At the Clinic, our volunteers met with 9 clients, providing guidance on various legal issues including housing, immigration, public benefits, and civil litigation. Their collective efforts ensured that each client received personalized support and essential legal assistance. We are deeply grateful for everyone’s contributions and look forward to continuing this important work together!
Volunteer attorneys:
Jingjuan (Max) Guo
Anthony Hom
Justin Lee
Meng (Stella) Li
Jie Shi
Yilan Wang
Carrey Wong
Gary Yeung
Interpreters/shadowers:
Nandar Win Kerr
Nian Ting Han
Carmen Huang
Carrie Nie
Wendy Zeng
Shang Zhai
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
January 10th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
January 21st [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
February 4th [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.
Thank you for making a significant difference in our community. We wish you a wonderful holidays season! See you next year!
At the clinic, our volunteers met with 16 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, employment and sexual discrimination, and civil litigation matters. Your collective efforts ensured that each client received personalized support and answers to their pressing legal questions.
A big thank you to our guest speaker, Vishal Chander, for successfully presenting the second and final part of the two-part series training, “Immigration Basics for Pro Bono Clinic Lawyers.” This training was extremely valuable, giving attendees the key practice information they need, such as what to expect in an immigration proceeding and the different types of relief available in Immigration Court. Vishal’s presentation was insightful and useful, and we especially appreciate that he stuck around to answer the more complex questions, offering extra help to our community members and clients.
AABANY’s Fall 2025 Legal Intern, Jessie Zhou, volunteered at this Clinic and offered this reflection: “At the Queens Pro Bono Clinic, I witnessed two housing cases that revealed both the urgency of our work and the deep structural barriers that so many community members face. One involved an elderly couple who had fallen behind on rent but were terrified of the prospect of entering shelters or leaving Flushing, the only neighborhood where they felt linguistically and culturally safe. The other was a woman hoping to sue her former landlord for chronic noise disturbances that had caused significant distress and health issues, even though the events had taken place over a year ago. Both clients spoke little to no English, and despite the genuine hardship underlying each situation, the legal options available to them were severely limited. The attorneys walked them through their choices carefully and compassionately, yet the clients remained frustrated, continuing to voice anger and disappointment. It was hard not to feel the weight of their helplessness.”
“Moments like these remind me that many people come to Pro Bono Clinics not only for legal remedies, but for acknowledgment,” Jessie added. “Many people just want to feel heard, someone to listen, to affirm that what they endured matters. Their frustration is understandable; they are navigating a system that is complex, unforgiving, and shaped by structural inequities. In a society built on capitalist priorities, where the most vulnerable often fall through the cracks, our mission seems ever more important, and the Pro Bono Clinics become one of the few accessible spaces where marginalized individuals can be heard. Even when the law offers little recourse, showing up with patience, empathy, and respect remains an indispensable form of advocacy. The AABANY volunteers at the Queens Pro Bono Clinic strive to make others feel heard even when they can be misunderstood by their clients.”
We are deeply grateful for everyone’s presence and contributions, and look forward to continuing this important work together!
Volunteer attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Ivy (Ting-Yu) Chien
Richard In
Beatrice Leong
Jie Shi
Lord Chester So
Anthony Wong
May Wong
Gary Yeung
Meng Zhang
Interpreters/shadowers:
Nandar Win Kerr
Nikita Kohli
Grace Ouyang
Wendy Zeng
Jessie Zhou
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
December 17th [Manhattan linkhere] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
January 10th [Brooklyn linkhere], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
February 4th [Queens linkhere], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
Thanks to all our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic. We look forward to your participation in our future clinics! To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
Many thanks to AABANY, AALFNY, PBCS, AAFE, and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our pro bono legal clinic in Manhattan on September 17th, 2025.
During the clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to 20 clients, addressing a range of legal matters including housing, immigration, civil litigation, estate and property, personal injury, fraud and theft. 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 again all the volunteers at the September 17th Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution.
Volunteer attorneys:
Yen-Yi Anderson
Sam (Ming-Sheng) Hou
Jack (Zixu) Hsia
Justin Lee
Beatrice Leong
Lily Li
Arthur Lin
Zixuan Luo
Jie Shi
Jieman Tan
Jameson Xu
Cecilia Yang
Interpreters/shadowers:
Nandar Win Kerr
Carrie Nie
Shang Zhai
Wendy Zeng
Please join us at our next Pro Bono Clinics:
November 8th [Brooklyn link here] from 12:30pm – 2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, NY, NY 11232
November 19 [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
December 3 [Queens link here] from 6:30 – 8:30 PM, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, NY, NY 11355
Thanks once again to all our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic. 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 AABANY, AALFNY, PBCS, AAFE, and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our pro bono legal clinic in Manhattan on August 20, 2025.
During the clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to 13 clients, addressing a range of legal matters including housing, immigration, civil litigation, personal injury 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.
Thanks again to all the volunteers at the August 20th Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:
Volunteer attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Marcus Cheung
Francis Chin
Justin Lee
Beatrice Leong
Lily Li
Andrew Sun
Peter Wei
Cecilia Yang
Gary Yeung
Interpreters/shadowers:
Sam Hou
Emily Kam
Xiaofei (Lucy) Liu
Dazhen Lu
Albert Tong
Shang Zhai
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
September 17th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
September 20th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
October 1st [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
Thanks once again to all our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic. We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
We extend our sincere gratitude to AABANY, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic in Manhattan on July 16th, 2025.
During the clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to clients with issues ranging from housing, personal injury, finance, and immigration. The experienced volunteer attorneys, shadowers, and interpreters assisted each client in reducing their stress by offering legal insight, language assistance, and a diverse pool of legal resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
College and law students contributed significantly by gathering valuable legal knowledge and experience through shadowing and notetaking. They also provided much-needed linguistic and translational support as interpreters. Numerous clients had difficulty communicating fluently in English, and the Mandarin and Cantonese speaking students offered substantial assistance to their attorneys and clients.
The most frequently-raised issues during this clinic involved housing (such as retroactively-raised rents) and personal injuries (such as high medical expenses). Many clients struggled to understand their rights and legal documents (especially those involving transactions) due to inexperience in legal matters and limited English proficiency. We provided each client with satisfactory, step-by-step legal and personal guidance to ensure that they fully understood their case and if needed, connect them with lawyers for potential litigation.
Many volunteers stayed after to celebrate another successful Pro Bono Clinic. Both the attorneys and students enjoyed this time to network and connect with each other.
We thank again all the volunteers at the July 16th Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:
Volunteer Attorneys:
Marcus Cheung
Beatrice Leong
Mike Tse
Yilan Wang
Anthony Wong
Shadowers/Interpreters:
Sisu Chou
Katelyn Hai
Kenny Ip
Emily Lai
Dazhen Lu
Priyanka Mukhara
Carrie Nie
Tammy Tam
Albert Tong
Jennifer Juang-Korol
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
August 6th [Queens link here] from 6:30-8:30 pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
August 20th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
September 20th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Thanks once again to all our volunteers for their commitment to Pro Bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
AABANY extends our sincerest gratitude to the Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), CPC Brooklyn Community Center, and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic on July 12, 2025. We also express our heartfelt appreciation to our distinguished guest speakers, NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro and Lydia Li, Senior Manager of Community Outreach at MOIA, for their support and valuable participation.
Lydia Li, Senior Manager of Community Outreach at MOIA, spoke passionately about the agency’s mission to ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, have access to city resources and services. MOIA plays a vital role in serving New York City’s 3.1 million immigrants, comprising 38% of the city’s population, by connecting immigrant communities to essential resources for navigating the city’s complex system—all while protecting their privacy, including their immigration status. MOIA’s multilingual team, proficient in over eight different languages, provides diverse language assistance to those with limited English proficiency.
As an active member of the outreach team, Lydia helps dismantle barriers by giving presentations and organizing events, webinars, and panel discussions to share the resources that MOIA offers for the immigrant community. Additionally, MOIA operates immigration legal support centers that provide free and safe legal assistance in immigrant neighborhoods. One of the key resources highlighted is the 311 hotline, which callers can use to report incidents of racial discrimination, report immigration fraud, or receive referrals for legal resources. Lydia concluded her presentation by distributing pamphlets and brochures that outline the various resources available to immigrants, including their rights if approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. To learn more about MOIA legal support centers and resources, visit their website here.
Commissioner Castro shared his personal journey as an immigrant, highlighting the challenges of arriving in the United States and growing up in Sunset Park. His experience motivated his mission to protect the rights of immigrant communities across New York City. As an advocate, he marveled at the transformative potential of immigration, stating, “[o]ne generation can go from living in an indigenous community to immigrating here and becoming practicing attorneys. It’s tremendous and we need to honor that. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing it, and I wish everyone could experience it.”
When asked what inspired him to enter government, Commissioner Castro explained how serving in the government offers him a unique perspective on the intricacies of internal operations—insights that are not typically taught in academia. He emphasized that his role as New York City Immigrant Affairs Commissioner allowed him to interact directly with a wide range of communities, which he believes reflect the city’s diversity and strength. As an advocate, he firmly believes that this is what New York City should take pride in and strive to preserve.
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Similarly, our Pro Bono Clinic shares a commitment to providing accessible legal support and critical resources to our New York communities. During the clinic, our volunteers met with clients to give consultations on various topics such as immigration, trusts and estates, housing, personal injury, family and matrimonial matters. Our volunteer attorneys, assisted by law students, listened to each client’s concerns and legal questions, provided guidance, legal information, consultations, and, if appropriate, connected them with further resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
College and law student volunteers also shadowed volunteer attorneys and assisted with interpretation and client intake. With the help of multilingual volunteers, the clinic is able to offer language-accessible legal information, ensuring that clients can communicate their concerns clearly and receive meaningful assistance.
Thank you again to all of our volunteers at the July 12 Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic:
Volunteer Attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Victoria Cheng
Francis Chin
Rocky Chin
Jenny (Wenjing) Dai
Megan Gao
Jack (Zixu) Hsia
Beatrice Leong
Kwok Kei Ng
Shuyao (Sherry) Wang
Carrey Wong
Gary Yeung
Interpreters/Shadowers:
Sam Chen
Eliana Jeong
Emily Kam
Nandar Win Kerr
Emily Lai
Tammy Tam
Albert Tong
Shang Zhai
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
August 6th [Queens link here] from 6:30-8:30 pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
August 20th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
September 20th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Thanks once again to all our volunteers for their commitment to Pro Bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
AABANY extends our sincerest gratitude to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and all of our dedicated volunteers for contributing to the success of our Pro Bono Legal Clinic on June 18th, 2025.
During the clinic, our volunteers met with clients addressing issues ranging from housing, real property, financial, family and matrimonial matters. Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters demonstrated exceptional expertise in addressing client concerns, answering legal questions, and connecting them with legal resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
College and law student volunteers gained valuable hands-on experience that deepened their understanding of the unique legal challenges faced by underserved individuals in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. By shadowing the volunteer attorneys, the student volunteers assisted with client intake and helped translate the consultations. A frequent issue clients faced at this clinic were overdue rent and unexpected payment notices. Due to the linguistic barriers that many clients faced, they often struggled to understand their rights, which led to ineffective communication with landlords and housing authorities. This confusion contributed to heightened stress about their circumstances. Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters played a crucial role in clarifying legal obligations and guiding clients through potential future steps.
We are dedicated to providing services in both Mandarin and Cantonese to ensure support for individuals who may struggle to obtain quality legal services due to linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking guidance concerning substantive laws and procedural issues.
Thank you again to all of our volunteers at the June 18 Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic:
Volunteer Attorneys
Justin Lee
Beatrice Leong
Lily Li
Bich-Nga Nguyen
Cynthia Park
Tammy Tran
Mike Tse
Chenyi Wang
May Wong
Gary Yeung
Jungeun “Evelyn” Yu
Francis Chin
Interpreters/Shadowers
Sisu Chou
Katelyn Hai
Emily Kam
Nandar Win Kerr
Nikita Kohli
Emily Lai
Nasirn (Nienyin) Lin
Carrie Nie
Christine Shea
Tianyuan Shu
Tammy Tam
Albert Tong
Shang Zhai
Kenny Ip
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming pro bono clinics:
July 12 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30-2:30 pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
July 16 [Manhattan link here], from 6:30-8:30 pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
August 6th [Queens link here] from 6:30-8:30 pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
Thank you once again to all our volunteers for their commitment to pro bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to AABANY, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and our dedicated volunteers for contributing to the success of our pro bono legal clinic in Queens on June 4, 2025. Thanks to your support, our team of volunteers was able to meet with 15 clients and provide assistance on a range of legal issues, including housing and real property, consumer debt, family and matrimonial matters, and civil litigation.
Our volunteer attorneys and interpreters demonstrated great care and expertise in addressing the concerns of our clients. They offered clear explanations and effectively connected individuals with appropriate legal resources through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
We remain dedicated to providing services in both Mandarin and Cantonese to ensure we can continue to support individuals facing linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking legal guidance.
We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our volunteer attorneys at the June 4th Queens Pro Bono Clinic:
Volunteer Attorneys
Wendy (Wen-Hsien) Cheng
Kevin Hsi
Richard In
David Mou
Johnny Thach
May Wong
Gary Yeung
Jungeun Yu
Meng Zhang
Interpreters/Shadowers
Nikita Kohli
Emily Lai
Christine Shea
Albert Tong
We invite you to join us for 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
Thank you once again for your commitment to pro bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community.
We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
In a recent Queens Daily Eagle feature, reporter Noah Powelson profiles Johnny Thach, principal law clerk to Civil Term Supreme Court Justice Karen Lin. The article traces Thach’s inspiring journey from growing up in a working-class immigrant family in Elmhurst to becoming a first-generation college and law school graduate. As a child of Vietnamese immigrants, Thach spent much of his youth helping his mother run their family laundromat. That experience shaped his understanding of the challenges immigrant communities face and fueled his drive to pursue a legal career.
“When you are growing up in an immigrant family, it’s often very difficult because that road really isn’t paved for you,” Thach told the Eagle. Now serving in the courts, he supports Judge Lin in assisting litigants and mediating legal disputes, while staying deeply connected to the community through pro bono work and his involvement with the Asian American Bar Association of New York, where he serves as one of the Government Service and Public Interest Committee Co-Chairs. “I’m just trying to be as involved in the community as much as possible and give back,” he said.
Congratulations to AABANY member Johnny Thach on this well-deserved recognition!
On Thursday, February 27th, AABANY with FALA New York, NACAL, SABANY, and NYU’s APALSA co-sponsored a Fireside Chat with Bethany Li, the new Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). Moderated by Vishal Chander, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Issues Committee, the event gave insight into AALDEF’s history, Bethany’s journey into public interest law, and the pressing civil rights issues facing Asian American communities today.
Bethany Li first took the audience through the history of AALDEF, highlighting how AALDEF has been instrumental in landmark cases that have shaped Asian American advocacy. She emphasized that AALDEF’s history is deeply intertwined with the history of Asian Americans in the United States, stating, “Much of AALDEF’s history coincides with what we understand and study as Asian American history.”
Bethany later shared personal stories of her childhood in Massachusetts, attributing much of her fine-tuned awareness of systemic injustices to her exposure to the immigrant struggle at an early age. This went on to influence her path to public interest law where, at Amherst, she became more involved in Asian American activism through internships at different journalistic and legal organizations, including one experience during college in which she interned at AALDEF. She later attended Georgetown Law, where she studied under Mari Matsuda, one of the nation’s leading critical race theorists, who cemented her commitment to social justice.
Reflecting on her return to AALDEF as Executive Director, she described it as a homecoming and stressed her commitment to expanding AALDEF’s litigation work, strengthening pro bono partnerships, and mentoring the next generation of civil rights attorneys.
The conversation turned to the role of law firms and private attorneys in supporting AALDEF’s mission. Bethany encouraged attorneys to take on pro bono cases, financially support AALDEF’s work through sponsorships, donations, and participation in events like AALDEF’s Annual Gala, and to advocate within their institutions for greater engagement in civil rights litigation and standing up against government policies that harm immigrant communities. She noted that law firms play a crucial role in civil rights litigation, so their support is greatly appreciated. However, she also acknowledged that pro bono support has become more challenging in the current political climate as firms have refused to attach their names to even non-controversial cases.
Bethany also shared valuable insights for law students interested in public interest law. She specifically stressed the importance of getting hands-on experience through internships, clinics, and pro bono opportunities and seeking mentorship from experienced public interest lawyers. Additionally, Niji Jain, the Legal Director of AALDEF, noted the importance of a strong cover letter while applying, saying that “as a lawyer, writing is your craft.” Bethany also mentioned one of AALDEF’s goals in the coming years: launching an Asian American Training Institute to train the next generation of civil rights litigators and community lawyers.
Vishal’s final question to Bethany was regarding whether she had a call to action for the audience. Bethany gave a powerful piece of advice, citing her former Professor Mari Matsuda, saying, “Do the work that gives you energy.”
The event concluded with Bethany taking a few questions from the audience, during which they engaged in discussions about AALDEF’s future priorities, the challenges of mobilizing Asian American communities, and ways to get involved.
AABANY extends its deepest gratitude to NYU Law School for hosting, FALA New York, SABANY, and NYU’s APALSA for co-sponsoring and making this possible, and especially Bethany Li for her time and insights. We also thank the AABANY Committees that worked so hard to put on this event, namely the IP Committee, Issues Committee, GSPI Committee, and Professional Development Committee. Thank you as well to everyone who attended this important discussion.
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