Thank you to the CPC, the offices of Council Members Alexa Avilés and Justin Brannan, State Senator Iwen Chu, all of our Brooklyn community partners, and AABANY volunteers for joining us at the Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic held at CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave, on July 13, 2024.
During the clinic, we met 18 clients who had questions about housing, immigration, and special education law matters.
In addition to having law students shadowing us, we had Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) high school students from CPC who helped clients complete their client intake forms and client satisfaction surveys. For any who may want to participate or know of someone who would, SYEP connects New York City kids between the ages of 14 and 24 with career opportunities and paid work experiences each summer.
Pro bono clinics function to address a wide array of problems and questions. At this clinic we had parents asking about how to apply for special education needs for their children. Many NYC children are not receiving adequate and immediate special education services, and if the child is denied special education needs, there is a limited time period for the parents to appeal the Department of Education’s decision. For further help please visit Advocates for Children of NYC (https://advocatesforchildren.org/) who can provide know-your-rights brochures and legal representation.
The day’s work was praised by clients in attendance. For example, one client stated, “This is the best service for people who can’t afford legal services.”
Thank you again to everyone, including volunteer attorneys:
Queens Pro Bono Clinic on August 7th, 2024 at AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355. Sign up here – https://forms.gle/5PjG8A73EE1XENyV9
To learn more about AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service Committee contact [email protected] or click here.
On July 16, 2024, through a collaboration between AABANY, the LGBT Bar NY (LeGal), the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association of New York, we had over 40 collective members and friends who signed up to watch the NY Liberty vs. CT Sun game at the Barclays Center. The crowd was ecstatic and vibrant! We congratulate our home team for winning the game (82-74) and wish them great success at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. We were fortunate to see them in action, since they won’t be playing another organized WNBA matchup until Aug. 15.
We hope to convene at another joint collaborative bar association event to support minority bar associations and their causes, such as hosting pro bono legal clinics, awarding scholarships, and providing mentorship and training programs to attorneys and judges.
If you would like to learn more about the participating bar associations, please visit them at:
On Wednesday, April 10th, AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee hosted their Queens Pro Bono Clinic at the Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) Community Center in Flushing. With the help of AABANY, PBCS, and AAFE staff and volunteers, 22 clients were assisted with housing, immigration, and employment issues.
One of the clients paid $300 to an attorney to help her write a letter to management regarding a bed bug infestation matter. For someone with young children and a large family, the legal expense of $300 is financially burdensome. A housing attorney volunteer referred her to free legal services and advised her to document the situation and mobilize neighboring tenants to seek relief from the landlord. She was extremely grateful that the PBCS Committee, through the Pro Bono Clinic, offers free legal consultation and referral services.
In another case, a client came to discuss student loans and consumer debt and thought that her only option was bankruptcy. After discussing the NYS Exempt Income Protection Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and specific student loan forgiveness options, she felt relieved that she had more choices and greatly appreciated the information she received.
Here are some clients’ responses:
“Perfect management. Impressive lawyers.”
“Excellent! Thumbs up for Ms. May Wong.”
Please join us at the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on May 15, 2024, at AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002. Sign up here by May 10 to volunteer: https://forms.gle/SD2VMY8X6yE4vsxW9.
If you are interested in speaking at an upcoming Bring-Your-Own-Lunch (BYOL) Sidebar Meeting to discuss updates on the law, common issues asked at the Pro Bono Clinics, and other miscellaneous topics, please contact [email protected].
Thank you to the volunteers and community partners for supporting the Queens Pro Bono Clinics!
In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month this year, AABANY is presenting or co-sponsoring several events this month. We hope to see you all there! Follow the links for more details, and please note the registration deadlines.
May 4, 2024
AABANY Presents: Bi-Monthly Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn
12:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc. 4101 8th Avenue 4th Floor Brooklyn, New York 11232.
Registration is closed for this event.
May 7, 2024
AABANY Presents: Asian Americans and the Law: The Constitution in Action
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm, King & Spalding 1185 6th Ave New York, New York 10036.
Registration is closed for this event.
May 8, 2024
AABANY Co-Sponsors: The Asian American/ Pacific Islander LGBTQ Struggle for Justice
12:30 – 2:00 PM, QUEENS SUPREME COURT 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, 2nd Floor Courtroom 25 Jamaica, New York 11435
Registration is closed for this event.
May 8, 2024
Crowell & Moring Hosts: Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and the Fight for Marriage Equality
5:30pm – 8:30pm, Crowell & Moring
Two Manhattan West 375 Ninth Avenue New York, New York 10001
This event is the New York premier of the latest AABANY Trial Reenactment.
Registration is closed for this event.
May 9, 2024
AABANY Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee Presents: How to Start Your Solo and Small Firm Part II
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
33 Whitehall St. Floor 8 New York, New York 10004
Registration is closed for this event.
May 10, 2024
AABANY’s Membership Committee Presents: Movie Night: Monkey Man
05/10/2024, New York
Registration is closed for this event.
May 14, 2024
AABANY Presents: May General Counsel Breakfast (Invitation Only)
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Registration is closed for this event.
May 14, 2024
AABANY Presents: Roots to Success for Asian Small Business Ventures
6:30 – 8:30 PM, Littler Mendelson P.C. 900 Third Avenue, Fl. 8 New York, New York 10022 Registration is closed for this event.
May 14, 2024
AABANY Military & Veterans Affairs Committee Presents: Group Outing to See An American Soldier 7:00 pm, Perelman Performing Arts Center
New York, New York 10006
Registration is closed for this event.
May 14, 2024
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Multi-Bar Association Trivia Night at Jack Rabbit
6:00 pm Jack Rabbit
1010 Elmwood Ave Buffalo, New York 14222 Registration is closed for this event.
May 15, 2024
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Trivia Night at Goldie’s Tavern 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Goldie’s Tavern
135 W 30th St New York, New York 10001
Registration is closed for this event.
May 16, 2024
AABANY Real Estate Committee Presents: “Fighting Real Estate and Deed Fraud in the Big Apple”
11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Virtual Click here to register by May 14 and find event details
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.
On Giving Tuesday and through the holiday season, please support the work of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) to raise awareness of anti-Asian hate and violence, to advocate for solutions, and to ensure legal justice for the Asian American community. Here are some of the projects AALFNY funds:
Anti-Asian Violence Task Force
“Contributions to AALFNY benefit the work of the Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. Survivors of Asian hate crimes receive counseling and advice through the HEART program and a hate crimes reform bill was recently introduced in the New York State legislature,” notes Chris Kwok, chair of the Task Force.
AABANY’s Pro Bono Legal Clinic
“I was so taken aback by the pro bono legal clinic, just the fact that there was one for an Asian community, that I’m looking forward to ways that I can get involved if I could perhaps just volunteer for this pro bono legal clinic. It was a very healing experience for me, just to be acknowledged and to receive proper legal advice,” said a victim of an assault.
Public Interest Scholarships
“AALFNY’s funding allowed me to participate in a wonderfully educational summer working in BDS’s Immigration Practice and strengthened my commitment to a long-term career in immigration defense in the nonprofit sector,” a grateful scholarship recipient wrote.
Asian Voices Video
“The Asian Voices video co-produced by AALFNY is extremely powerful. It was poignant to see and hear survivors and family members of hate crime victims describe their experiences. Everyone should get a chance to see this video,” urges Rocky Chin.
Donations to AALFNY may be made at asianamericanlawfund.org/donate or by check to AALFNY, PO Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580. AALFNY is a 501(c)(3) entity and donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.
Your support enables us to serve the Asian American community through activities such as the AABANY Pro Bono Clinic, our Public Interest Scholarship Program which has funded more than 60 scholarships, and our support of AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. The Task Force’s activities include its Hate Eradication Active Response Team (HEART) which supports community members who have suffered a bias incident or hate crime and advocating for reform in hate crimes legislation. Donations can be designated for the Task Force by noting “in support of T3” or for the pro bono clinic by noting “in support of pro bono clinic.”
The Asian American Law Fund of New York was established in 1993 by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) to create and support non-profit and charitable efforts to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and to defend human and civil rights. A copy of our latest annual financial report may be obtained, upon request, from us or from the NYS Attorney General’s Charities Bureau or (212) 416-8686. Our address is P.O. Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580, contact [email protected]. The NYS Charities Bureau is at 28 Liberty Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10005
On November 15th, 2023, AABANY held its Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic at the AAFE (Asian Americans for Equality) Community Center, at 111 Norfolk Street. Our devoted volunteers gave up their Wednesday evening to give back to our community, providing free legal services and language assistance to all who came into the clinic. Volunteer interpreters and attorneys helped clients resolve a variety of issues, in the areas of housing, immigration, and civil practice.
Special thanks to the Student Outreach Committee for their postering campaign and passing out the lovely flyers which Mayer Brown printed for us! The majority of the 18 clients seen indicated in their intake forms that they came because of the flyers posted in stores, local libraries, and streets.
Though AABANY attorneys assisted with a range of interesting cases, one notable situation involved a client who sought advice on how to deal with an unresponsive attorney representing his case for unpaid wages. The litigant was represented by counsel, and AABANY attorneys couldn’t provide a second opinion about the case. Nonetheless, the volunteers provided a listening ear, carefully evaluating the client’s situation before responding with helpful advice. The attorneys advised the client to consider reaching out to the NYS Dept of Labor to file a claim and seek assistance. Moreover, they suggested the client explore the Attorney Fee Dispute Resolution Program, which provides low-cost arbitration hearings as an alternative to protracted court battles. Ultimately, this case demonstrates AABANY attorneys’ commitment to empowering clients with accessible avenues for justice. The client departed the clinic content, having obtained valuable and satisfactory advice.
As always, AABANY thanks our Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, AAFE, our community partners, and our dedicated team of volunteers for their continued efforts and support. We would like to recognize the following individuals, for supporting AABANY at Wednesday’s clinic:
Volunteer Attorneys:
Casey M. Lee
Francis Chin
May Wong
Yan Sin
Yen-Yi Anderson
Interpreters and Shadowers:
Angela Zhao
Daniel Kang
I-Kai Lee
Jieman Tan
Wendy Xia
Wei Huang
Yiming (Roselyn) Chen
Yuchen Zheng
AAFE:
Jiwon Youn
Elton Ye
Ling Ren
For any volunteers that were unable to make it on Nov. 18th, we hope that you will be able to join us at the next Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic, taking place on December 2, 2023 at CPC Brooklyn Community Services. For more information, please click here.
On Saturday, November 4, 2023, the Asian American Bar Association of New York’s (AABANY) Student Outreach Committee (SOC) held its Fall 2023 Postering Campaign in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The event was co-sponsored by Mayer Brown LLP and AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee.
Volunteers and law students from the Greater New York area donated their valuable time on a Saturday morning to distribute flyers and promote AABANY’s pro bono legal resources to local businesses and residents in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Our volunteers covered areas from East Broadway to Kenmare Street. Some volunteers reported that small business owners and residents were ecstatic to learn about our Pro Bono Clinics and are “grateful such a service exists for the Asian American community.”
After the postering campaign, our Executive Director, Yang Chen, invited the volunteers and law students to a complimentary group lunch at Deluxe Green Bo, a small Shanghainese restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. Our volunteers and law students enjoyed some tasty soup dumplings, seafood casseroles, pan-fried noodles, and yellow fish with dry seaweed.
AABANY would like to thank Mayer Brown for their support with the printed flyers and supplies.
We also express our sincere gratitude to the volunteers and law students below for their time, leadership, and overall commitment to giving back to the community.
Volunteers
Charlene Hong Emily Kong, Esq. (Mayer Brown) Justin Lee Vivian Lee William Lee, Esq. (Mayer Brown) Jameson Xu Sharon Yang Kelly Yao
Law Student Volunteers
Brooklyn Law
Kyle Hogan Michael Qian
Cardozo Law
Gabrielle Capulong Kimberly Cheung Justina Chen Isaac Kim Edwin Liu Angela Zhao
Columbia Law
Woohyeong Cho Melodie Han
Cornell Law
Sage Park
Fordham Law
Amanda Dai Yuanyuan Li Stephen Park
NYU Law
Dai An Jiang Zachery Lee Gina Tan Chris Wong Haixin Xie Jinge (Evelyne) Yang Hanyi Yu
On October 18th, 2023, AABANY held its Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic at the AAFE (Asian Americans for Equality) Community Center, at 111 Norfolk Street. Our dedicated volunteers gathered on Wednesday evening to provide invaluable, free legal services to the community. The clinic was met with a large number of volunteers, eager to give back to the New York AAPI community. Volunteer interpreters and attorneys met with clients, discussing a range of issues, encompassing family, immigration, and employment law.
AABANY would like to thank our Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, AAFE, our community partners, and our hard-working volunteers for giving us their time and energy. Our success could not be possible without your support. AABANY hopes to continue making a positive impact on the community and providing much-needed legal services to those in need. We extend our sincere gratitude towards the following individuals:
Volunteer Attorneys:
Anna Wang
Beatrice Leong
Helen Lee
Hongye Mao
Francis Chin
Menglong (Anthony) Zhu
Osamu Watanabe
Tiange (Tim) Chen
Wenhsien Cheng
Xue Luan
Yan Lian Kuang-Maoga
Yan Sin
Yang Xu
Yi Stewart
Interpreters and Shadowers:
Cecilia Yang
Gaohany Guo
I-Kai Lee
Jieman Tan
Justin Lee
Ruo Yang
Shi Tang
Suzie Yu
Yiming (Roselyn) Chen
Yu-Syuan Huang
Yuwen Long
AAFE:
Elton Ye
Ling Ren
Once again, AABANY thanks all the volunteers, AAFE, community partners, and the PBCS Committee who made this Pro Bono Clinic possible. Please join the next Queens Pro Bono Clinic taking place on November 1st at One Flushing Community Center. For more information, please click here.
On August 5th, 2023, AABANY held its Brooklyn Pro Bono Legal Clinic at the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) Brooklyn Community Services Center. The clinic met with 25 clients, coming in with questions about housing, immigration, and family law issues. 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 thank the Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee and the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) for organizing and hosting the event. Established in 1965, CPC is a social services organization dedicated to helping Asian American, immigrant, and economically disadvantaged communities within New York City to obtain equitable access to essential resources and opportunities, thus fostering Asian American success.
The next Pro Bono Clinic will be on September 6th, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, and located at AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave 2nd Floor, Queens, NY 11355. You can sign up here to volunteer. To add the date and time for this clinic to your calendar, click here. For upcoming clinics, please check AABANY’s calendar and update your email preference in your account to receive our emails.
Thank you to our volunteers for supporting the clinic. Your time and dedication is essential for delivering crucial assistance to individuals seeking legal guidance. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to:
Volunteer Attorneys:
Amber Lee Ashley Shan Gary Yeung Kwok Kei Ng May Wong
Interpreters and Observers:
I-Kai Lee Jihyon Kim Ruo Yang Yini Lai
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, click here.
