Tag: public benefits

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the July Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic

Many thanks to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, as well as our dedicated volunteers for joining our Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on July 15, 2026 at AAFE’s Norfolk Street Community Center in Manhattan.

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 link here], 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.

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic in April

Thank you to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS), and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed their time and expertise at the April 15th Pro Bono Clinic in Manhattan. 

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

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic in January

Thank you to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY,) AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee , the Chinese-American Planning Council, our incredible volunteers, and our community partners for your support at the pro bono legal clinic in Brooklyn on January 10th. Our volunteers met with 24 clients to address legal matters involving housing, wills and trusts, public benefits, immigration,  and workers compensation.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Vishal Chander for providing remote immigration assistance, and to everyone who stayed past 2:30 p.m. to ensure all clients were seen. We are especially grateful to Beatrice Leong, who traveled from Queens in a foot brace and stayed past 3:30 p.m. to assist our final client. Your dedication, including staying later than necessary to ensure no client was turned away, is truly admirable!

In addition to answering legal questions, these clinics aim to train law students and young attorneys on how to communicate complex legal concepts in layman’s terms. We appreciate you taking the time to listen to our clients’ stories and providing them with a space to be heard.

Here’s one of the clients’ comments –”Gary is the best lawyer…. Thanks very much.”

Volunteer attorneys:

  • Vishal Chander
  • Victoria Cheng
  • Francis Chin
  • Jack (Zixu) Hsia
  • Kwok Kei Ng
  • Beatrice Leong
  • Arthur Lin
  • May Wong
  • Jameson Xu
  • Gary Yeung

Interpreters/shadowers:

  • Sam Chen
  • Philip Han
  • Nikita Kohli
  • Tianyuan Shu
  • Albert Tong

Please join us at our upcoming clinics:

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


March 14th [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.

Thank you for making a significant difference in our community!

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic in December

We extend a heartfelt thank you to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS) and all the dedicated volunteers who contributed their time and expertise at the December 17th Pro Bono Clinic in Manhattan. We truly appreciate your commitment, especially given the extreme cold weather.

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!

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