On October 18th, 2025, the Chinatown Manpower Project (CMP) held its Annual Entrepreneurship Training. The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) partnered with CMP to deliver a legal workshop on Business Entity Formation and Partnership Agreements, designed to assist small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Thanks to May Wong, former Co-Chair of the Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, and Nandar Win Kerr, Treasurer and Consultant to the PBCS Committee for providing invaluable insights on the crucial topics of business entity formation and partnership agreements, equipping aspiring and current entrepreneurs with the foundational legal knowledge necessary for success.
The engaging training covered essential aspects of choosing the right business structure, including understanding the implications of diverse entity classification and the critical components of strong partnership agreements. Attendees gained a clearer picture of how to protect their businesses, navigate legal complexities, cultivate productive collaborations and promote a sustainable business model.
Many immigrants arrive in the United States seeking better economic prospects and face barriers to traditional employment, such as language barriers and lack of local networks. CMP offers employment support to people from all walks of life, including immigrants and second-generation immigrants. CMP also hosts comprehensive entrepreneurial workshops and seminars, provides one-on-one consulting services to small business clients, and refers clients to partnering resource organizations for government assistance, legal consultation, financial literacy, and micro-lending.
Wong and Kerr also highlighted the availability of free 30-minute legal consultations through the PBCS Committee’s legal clinics in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. These clinics, co-sponsored by AABANY and AALFNY offer accessible legal guidance to the community. The PBCS Committee encourages pro bono legal service from AABANY members, informs the community of their legal rights, and works with other not-for-profits to bring free or low-cost legal services to the AAPI, immigrant, and other New York communities. AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (“LRIS”) connects members of the New York community with qualified legal counsel, overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers and increasing the accessibility of legal referral services in the Greater New York area for an underserved demographic.
We believe that empowering entrepreneurs with legal education is vital for fostering thriving businesses and communities. As a gesture of our appreciation and support, all attendees were presented with special Pro Bono Clinic items at the conclusion of the training, a small token to remind them of the resources available to them and the importance of legal guidance in their entrepreneurial journey.
AABANY collaborates with CMP to create this legal workshop to help small business owners and tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. AABANY also helps provide legal advice to small business owners and young entrepreneurs at our upcoming legal clinics. We invite you to join AABANY’s upcoming Pro Bono Clinics taking place on:
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
A big thank you to CMP for their continued dedication to fostering entrepreneurship, and to all the attendees for their enthusiasm and engagement. We look forward to future collaborations that uplift and empower our community.
