Tag: Lina Lee

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the Queens Pro Bono Clinic in November

On November 1st, 2023, AABANY held its Queens Pro Bono Legal Clinic at the AAFE (Asian Americans for Equality) One Flushing Community Center. The clinic met with 15 clients, coming in with questions about criminal, housing, immigration, and family law. Volunteer attorneys and interpreters patiently addressed client concerns, answering questions and connecting them to lawyers through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS). We are extremely grateful to have volunteers willing to start early at 6pm and stay beyond 8:30pm to finish speaking with the clients.

We thank the AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee and AAFE for organizing and hosting this event. We also thank Council Member Sandra Ung for partnering with us to make this service available to the community.

Thank you to our volunteers for supporting the clinic. Your time and dedication are essential for delivering crucial assistance to individuals seeking legal guidance. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to:

Volunteer Attorneys:

  • Beatrice Leong
  • Casey Lee
  • Eugene Kim
  • Gary Yeung
  • Kevin Hsi
  • Lina Lee
  • May Li
  • May Wong
  • Shirley Luong

Interpreters and Coordinators:

  • Daniel Kang
  • Melodie Han
  • Yiming (Roselyn) Chen
  • Nuala Naranjo (AAFE)
  • Elton Ye (AAFE)
  • Maria Bergeron (AAFE)
  • Sally Lin (AAFE)

Here is a list of upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

  • Manhattan, November 15, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street. Sign up by 12pm, November 10 to volunteer.
  • Brooklyn, December 2, from 12:30pm to 3:30pm, at Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc., 4101 8th Avenue. Sign up by 12pm, November 27 to volunteer.
  • Manhattan, December 20, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street. Sign up by 12pm, December 15 to volunteer.
  • Queens, January 10, 2024 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave. Sign up by 12pm, January 5 to volunteer.

Click here for more information about our Pro Bono Clinics and the PBCS Committee. Or sign up for the next BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) Sidebar Meeting on November 16 to learn more about the Clinic and the Committee. Go here for more details and to register.

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the Queens Pro Bono Clinic in September

On September 6th, 2023, AABANY held its Queens Pro Bono Legal Clinic at the AAFE One Flushing Community Center. The clinic met with 31 clients, coming in with questions about housing, immigration, family law, and civil litigation. Volunteer attorneys and interpreters patiently addressed client concerns, answering questions and connecting them to lawyers through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS). We are extremely grateful to have volunteers willing to start early at 6pm and stay beyond 8:30pm to finish speaking with the clients.

We thank the AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee and Asian Americans for Equality for organizing and hosting this event. We also thank Council Member Sandra Ung for partnering with us to make this service available to the community.

Thank you to our volunteers for supporting the clinic. Your time and dedication are essential for delivering crucial assistance to individuals seeking legal guidance. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to:

Volunteer Attorneys:

Richard In
Lina Lee
Beatrice Leong
Lord Chester So
May Wong
Gary Yeung

Interpreters and Coordinators:

Gabriel Hisugan
Jocelyn Jao
Willow Liu
Nuala Naranjo-Odoherty

Here is a list of upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

● Brooklyn, October 14, from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm, at Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc., 4101 8th Avenue. Sign up here to volunteer.

● Manhattan, October 18, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, and AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street. Sign up here to volunteer.

● Queens, November 1, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, at AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave 2nd Floor. Sign up here to volunteer.

Click here for more information about our Pro Bono Clinics and the PBCS Committee.

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In the News: AABANY Member Lina Lee Comments on Hurricane Ida Basement-Flooding Deaths

In early September, Hurricane Ida made landfall in New York City and left countless individuals to suffer the aftermath of flooded basements. A closer look into the eleven basement-flooding deaths reveals that a majority of them were Asian residents. A number of factors played into this tragedy including a lack of affordable housing, climate change, and pandemic change. These issues are prominent among low-income Asian immigrants who resort to illegal basement apartments that are deemed to have unsafe living conditions. 

“Realistically, a lot of these tenants would have family members, many who are clustered into very, very small rooms,” said Lina Lee, executive director of housing justice nonprofit organization Communities Resist. “When you have these natural disasters, there’s obviously going to be really a life-and-death situation, and when you have very limited or no access to leave your living space, these families really had no way out.”

Lee continues, “They cluster in small communities where they are able to access people who speak the same language, who are from the same culture and are living in the same conditions that they have to live in. For them, they have nowhere else to live with, except those small pockets in Queens.” 

Punishing tenants is not an ideal solution. Lee said reporting landlords for housing violations enforces building codes which could prompt agencies to issue a vacate order and inadvertently force a tenant to move out.The Mayor proposes an emergency warning system for basement-dwellers but the victims’ families are not convinced. 

To read the full NBC News article, click here. 

Lina Lee will also be the moderator for a program titled “Fighting for Housing And Community Justice: The Role of Lawyers In The Movement” at AABANY’s Fall Conference on Saturday, October 23. Click here for more information. 

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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities with MinKwon Center

The MinKwon Center will be hosting several Naturalization Clinics. These clinics are great opportunities to assist low-income community members with immigration law forms. Clinics will be held at the MinKwon Center’s office in Flushing and Fort Lee, NJ.  

No prior experience is necessary, and training will be provided on the day of each clinic. MinKwon Center keeps a log of all volunteer hours and we’re glad to certify your pro bono hours for the NY bar admission requirement. If you’re interested in volunteering with MinKwon, please read the following clinic descriptions and sign up using the links below:

MinKwon Center will be helping eligible legal permanent residents (i.e., green card holders) complete their applications to become naturalized U.S. citizens. MinKwon Center could use the assistance of attorneys, students and interpreters. Korean and/or Chinese language ability is especially helpful. Please sign up here to join MinKwon on any of these dates:

Date and Time: Saturday, 07/18/2015, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Location:        MinKwon Center for Community Action
                       136-19 41st Avenue, 3rd Floor
                       Flushing, NY 11355

Volunteer Shifts: 10am-2pm (training from 10am-11am), 1pm-5pm (training from 1pm-2pm)

Date and Time: Friday, 07/24/2015, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Location:        Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
                       268 Canal Street
                       New York, NY 10013

Volunteer Shifts: 10am-2pm (training from 10am-11am), 1pm-5pm (training from 1pm-2pm)

Date and Time: Saturday, 07/25/2015, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Location:        The Beautiful Foundation
                       1605 John Street #309
                       Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024

Volunteer Shifts: 10am-2pm (training from 10am-11am), 1pm-5pm (training from 1pm-2pm)

Date and Time: Friday, 08/14/2015, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Location:        Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
                       35-56 159th Street
                       Flushing, New York 11358

Volunteer Shifts: 10am-2pm (training from 10am-11am), 1pm-5pm (training from 1pm-2pm)

Lina Lee, Esq. / 이인아

Staff Attorney / 변호사

MinKwon Center for Community Action
136-19 41st Ave. 3rd Fl. Flushing, NY 11355
Tel.718.460.5600 ext. 501, Fax.718.445.0032
[email protected], www.minkwon.org