowers |
| Jaymark Hawlader |
| Junjie Wang |
| Nandar Win Kerr |
| Wendy Zeng |
If you’re interested in making a difference in the community through future Pro Bono Clinics, we invite you to join us at the following upcoming events:
- Wednesday, December 4, 2024 [register here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
- Saturday, January 11, 2025 [register here], from 12:00 – 2:30pm, Tentative Location – CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
We hope to see you there!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
AABANY Membership and Litigation Committees Host a Yoga Class “Up, Up and Away” at One World Observatory
On Saturday, August 24th, the Asian American Bar Association of New York’s Membership and Litigation Committees hosted a yoga class at One World Observatory located 102 floors up in the One World Trade Center.
Attendees donned athletic wear and took a 42-second elevator ride up to the 102 floor ready to stretch, twist and relax during a one-hour yoga class with the New Jersey and Brooklyn skyline visible from the room.
After the class ended attendees shared stories and networked over coffee and pastries while taking pictures of the different iconic buildings or neighborhoods they recognized.
Thanks to the Membership Committee and Litigation Committee for organizing this unique event. We thank everyone who attended and hope they found it to be a rejuvenating experience.
To find out more about the Membership Committee, please click here. To find out more about the Litigation Committee, please click here.
Thank You to Our Volunteers at the September 7th Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Brooklyn
Thank you everyone for joining us at the Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic on September 7, 2024, co-sponsored by CPC-Brooklyn at their 4101 8th Avenue location. Thanks also to the following co-sponsors: Community Service Committee, Councilman Justice Brannan, State Senator Iwen Chu, Council Member Alexa Avilés, the Parent-Child Relationship Association, the South Brooklyn Community Coalition, Homecrest Community Services, the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn, New York Team Up, and the United Chinese Americans Organizations. We met 16 clients who had questions about real estate, consumer fraud, and immigration issues. Hope you all had a wonderful time learning from one another and informing the community about current laws!
During the pandemic, many people were experiencing difficulties in canceling their gym memberships. Even worse, some clubs would close with limited notice or no notice at all to their customers. Due to reports of deceptive practices in health clubs, the New York State legislature passed the New York Health Club Services Act in 2023 to protect consumers. One of our clients came in to discuss such deceptive practices and the sudden closure of a spa. Under this Act, to protect members who prepay for their memberships, health clubs must file a bond or other type of financial security with the Secretary of State in case the club closes:
- Clubs must mention this bond in all their contracts and must post about the bond in their facilities.
- Clubs do not have to meet this requirement if they do not offer pre-paid memberships, or if payments do not exceed $150, memberships do not exceed one year, and the contract does not contain an automatic renewal provision.
Any contract that does not comply with the New York Health Club Services Act is void and unenforceable. If the health club violated the act, the customer can sue in small claims court and seek treble damages and reasonable attorney’s fees. For information about small claims court, visit https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/smallclaims/index.shtml .
Thank you to the following volunteers:
| Volunteer Attorneys |
| Anna Chen |
| Chenyi Wang |
| Francis Chin |
| Gary Yeung |
| Kwok Kei Ng |
| May Wong |
| Interpreters & Shadowers |
| Albert Tong |
| Chenyi Wang |
| Jaymark Hawlader |
| Junjie Wang |
| Nandar Win Kerr |
| Wendy Zeng |
| Xiang Li |
| Xing Yang |
Thank you again and please join us at the next clinics:
Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on September 18th, 2024 at AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002. Sign up here – https://forms.gle/SD2VMY8X6yE4vsxW9
Queens Pro Bono Clinic on October 2nd, 2024 at AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355. Sign up here – https://forms.gle/5PjG8A73EE1XENyV9