Paralegal Pathways Initiative (PPI) at Columbia Law School is a semester-long training program aimed at supporting formerly incarcerated individuals to transition into careers within the legal field. Through skills-based legal training and professional mentorship, PPI empowers participants to develop valuable career and interview skills.
PPI is now accepting applications for their upcoming Spring 2026 class, and wants to extend this opportunity to as many potential applicants as possible. Please reach out to (ppi@law.columbia.edu) if you know of anyone who may be interested or are interested yourself!
The Paralegal Pathways Initiative (PPI) at Columbia Law School is a 12-week training program designed to support formerly incarcerated individuals as they transition into meaningful careers within the legal field. Through skills-based legal training and professional mentorship, PPI empowers participants to develop valuable career and interview skills. Applications are now open for the upcoming Spring 2025 class, and PPI wants to extend this opportunity to as many potential applicants as possible.
Application Requirements: Interested individuals should submit an application online through this link. The application package includes:
Resume
Personal statement (500 words)
Response to a writing prompt (350-450 words)
Two references
[Optional] Additional materials/information
PPI encourages applications from individuals from marginalized communities, including those based on race, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability.
Eligibility Criteria:
18 years old or older
Ability to commute to New York City
Have been formerly incarcerated and at least one year post-release
Demonstrate a genuine interest in the legal field
Commit to attending an in-person two-hour class one night a week for 12 weeks, and additional programming and workshops
Commit to contributing to a collaborative learning environment
Complete an interview
Application Deadline: Friday, November 15, 2024
Contact Information: For more information, contact the PPI team at ppi@law.columbia.edu or follow @paralegalpathways_cls on Instagram. Please share this information with anyone who may be interested in applying.
On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, AABANY members attended the Chinese-American Planning Council’s (CPC) Harvest Moon Benefit in Brooklyn to celebrate longtime active AABANY member and co-founding member of AABANY’s Prosecutors Committee, Kin Ng, who was one of the Honorees this year.
Kin has been a prosecutor at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for over thirty years. In 2021, he was appointed to serve as the Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau II, Blue Zone. From 2017 to 2020, he was promoted to Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau I – Red Zone, and became the first AAPI bureau chief of a major trial bureau in the history of the office. Prior to that, Kin served in various management capacities in different trial bureaus and the Immigration Fraud Unit. He also served as the Chief of Legal Training, conducting office-wide trainings for all Brooklyn ADAs and staff. Kin continues to mentor prosecutors of all offices and experiences through AABANY as well as National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). In addition, he is a founding member and co-chair of the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association (NAPIPA) and a member of its National Executive Board and the President of its New York Chapter. Notably, Kin received the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the 2018 AABANY Fall Conference, in recognition of his leadership in the Asian American legal community.
In his acceptance speech, Kin mentioned and thanked Homecrest and CPC for providing many programs to the community, such as senior services, multi-social services and a wide range of youth and workforce activities. These programs, especially summer and after-school educational activities, provide working families with child care services and a safe environment for their children to learn and grow.
On behalf of the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, we also want to thank CPC for hosting our Pro Bono Clinics at their Brooklyn location and our community partners for supporting our efforts in providing free legal consultations to low- to middle- income individuals and families.
The next Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn is on November 9, 2024, from 12:30pm to 3:00pm, at CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232. Pre-registration can be made by phone (tel: (718) 492-0409). Walk-ins are welcome!
Last but not least, thank you AABANY, AALFNY, the Prosecutors Committee, and Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, and our pro bono clinic volunteers for supporting AAPI not-for-profit organizations and their great causes!!!
For more information about the Prosecutors Committee, go here. For more information about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee go here. Join the Prosecutors Committee for their 16th Anniversary Reception on Nov. 13. More details here.
AALDEF will be providing lunch and dinner at the two trainings. The substance of both trainings will be the same, so if interested, attend the one that is most convenient for you. However, please note that the location of each training is different.
For more information, contact the Voting Rights Organizer Chi-Ser Tran at ctran@aaldef.org
**Please RSVP by Friday, May 25th at 12pm (noon) here.
