Reporter Hu Shengqiao for the World Journal, the largest Chinese-language newspaper in the United States, recently featured AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service (PBCS) Committee , highlighting its more than a decade of dedicated service to the community. What began as a single consultation site at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Manhattan has since expanded to Queens and Brooklyn.
Over the past decade, hundreds of pro bono lawyers and law students have served more than 3,000 Asian American residents across the three boroughs, with consultations covering housing, immigration, family law, inheritance, employment, and workers’ compensation. Most clients speak Mandarin or Cantonese, and many of them face systemic hurdles in the U.S. legal system. Each 30-minute session gives a volunteer attorney time to offer legal advice, review documents, and refer clients to more specialized services when needed.
The article showcases the three attorneys who coordinate the Pro Bono Clinics: Beatrice Leong, who manages the Manhattan clinic and specializes in family and divorce law; Kwok Kei Ng, a Court Attorney who manages the Brooklyn Clinic; and Gary Yeung, an attorney at McDermott Will & Schulte, who manages the Queens Clinic. They remarked that when they offered free legal advice, the people sitting across from them often reminded them of their own families—parents and elders who didn’t speak English facing difficulties with nowhere to turn.
Among the cases they recalled memorably was a nine-month-old girl with an inoperable brain tumor, who they helped by connecting with Yen-Yi Anderson, whose firm Anderson and Associates, P.C., provided the family with pro-bono services and established a trust fund for the girl. PBCS has also held more than ten “Know Your Rights” and community legal education sessions over the years. The Committee currently partners with local elected representatives and various nonprofit organizations, including the Chinese-American Planning Council in Brooklyn (CPC) and the Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) in Manhattan and Flushing.
To read the full article, click here (in Chinese).
PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 18 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, real property, trusts and estates, labor and employment, family law, tax, public benefits, and civil litigation. Clients who needed further assistance were directed to AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS), a resource that connects clients with qualified attorneys to represent them.
We had a large turnout at this clinic, including many new and old clients and volunteer attorneys. With the help of our attorneys and translators, we efficiently provided assistance for clients with multi-year old disputes, predetermined court dates, and emerging cases. One client expressed that they were “very impressed“ with the professionalism of the services provided.
While providing legal aid, our volunteer attorneys, shadowers, and interpreters gained a deeper understanding of the clients’ personal struggles and life stories, connecting them with deeply moving narratives that will permanently inspire and guide them throughout their future careers.
We thank the following volunteers for attending the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic:
Attorneys
Francis Chin
Jack Hsia
Beatrice Leong
Arthur Lin
Kwok Kei Ng
Jasmine Tan
Hin Ton Wong
Gary Yeung
Interpreters/shadowers
Helen Ding
Cheri Chaibut
Kaitlyn Cheng
Qiao Kang
Nandar Win Kerr
Momo Sano
Allison Yu
Wendy Zeng
Zhiyi Zhang
Assisting amidst the rainstorm and showing up to serve those in need despite unbearable heat and unhealthy air quality, their dedication to our community was on full display.
We appreciate their dedicated service, serving as an inspiration to the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee.
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
– August 5th [Queens linkhere], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
– August 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
– September 12th [Brooklyn link here] from 12:30-2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming clinic sessions.
PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 23 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, real property, trusts and estates law, labor and employment, family law, and civil litigation.
Positive feedback from some of the clients who came included: “I received helpful information today.” and “It was respectful & calm. I learned a lot as well.”
We thank the following volunteers for attending the Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic:
Attorneys: Vishal Chander Michael Chu Helen Ding Alice Liang Arthur Lin Willow (Yichun) Liu Kwok Kei Ng May Wong Jameson Xu Karen Kithan Yau Gary Yeung
Interpreters/Shadowers Gigi Chen Sam Chen Anna Chung Philip Han Nandar Win Kerr Hannah J. Lee Cynthia Li Luana Li Jingjing Wang Wendy Zeng Zhiyi Zhang Betty Xinyue Zhu
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 invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
– August 5th [Queens linkhere], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
– August 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
– September 12th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
We look forward to your participation in the future clinic sessions!
Our Pro Bono Clinic helped nine clients this month, with varying issues ranging from housing, divorce, immigration, and a noise complaint. Due to the number of volunteers who showed up, the June Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic offered consultations that extended beyond the standard 30 minute time frame for each client, ensuring that our volunteers could provide the best possible guidance for clients with thorny legal issues. For some cases, volunteers directed clients to AABANY’s legal referral and information service (LRIS), a resource that connects clients with qualified attorneys to represent them.
Thank you to all of our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic. We look forward to your participation in future clinics!
Volunteer Attorneys
Wendy Cheng
Keey Diep
Carmen Huang
Justin Lee
Beatrice Leong
Arthur Lin
Meng Ru
Gary Yeung
Anna Bao
Suzie Yu
Law Students and Other Volunteers
Wenwen Cao
Jason Chen
Clive Chong
Nandar Win Kerr
Wendy Zeng
Zhiyi Zhang
Livy Li
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
July 11 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30-3:00pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232
July 15 (Manhattan link here], from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
August 5 (Queens link here], from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
If you are interested in supporting the work of the Clinic, we encourage you to make a donation to AALFNY. AALFNY supports the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS), provides scholarships and internship opportunities for law students, and works with the AABANY Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. Donations can be made here.
To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.
At the Clinic, our volunteers met with 12 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.
In addition to providing vital legal guidance to community members, our Pro Bono Clinics serve as a training ground for law students and young attorneys to practice communicating complex legal concepts in layman’s terms. We appreciate our volunteers for taking the time to listen to clients’ stories and giving them a space to be heard. The dedication of our volunteers continues to bridge the justice gap in our community.
Volunteer attorneys:
Beatrice Leong
Francis Chin
Jieman Tan
Helen Ding
Meng Ru
Anna Chuen
Carmen Huang
Anthony Wong
Xiaodan Song
Arthur Lin
Cecilia Yang
Alexandra Ly
Interpreters/Shadowers:
Rachel Kim
Eva Lee
Elaine Pan
Shang Zhai
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics next month:
May 9th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
May 20th [Manhattan link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
Thank you for making a significant difference in our community. We are deeply grateful for everyone’s contributions and look forward to continuing this important work together! We hope to see you at our May clinics!
—Written by Eva Lee and Rachel Kim, AABANY Interns
Thank you to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), CPC Brooklyn, our community partners, and Rachna Agarwal (SABANY Pro Bono Chair). A special thank-you goes to all the volunteer attorneys and law students who stayed late to ensure every client was seen.
Our volunteers assisted 27 clients with matters including identity theft, wills and trusts, employment, family, matrimonial, housing, and real estate.
In addition to providing vital legal guidance, Pro Bono Clinics serve as a training ground for law students and young attorneys to practice communicating complex legal concepts in layman’s terms. We appreciate our volunteers for taking the time to listen to clients’ stories and giving them a space to be heard. The dedication of our volunteers continues to bridge the justice gap in our community.
Finally, at the Pro Bono Clinic, we celebrated the birthday of AABANY member and long-standing Pro Bono Clinic volunteer, May Wong! May was also the AABANY 2022 Member of the Year. Happy Birthday, May!
Volunteer attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Natalie Moulton-Levy
Rachna Agarwal
Wendy Zeng
Kwok Kei Ng
May Wong
Sanketh Bhaskar
Olivia Mao
Francis Chin
Helen Ding
Arthur Lin
Minyao Wang
Beatrice Leong
Law students:
Sam Chen
Eva Zhou
Yining Pan
– Written by Kwok Kei Ng, AABANY PBCS Committee Co-Chair
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!
While the season changes and the leaves turn colors, one thing remains constant: our volunteers and their incredibly generous support for our Pro Bono Clinics.
We give a special acknowledgement to Vishal Chander, another highly committed volunteer, Co-Chair of the Issues Committee, and a member of the AABANY Board of Directors.
As he was preparing to swear-in as a new Board Director for NAPABA in Denver, CO, Vishal generously stepped up to remotely cover immigration cases for us. We deeply appreciate his dedication and willingness to support our work even while traveling and taking on a new leadership role. Congratulations to Vishal on his new position at NAPABA. We are grateful for his integrity and commitment to the AABANY Pro Bono Clinic.
During this month’s Clinic, our volunteers provided invaluable assistance to 16 clients, addressing a range of legal matters including housing, immigration, family and matrimonial, estate and property, invasion of privacy, 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.
As an interpreter at this Clinic, I had the opportunity to sit in on several deeply moving cases that revealed the human stakes behind legal procedures. One immigration case involved a young woman whose father had abandoned the family years ago. She hoped to apply for a green card based on abandonment and emotional hardship. After discussion, her case appeared to fall under Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), which provides a pathway to lawful permanent residency for minors who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents, and who cannot safely return to their home country. In that room, I watched not just attorneys offering legal guidance, but human beings holding space for grief, confusion, and hope. It reminded me how the law, while technical in form, carries deeply human consequences for those whose lives depend on it. The attorneys ran back and forth, trying to get them resources and help, making clear what their choices were and how they could get help.
Another case involved a Spanish-speaking mother and her children who had fallen three years behind on rent after the mother made the difficult but necessary decision to evict a roommate who had sexually assaulted her daughter. Without the financial support, and with her son refusing to contribute while still living in the home, she was unable to recover and pay rent. The attorneys carefully explained possible remedies, guiding her through how to appear in Housing Court, how to request a court-appointed attorney, and how to apply for a One Shot Deal, an emergency rental assistance program for tenants facing eviction due to financial hardship. They also discussed longer-term legal planning and referred her to additional community-based support services. What struck me most was the compassion with which they approached her situation, emphasizing not only what could be done legally, but how she could emotionally and practically navigate the process.
The pro bono work done through AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics is not just about dealing with legal challenges – it is about the restoration of dignity, clarity amid fear, and giving structure to lives interrupted by crisis. Access to justice is not merely a legal right, but a human one.
We are grateful for all the volunteers at the November 8th Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic for their time, professionalism, and contribution:
Volunteer attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Victoria Cheng
Megan Gao
Kwok Kei Ng
Arthur Lin
Jie Shi
Shuyao Wang
May Wong
Tiffany Wong
Gary Yeung
Alexander Yuan
Interpreters/Shadowers:
Kaila Chen
Nikita Kohli
Yiyang Shen
Wendy Zeng
Jessie Zhou
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming pro bono clinics:
December 3rd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355 [Immigration Law training provided. Find out more below.]
December 17th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
January 10th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Upcoming Community Education Training Speaker and Topic Announcement
With the collaboration of the Immigration and Issues Committees, Vishal Chander, one of PBCS’s incredible volunteers and Issues Committee Co-Chair, will provide a thirty-minute Basic Immigration Training Part 2 on December 3rd at Queens Pro Bono Clinic from 6 – 6:30pm. Part 1 was conducted at the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on November 19, and if you missed it, the video will be made available soon.
This training series will prepare lawyers and law students the fundamentals of advising pro bono clients who are or have family in removal (deportation) proceedings.
Note: Attorneys seeking CLE credits must attend both sessions to earn 1 CLE credit hour. No partial credit is available.
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.
AABANY is proud to celebrate Kwok Kei Ng, who was recognized as a Community Leader at the 2025 Brooklyn Democratic Gala on October 30, 2025 for his outstanding dedication to public service and community engagement.
A cornerstone of AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service Committee since 2019, Kwok has been instrumental in the success of the Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic. In his role as Co-Chair, he has cultivated strong, trusting relationships with local community-based organizations and mobilized volunteer attorneys to serve the community. Furthermore, his commitment to justice extends to his service on the board of the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), where he supports scholarships and community-focused initiatives that help expand access to justice.
Kwok’s career is marked by a deep commitment to the justice system. Beginning as a court interpreter, he now serves as a court attorney and remains a strong advocate for language access within the courts. In addition, as the Deputy Vice President of the High School Division for the Sonia and Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program, he has facilitated summer internships with federal and state judges for over a hundred high school students.
Please join AABANY in offering Kwok our heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved honor. We always welcome more volunteer attorneys, law students, and interpreters to support our vital efforts. To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, please visit probono.aabany.org.
On November 1, 2025, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) participated as exhibitors at Asian Americans for Equality’s (AAFE) inaugural Financial Access Resource Fair. This event was organized in response to the growing economic pressures affecting local families, businesses, and older adults. Held at the Glow Cultural Center in Flushing, Queens, the fair took place from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
The Financial Access Resource Fair aimed to provide immediate assistance to residents and small business owners facing challenges such as paying rent, affording healthcare, securing food for their families, and sustaining small enterprises. Additionally, the event served as a dynamic platform for local nonprofit organizations to engage with community members, form connections with community partners and elected officials, share valuable resources, and promote collaboration. AABANY and AALFNY’s presence was marked by meaningful engagement and a strong commitment to community empowerment.
Throughout the three-hour event, AABANY and AALFNY welcomed approximately 73 attendees to its table. Gary Yeung, a Co-Chair of AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS), and Nandar Win Kerr, Treasurer and Consultant to the PBCS, represented the organizations and interacted directly with guests, taking time to understand their needs in providing information and answering questions. The PBCS team ensured that every visitor left with valuable information and a sense of support.
Gary and Nandar, on behalf of AABANY and AALFNY, provided personalized information sessions. Attendees could stop by for one-on-one conversations with the PBCS team to learn about the organizations’ joint free legal clinics in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, and Legal Referral and Information Service (“LRIS”). These clinics and LRIS offer vital legal assistance to individuals who might otherwise face cultural or language barriers to accessing justice. By detailing the clinics’ services and answering specific questions, Gary and Nandar empowered attendees to make informed decisions about their legal needs.
To further enhance the fair experience, PBCS distributed practical items to attendees. Each visitor received a drawstring bag filled with pens and notebooks—useful tools for everyday life and especially beneficial for those seeking to organize legal documents or take notes during the information session and clinic visits. These giveaways served as both a thoughtful gesture and a tangible reminder of the resources available through AABANY’s free legal clinics.
AABANY and AALFNY’s involvement in AAFE’s Financial Access Resource Fair exemplified the spirit of collaboration and service that defines the nonprofit sector. By engaging personally with 73 attendees, providing informative one-on-one sessions about free legal clinics, and offering practical gifts, AABANY and AALFNY strengthened their relationship with the community and reaffirmed its commitment to making legal support accessible to those who need it most.
We invite you to join AABANY’s upcoming Pro Bono Clinics taking place on:
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
January 10th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Big congratulations to AAFE for successfully organizing their inaugural Financial Access Resource Fair!
— Written by Nandar Win Kerr, AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service Committee
