PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 19 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, family and matrimonial law, immigration, real property, trusts and estates, torts and other civil litigation.
Here are some of the clients’ feedback:
“May Wong is very professional and answered all my questions. She also gave me helpful advice and referrals. Thank you!”
“Thank you, Shirley, for listening to our concerns. She is very knowledgeable about different routes going forward.“
“Very grateful this service is available for the Asian community as it always seem there is always a lack of community service for us.”
We thank the following volunteers for attending the Queens Pro Bono Clinic and for their dedicated services:
Attorneys:
Wendy Cheng
Marcus Cheung
Kevin Hsi
Richard In
Shirley Luong
Sinbay Tan
Johnny Thach
Anthony Wong
May Wong
Gary Yeung
Evelyn Yu
Interpreters/shadowers:
Nathan Cao
Michelle Chen
Kaitlyn Cheng
Helen Ding
Nandar Win Kerr
Momo Sano
Jingjing Wang
Suzie (Sue) Yu
Wendy Zeng
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
– August 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
– September 12 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
– October 7 [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
While the season changes and the leaves turn colors, one thing remains constant: our volunteers and their incredibly generous support for our Pro Bono Clinics.
We give a special acknowledgement to Vishal Chander, another highly committed volunteer, Co-Chair of the Issues Committee, and a member of the AABANY Board of Directors.
As he was preparing to swear-in as a new Board Director for NAPABA in Denver, CO, Vishal generously stepped up to remotely cover immigration cases for us. We deeply appreciate his dedication and willingness to support our work even while traveling and taking on a new leadership role. Congratulations to Vishal on his new position at NAPABA. We are grateful for his integrity and commitment to the AABANY Pro Bono Clinic.
During this month’s Clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to 16 clients, addressing a range of legal matters including housing, immigration, family and matrimonial, estate and property, invasion of privacy, 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.
As an interpreter at this Clinic, I had the opportunity to sit in on several deeply moving cases that revealed the human stakes behind legal procedures. One immigration case involved a young woman whose father had abandoned the family years ago. She hoped to apply for a green card based on abandonment and emotional hardship. After discussion, her case appeared to fall under Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), which provides a pathway to lawful permanent residency for minors who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents, and who cannot safely return to their home country. In that room, I watched not just attorneys offering legal guidance, but human beings holding space for grief, confusion, and hope. It reminded me how the law, while technical in form, carries deeply human consequences for those whose lives depend on it. The attorneys ran back and forth, trying to get them resources and help, making clear what their choices were and how they could get help.
Another case involved a Spanish-speaking mother and her children who had fallen three years behind on rent after the mother made the difficult but necessary decision to evict a roommate who had sexually assaulted her daughter. Without the financial support, and with her son refusing to contribute while still living in the home, she was unable to recover and pay rent. The attorneys carefully explained possible remedies, guiding her through how to appear in Housing Court, how to request a court-appointed attorney, and how to apply for a One Shot Deal, an emergency rental assistance program for tenants facing eviction due to financial hardship. They also discussed longer-term legal planning and referred her to additional community-based support services. What struck me most was the compassion with which they approached her situation, emphasizing not only what could be done legally, but how she could emotionally and practically navigate the process.
The pro bono work done through AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics is not just about dealing with legal challenges – it is about the restoration of dignity, clarity amid fear, and giving structure to lives interrupted by crisis. Access to justice is not merely a legal right, but a human one.
We are grateful for all the volunteers at the November 8th Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:
Volunteer attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Victoria Cheng
Megan Gao
Kwok Kei Ng
Arthur Lin
Jie Shi
Shuyao Wang
May Wong
Tiffany Wong
Gary Yeung
Alexander Yuan
Interpreters/Shadowers:
Kaila Chen
Nikita Kohli
Yiyang Shen
Wendy Zeng
Jessie Zhou
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming pro bono clinics:
December 3rd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355 [Immigration Law training provided. Find out more below.]
December 17th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
January 10th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Upcoming Community Education Training Speaker and Topic Announcement
With the collaboration of the Immigration and Issues Committees, Vishal Chander, one of PBCS’s incredible volunteers and Issues Committee Co-Chair, will provide a thirty-minute Basic Immigration Training Part 2 on December 3rd at Queens Pro Bono Clinic from 6 – 6:30pm. Part 1 was conducted at the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on November 19, and if you missed it, the video will be made available soon.
This training series will prepare lawyers and law students the fundamentals of advising pro bono clients who are or have family in removal (deportation) proceedings.
Note: Attorneys seeking CLE credits must attend both sessions to earn 1 CLE credit hour. No partial credit is available.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics! To learn more about how you can get involved with AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics, visit probono.aabany.org.
We extend our sincere gratitude to AAFE, AABANY, AALFNY, PBCS, and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Manhattan on October 15th, 2025.
During the clinic, our volunteers provided free legal services and information to 16 clients, addressing a range of matters including housing, immigration, family and matrimonial, estate and property. 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.
We thank all the volunteers at the October 15th Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and dedication:
Volunteer Attorneys:
Yen Yi Anderson
Jack (Zixu) Hsia
Justin Lee
Beatrice Leong
Arthur Lin
Jieman Tan
Anthony Wong
Gary Yeung
Interpreters/shadowers:
Kaleah Haddock
Emily Kam
Nikita Kohli
Qi (Ellie) Wang
Ruixuan Yi
Shang Zhai
Wendy Zeng
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming pro bono clinics:
November 8th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
November 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002. This clinic is preceded by an Immigration Basics Training at 6pm.
December 3rd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355. This clinic is preceded by an Immigration Basics Training at 6pm.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics! To learn more about how you can get involved with AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics, visit probono.aabany.org.
We thank our volunteers and partners for their invaluable contributions to the Queens Pro Bono Legal Clinic on October 1st, 2025. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), the Asian American for Equity (AAFE), AALFNY, AABANY, all of our dedicated volunteers and the MOIA immigration resource workshop participants.
We especially thank Commissioner Manuel Castro, Lily Liang, Community Liaison, and Shaina Torres, Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) for their insightful community education training and for sharing MOIA resources with us to help create a better and safer New York City for everyone.
Thanks to our volunteers’ dedication, we were able to assist 15 clients with a wide range of legal concerns, including housing, immigration, matrimonial and family law, employment, and criminal cases.
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.
Too often, those who face language barriers find themselves overwhelmed and powerless in the face of a complex legal system. Without access to interpretation or culturally informed advocacy, they may not fully understand their rights or the options available to them. Seeing the fear and uncertainty in their eyes is a stark reminder of the urgent need for accessible legal aid.
For many of the AABANY volunteers, this mission is deeply personal. As children or descendants of immigrants, our attorneys and interpreters understand firsthand the struggles that accompany language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and systemic inequities. Helping these clients is, in many ways, like helping our own parents, neighbors, and communities – a way to honor those who paved the way before us and ensure that others today do not face the same struggles alone.
AABANY remains steadfast in its commitment to give back to AAPI communities, advancing access to justice and empowerment to those who have been marginalized by the barriers of language, culture, or circumstance.
Here are some of the clients’ comments from this evening’s pro bono clinic:
“I felt truly listened to; the attorneys explained everything clearly and patiently.”
“Very wonderful legal service.”
“Made me feel less alone in my situation.”
We thank the following volunteer attorneys:
Wendy (Wen-Hsien) Cheng
Richard In
Johnny Thach
Yilan Wang
Anthony Wong
May Wong
Helen Wu
Gary Yeung
Our sincere appreciation also goes to our dedicated interpreters and shadowers:
Nandar Win Kerr
Ruixuan Yi
Wendy Zeng
Shang Zhai
Jessie Zhou
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming pro bono clinics:
November 8th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
November 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
December 3rd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
Future Community Education Speaker and Topic Announcement
In collaboration with the Issue Committee, Vishal Chander, one of PBCS Committee’s incredible volunteers and Issues Committee Co-Chair, will provide 30-minutes Basic Immigration training Part 1 on November 19th at Manhattan Clinic and Part 2 on December 3rd at Queens Clinic from 6 – 6:30pm.
This training series will prepare lawyers and law students the fundamentals of advising pro bono clients who are or have family in removal (deportation) proceedings. CLE credits will be given to attorneys who attend both trainings.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
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.
Thank you to AABANY volunteers, attorneys, interpreters, and law students who came to help AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinic in Manhattan. Our volunteers spent the night meeting with 14 clients on issues ranging from housing, divorce, immigration, and criminal law.
The clinic saw some returning clients as well as new ones. Each client was assigned to an attorney who diligently advised them on their legal issues. Law students who had the opportunity to shadow the attorneys took notes, while interpreters that spoke Cantonese and Mandarin helped overcome any language barriers between the client and attorney. Many clients left feeling satisfied and confident on what to do next with their cases. Clients also took away additional AABANY information and resources they could use if needed.
Thank you again to everyone, including volunteer attorneys:
Beatrice Leong
Chenyi Wang
Collin Li
Jieman Tan
Justin Lee
Kwok Kei Ng
Meghan Liu
Nicholas Loh
Thank you also to our non-attorney volunteers:
Alexandra Lao
Alice Biagini
Chia-Jung (Colette) Chang
Emily Kam
Junjie Wang
Willis Huynh
Xing Yang
Yi Liu
If you would like to participate in future Pro Bono clinics to help serve the community, please join us at these upcoming events:
Queens Pro Bono Clinic on October 2, 2024 at AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355. Sign up here – https://forms.gle/5PjG8A73EE1XENyV9
Thank you to the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee for organizing the Pro Bono Clinics. To learn more about the Committee and to find out how you can get involved, visit probono.aabany.org.
Thank you AABANY, AAFE, and our dedicated volunteers for joining us at the Queens Pro Bono Legal Clinic on February 7, 2024. This was our first Queens clinic of the year and we met with 16 clients who asked questions about criminal law, housing, and contracts.
Thanks to all our interpreters who helped us! We had a little mishap in ordering dinner for us that night. In case you were wondering why there were so many chicken feet, it was because we thought buldakbal meant “spicy chicken.” There you go, that’s why. This is also why it’s important to use human interpreters rather than entrusting AI Google translate.
And here’s what our clients have to say about our volunteers’ assistance –
“This is a wonderful service you provide the public. AAFE is making a difference for the community.” “Extremely grateful to the lawyers and interpreter lady!” “Service was great.”
Volunteer Attorneys:
Interpreters & Shadowers:
Beatrice Leong
Daniel Kang
Brandon Wong
Kaila Chen
Forrest Sung
Nandar Win Kerr
Gary Yeung
Ruo Yang
Hazel F. Chin
Yiyang Shen
Johnny Thach
Willow Liu
Lina Lee
Woohyeong Cho
May Wong
Shirley Luong
AAFE:
Wenhsien (Wendy) Cheng
Nuala Naranjo
Yan Lian Kuang-Maoga
Elton Ye
Gabriel Hisugan
Thank you once again and we hope to see you soon!
To learn about upcoming Pro Bono clinics in Queens, Manhattan, or Brooklyn, visit probono.aabany.org.
The AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service Committee thanks all the volunteers who helped out at the Manhattan pro bono clinic on February 21, 2024! We thank AABANY, PBCS volunteers, and AAFE staff (Elton Ye, Jiwon Youn, and Joy Ng) for this collaboration. We met with 9 clients and discussed housing, real estate, and civil procedure.
One client shared that she had been afraid to speak with her own attorney. In her comments, she wrote, “The lawyers [at the clinic] were very knowledgeable and clear in communicating the steps to be taken and what I could expect about the case updates. They were also professional and trustworthy.”
Another client wrote, “I had many questions and the attorney(s) were very nice and explained well. As a senior, I hope to live at home and maintain peace every day. Thank you for your explanation.”
Great work, everyone!
Volunteer Attorneys
Interpreters & Shadowers
Beatrice Leong
Angela Zhao
Eve Hongye Mao
Christine Seid
Francis Chin
Daniel Kang
Judy Lu
Eric Duan
Justin Lee
Jialin Zhu
Kevin Hsi
Nandar Win Kerr
Kwok Ng
Ruo Yang
May Wong
Tiancheng “Tim” Lyu
Tiange (Tim) Chen
Xue Zhang
Yan Sin
Yiming (Roselyn) Chen
Jiwon Youn (AAFE)
Elton Ye (AAFE)
Joy Ng (AAFE)
Please join our upcoming legal clinics:
Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic – March 9th, 2024, 12:30pm – 3:30pm
Location – CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232.
AABANY’s Pro Bono Committee held its third Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic on Thursday, January 16, 2020, at A Plus Academy located at 6802 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The clinic brought out 18 volunteers who volunteered their time to help 10 clients.
The Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic has allowed AABANY’s Pro Bono Committee to service a new community in need of pro bono legal services and indicates our efforts to grow and expand these services to more New Yorkers in need.
We are asking every member to actively support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinics by making donations that are vital to its continuing operation. In a few short years, with the tireless and generous assistance of our volunteers, we have helped hundreds of low-income clients with free legal advice and referrals to high-quality, culturally sensitive, and linguistically competent legal services. Together we have helped expand access to justice for underserved Asian American New Yorkers.
To make it easier for our members and our community to donate to the Pro Bono Clinic, we have set up a page on Give Lively where you can make a donation by texting APAPROBONO to 44321. It takes seconds to donate, and we hope you will take a moment today to support the Pro Bono Clinic and help it meet its fundraising goals. Please donate today!
If you know family members, friends, or businesses, such as your firm, who would like to support the Clinic, please help us connect with them by contacting Karen Yau at karen.yau@aabany.org.
Or please urge them to make a donation directly. They can visit the website of Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate: https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/
AALFNY is accepting charitable donations on the Clinic’s behalf and can issue any donor a tax receipt. Any contribution, large or small, would help. Please be sure to indicate in the memo field that the donation is intended for the Pro Bono Clinic.
Thank you to all of the January Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!
Lawyers:
Tina Y. Song Yifei He May Kay Wong Francis Chin Veronica Louie
Interpreters:
Teri Chou Go-eun Son Ru Hochen Alicia Chan Jonathan Wong Jing Chu
Special thanks to Coordinator Xinyi Shen, Coordinator Roger Chen, Vice Chair Kwok Kei Ng for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung-Ha, Judy Lee, Karen Kithan Yau, and Asako Aiba for their leadership. We also thank our “On-Call Expert” Beatrice Leong for offering advice by phone. The Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic will be a bi-monthly clinic occurring on the fourth Thursday of every other month. The next clinic will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2020, from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm. If you are interested in volunteering at future Pro Bono Clinics, please contact Asako Aiba at asako.aiba@aabany.org.
AABANY’s Pro Bono Committee held its second Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at A Plus Academy located at 6802 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The clinic brought out 27 volunteers who volunteered their time to help 13 clients.
The Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic has allowed AABANY’s Pro Bono Committee to service a new community in need of pro bono legal services and indicates our efforts to grow and expand these services to more New Yorkers in need.
We are asking every member to actively support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinics by making donations that are vital to its continuing operation. In a few short years, with the tireless and generous assistance of our volunteers, we have helped hundreds of low-income clients with free legal advice and referrals to high-quality, culturally sensitive, and linguistically competent legal services. Together we have helped expand access to justice for underserved Asian American New Yorkers.
To make it easier for our members and our community to donate to the Pro Bono Clinic, we have set up a page on Give Lively where you can make a donation by texting APAPROBONO to 44321. It takes seconds to donate, and we hope you will take a moment today to support the Pro Bono Clinic and help it meet its fundraising goals. Please donate today!
If you know family members, friends, or businesses, such as your firm, who would like to support the Clinic, please help us connect with them by contacting Karen Yau at karen.yau@aabany.org.
Or please urge them to make a donation directly. They can visit the
website of Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s
501(c)(3) affiliate: https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/
AALFNY is accepting charitable donations on the Clinic’s behalf and can issue any donor a tax receipt. Any contribution, large or small, would help. Please be sure to indicate in the memo field that the donation is intended for the Pro Bono Clinic.
Thank you to all of the November Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!
Lawyers:
Kenneth C. Louis May Kay Wong Thomas Hou Victoria Cheng Eric Ng Kevin Hsi Beatrice Leong Tina Y. Song Yifei He Ting Poon Michelle DeSousa-Fiore Francis Chin Andrew Mickler
Interpreters:
Tian Ma Lawrence Ho Erica Zou Chao-Yung Chiu Teri Chow Xinyi Shen Amy Zhou Shun-Hsiang (Steven) Chen Henry Man
Other Volunteers
Francisco Yau-Smith, Usher Runlan Hwang, Usher
Special thanks to Coordinator Xinyi Shen, Coordinator Amy Zhou, Coordinator Shun-Hsiang (Steven) Chen, Coordinator Henry Man, Vice Chair Kwok Kei Ng for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung-Ha, Karen Kithan Yau, and Asako Aiba for their leadership. The Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic will be a bi-monthly clinic occurring on the fourth Thursday of every other month. The next clinic will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm. If you are interested in volunteering at future Pro Bono Clinics, please contact Asako Aiba at asako.aiba@aabany.org.
