AALDEF seeks Pro Bono Volunteer Attorneys for Asian American Poll Monitoring for Primary Elections Sept 10th

To Download the volunteer form click here.

Pro Bono: Asian American Poll Monitoring

NYC Primary Election – September 10, 2013

Training on Monday, Sept. 9 at 12N at Fried Frank, 1 New York Plaza, New York, 10004

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is seeking pro bono volunteer attorneys to assist in monitoring poll sites during the NYC Primary Elections on September 10 to assess compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act.

In past elections, Asian Americans have faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote.  For example, poll workers were hostile and made racist remarks, poll sites had too few interpreters to assist Asian American voters, translated voting materials were missing or hidden from voters, and ballots were mistranslated.

 Volunteers are needed to inspect poll sites for required language assistance, interview voters, and document instances of anti-Asian American voter discrimination.

There will be a ninety minute training session for all volunteers hosted by Fried Frank on Mon., Sept. 9 at 12N.  Lunch will be provided.  All volunteers must be non-partisan during the time that they help.  To sign up, complete the registration form.  Thank you! 

For more information, contact:

Glenn D. Magpantay or Jerry Vattamala at [email protected],[email protected] or call 212-966-5932.

NAPABA Disaster Relief Database

The NAPABA Pro Bono and Community Service Committee introduces the disaster relief database. The database provides information on federal and local level resources on disaster relief and preparation. To address the needs of limited English proficient members of the APA community, many of the resources on the database are available in various Asian languages.

VOLUNTEER and Join Us at the Annual Citywide Citizenship Application Assistance Event on May 11th!

Please Support AABANY and Volunteer with Us for the Saturday, May 11th, Citywide Citizenship Day 2013.

We invite you to participate in the largest naturalization application assistance event in New York State! Your skills and experience will be an enormous asset and we greatly value your commitment.

AABANY is co-sponsoring this event again. This year, we hope to have at least 10 experienced AABANY immigration law practitioners participate. But we also need the help of all attorneys and paralegals — whether you practice immigration law or not! We need any and all AABANY members to participate on Citizenship Day, in order to better serve and represent the APA immigrant community.

Needed:

Attorneys and paralegals with or without expertise in naturalization and citizenship law. We need your help to determine applicant’s eligibility for naturalization, assure that applicants leave the event with a properly completed application, and to assist and/or supervise volunteers providing application assistance.

When:

Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. But if you can only come for part of the day, that’s ok too. Volunteer whatever time you can — whether it’s a morning or an afternoon. 

Where:

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Haaren-Hall Building, 899 Tenth Avenue, Gymnasium, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10019. 

How to Register: Click here to be taken to the registration form. Once there, you should chose “AABANY” as your affiliation so we can keep track of registration and attendance for you. 

Why Volunteer?  Because you are helping the many immigrants in our city who hope for and deserve U.S. citizenship — but cannot afford private attorney legal fees to achieve their goal. Plus, I guarantee that you will have fun and enjoy a great deal of personal satisfaction by assisting others during this pro bono event. I know this because I see the happy faces of our volunteers each year! This is always a wonderful experience!

For more information: Contact Rio Guerrero, Co-Chair AABANY Immigration and Nationality Law Committee, at [email protected].

NYSBA: Empire State Counsel Program

Passing along some important information from NYSBA:

New York State Bar Association

Office of the Presidentimage

Dear Jean:

I write in my capacity as the President of the New York State Bar Association to tell you about the Empire State Counsel® Program and cordially invite you to join the ranks of this elite group.  The Empire State Counsel® Program is a purely voluntary initiative which seeks to recognize those who perform significant pro bono service. 

The Empire State Counsel® designation is reserved exclusively for NYSBA members who, during the calendar year, performed 50 hours or more of free legal assistance either through direct legal representation of a low-income individual; or by donating free legal services to an organization whose services are designed primarily to address the legal and other basic needs of persons of limited financial means; or by providing free legal services to an organization dedicated to increasing the availability of legal services to vulnerable and/or low-income populations.   The program is open to NYSBA members even if they are employed in another state or overseas. If you are not currently a member of the Association, but otherwise meet the criteria, we hope that you will consider becoming a member. If you join the Association by February 28th, you will receive a free membership to the section of your choice and a free NYSBA tote bag. Click here to access the Membership Application.

To date, more than 6,897 NYSBA members, located in virtually every state in the United States, as well as in Europe, Indonesia, Africa, Canada and India, have achieved this distinction.  Since the program was launched by then President Mark Alcott approximately six years ago, Empire State Counsel® members, collectively, have donated 1,001,924 hours of free legal services to individuals and families. Our members’ pro bono contributions have provided critical legal assistance in the areas of mortgage foreclosure, landlord-tenant issues, bankruptcy, immigration, asylum, domestic violence, child custody, and vital government benefits. 

In recognition of the significant contributions our members make to pro bono through their law firms, the Association plans to award a plaque to the law firms enrolling the largest number of Empire State Counsel® for service during 2012.  An award will also be presented to two individual attorneys whose pro bono contribution made a significant difference during 2012.

Individual honorees will receive a certificate suitable for framing and the signature Empire State Counsel® lapel pin.  Honorees may use this honorific designation as a credential on their resume and the names of the individual honorees will be published in a variety of Association publications.  Empire State Counsel® honorees will be recognized during the Association’s Annual Meeting at the complimentary Justice for All Luncheon which will be held on Thursday, January 24th at the Hilton New York, from 12:30 to 2:00pm.

Kindly share this letter with the attorneys at your firm who are actively involved in pro bono. Hopefully they will find the program worthwhile and wish to register.  Enrollment is open now through the end of February 2013.  The 2012 Verification Form is a fillable PDF form that is available online at www.nysba.org/2012ESCVF  and may be submitted directly to the Department of Pro Bono Affairs for processing.  Alternatively, if it is more convenient, the firm’s pro bono coordinator may submit a list of attorney names and their respective pro bono hours, together with a single completed verification form attesting to the accuracy of the list.  The Department of Pro Bono Affairs will be responsible for determining the membership status of each attorney and will relay that information back to the firm pro bono coordinator.  Any questions about the program may be directed to Gloria Herron Arthur, Director, Department of Pro Bono Affairs, at [email protected]  or by telephone at (518) 487-5641.  
  
Thank you for your consideration of this program.

Sincerely,

Seymour W. James, Jr., President

SDNY offers Trial Advocacy Training for Pro Bono Lawyers

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is pleased to offer a full-day trial advocacy training for pro bono lawyers. Led by District Court judges and leading practitioners, this training is offered to lawyers who are admitted to practice in the Southern District and are interested in providing pro bono representation to pro se litigants.

The program takes place on Friday, January 11, 2013 and runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse (500 Pearl Street, Room 850).

The training is free and will offer participants an opportunity to receive CLE credit for their participation. For more information, please download the PDF here.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Pro Bono Training

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) 
 Pro Bono Training

     

Thousands of young immigrants have been approved for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA). But with an estimated 100,000 undocumented Asian immigrants eligible, we have thousands more to reach. DACA is a Department of Homeland Security directive that gives eligible undocumented youth a two-year pause from the threat of deportation and an opportunity to secure a work permit. For many, this will be the first opportunity to legally work and live in this country.

Many of these immigrants are from the communities served by the various Asian bar associations of New York. Taking on a DACA case pro bono is a discrete way to learn basic immigration law and begin to change the life of undocumented youth.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is seeking pro bono counsel to represent eligible young people applying for DACA. No prior legal experience is required, but pro bono counsel will be required to attend a training prior to taking a case. These cases will help support the work of AALDEF’s youth group for undocumented Asian Americans.

If you are interested in taking a DACA case through AALDEF, please join us for the training on:

Tuesday, November 27 from 6:30pm-8:30pm

at Linklaters, 1345 6th Avenue New York, NY 10105

To register for the training, please email AALDEF at: [email protected].

Please confirm in advance that you are covered by professional liability insurance.

2 CLE credits are being provided by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY)

For more information about what this new directive means for Asian American communities, see our legal alert.

Generously co-sponsored by:
Asian American Bar Association of New York 
Muslim Bar Association of New York  
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
South Asian Bar Association of New York
 
 

 

Post-Sandy Recovery Efforts – Volunteers Needed For Friday’s Pro Bono Clinic

From KALAGNY:

We know this has been a difficult time for many of you. We hope you and your family are safe and are recovering post Sandy.

KALAGNY invites volunteer attorneys to make a difference in the lives of those adversely affected by Sandy.  Along with other social service providers, we will hold a pro bono “clinic” this Friday, November 9, 2012, from 1-6 p.m. at the Korean American Association of Greater New York (149 West 24th Street, 6th Fl. in Manhattan) (map). No specialized legal experience is necessary. A training session and lunch will be served at noon at the same location prior to the clinic.

At the clinic, KALAGNY and its partner organizations will provide legal support to individuals and businesses that may be facing homelessness, unemployment, medical exigencies, business interruption, or a combination of the foregoing. We are seeking 1-2 bilingual (i.e., Korean) volunteers for an information table at the Clinic.  Please e-mail [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering by Wednesday November 7, 2012.

Volunteer Opportunities to Help Victims of Hurricane Sandy

Thanks to Yomi Ajaiyeoba, President of the Nigerian Lawyers Association, for passing along this information.

New York State Bar Association:

Please Volunteer for Pro Bono Efforts to Assist Hurricane Victims

The New York State Bar’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service is recruiting attorneys that can provide free telephone consultations to individuals affected by Hurricane Sandy. There is need for attorneys with insurance, landlord/tenant, co-op and condo, or FEMA appeals experience, as well as those who can handle general practice matters. 

We encourage attorneys outside the NYC area to volunteer. The program is set-up to assist victims via phone consultation.

Please respond as soon as possible if you can help hurricane victims in need.

Go to: www.nysba.org/DisasterVolunteerSandy to fill out your volunteer form.

City of New York:

There will be various ways to volunteer to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy – Want to Volunteer? Please email [email protected] with your name, email address and borough. There will be ways to volunteer today and over the next week as opportunities arise.