Tag: Public Interest Scholarship

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AABANY and AALFNY Celebrate Recipients of the 2024 Public Interest Scholarship at FTI Consulting

On Monday, June 24,  the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) gathered with members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) to celebrate the recipients of AALFNY’s 2024 Public Interest Scholarships at the AALFNY-AABANY Summer Reception at FTI Consulting, held at their offices at 1166 Avenue of the Americas.

Upon arrival, attendees chatted with one another, enjoying a grazing table, pizza, and drinks. The program began with the sound of clinking bottles, drawing everyone’s attention to Sylvia Chin, President of AALFNY. Sylvia presented introductory remarks about AALFNY and thanked Jason Sabot, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, for generously providing the venue for the gathering. Yang Chen, Executive Director of AABANY, also spoke, touching on the origins of AALFNY and its prior incarnation as the AABANY Foundation, the charitable arm of AABANY. He reminded the lawyers present of their shared ethical and moral obligations to perform pro bono legal services and emphasized the importance of good works done by AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics, highlighting the significance of giving back to the community. 

Sylvia then presented the 2024 Public Interest Scholarship award to Ranjana Venkatesh. Ranjana attends CUNY School of Law, and shared that this summer she will be interning at The Bronx Defenders’ Criminal Defense Practice under the Adolescent Defense Project. Ranjana noted that the Bronx is a historically under-represented  borough, but with The Bronx Defenders, she hopes to represent low-income residents through a holistic approach.

Jessica Chan, the other recipient of the scholarship, unfortunately could not attend the reception. Jessica, an AABANY member, attends New York Law School and will be interning with the Legal Aid Society in its Criminal Defense Practice. She is looking forward to using her experience in criminal defense work to build bridges between communities of color.

Thank you to all who attended the Summer Reception at FTI Consulting to not only celebrate the recipients of the 2024 Public Interest Scholarship, but also the value and importance of public interest work. To learn more about AALFNY, please click here.

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ASIAN AMERICAN LAW FUND OF NEW YORK ANNOUNCES ITS 2024 CLASS OF PUBLIC INTEREST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

NEW YORK, June 24, 2024 – On Monday, June 24, 2024, at 6 PM, the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) will be presenting the recipients of its 2024 Public Interest Scholarships at the AALFNY-AABANY Summer Reception at FTI Consulting, held at their offices at 1166 Avenue of the Americas.

Jessica Chan (New York Law School, Class of 2025) will be interning with the Legal Aid Society in its Criminal Defense Practice. She is looking forward to using her experience in criminal defense work to build bridges between communities of color.

Ranjana Venkatesh (City University of New York School of Law, Class of 2025) will be interning with The Bronx Defenders’ Criminal Defense Practice under the Adolescent Defense Project. She hopes her experience in the juvenile criminal defense arena will highlight the importance of holistic lawyering.

AALFNY awards Public Interest Scholarships each year to law students with a demonstrated commitment to the Asian American community. The purpose of the award is to assist law students with their tuition while encouraging them to use their legal knowledge and training to benefit the Asian American community in New York and to foster commitment by law students to public service in New York. Since 1997, AALFNY has funded more than 60 public interest scholarships to law students.

AALFNY was established in 1993 by the Asian American Bar Association of New York to create and support non-profit and charitable efforts to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and to defend human and civil rights.

Donations to AALFNY may be made at asianamericanlawfund.org/donate. A copy of our latest annual report may be obtained from AALFNY at P.O. Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580 or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from AALFNY at [email protected] or the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.

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Support AALFNY and AABANY Projects for the AAPI Community on Giving Tuesday

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

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AALFNY and AABANY to Host Summer Reception Congratulating AALFNY 2022 Public Interest Scholarship Recipients

For immediate release: July 4, 2022

Contact: [email protected]

Please join us on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 6 PM for a virtual AALFNY-AABANY Summer Reception to congratulate the AALFNY 2022 Public Interest Scholarship recipients. The awards ceremony will be followed by a panel discussion on Endless Tide, the recent report on Anti-Asian violence in New York. Register at https://news.whitecase.com/395/19601/landing-pages/blank-registration.asp.

The Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) is proud to announce the recipients of its 2022 Public Interest Scholarships.

  1. Juliana Chang, a student at Harvard Law School, graduating in 2024, is interning at A Better Balance to combat pregnancy and caregiver discrimination.
  2. Vincent Kwan, a student at UC Hastings Law School, graduating in 2024, is interning with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, Criminal Division.
  3. Emlyn Medalla, a student at CUNY School of Law, graduating in 2023, is interning with the National Domestic Workers Alliance focusing on domestic worker labor and employment issues.

AALFNY is also honored to support the scholarship program of the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY). This year’s AALFNY/SABANY Fellowship Award has been awarded to Mahum Vance, a rising second-year law student at New York Law School, who is interning this summer at Lawyers for Children, an organization that advocates for children in foster care.

We also applaud the organizations with which these students will be working.

AALFNY was founded as a nonprofit in 1993 by founders and board members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York. Since 1997, AALFNY has funded more than 60 public interest scholarships to encourage law students to use their knowledge and experience to assist their communities.

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AABANY’s Membership Committee Holds its 56th and Final Online Weekly Mixer

After a year of online mixers due to the pandemic, the Membership Committee held its 56th and final Online Weekly Mixer on Zoom, on Friday, June 25, 2021.

The beginning of the mixer featured a celebration of the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) Public Interest Scholarship Recipients, hosted by Sylvia Chin, President of AALFNY. The awardees were: Amanda Jimenez (CUNY School of Law, Class of 2022), Evelyn (Meng) Lin (Syracuse University College of Law, Class of 2022), and Shelley Wu (Cardozo School of Law, Class of 2023). AALFNY also honored the recipient of the AALFNY-SABANY Public Interest Fellowship: Dawa Lhamo (CUNY School of Law, Class of 2023), who will be interning with Catholic Migration Services. AALFNY awards Public Interest Scholarships each year to law students with a demonstrated commitment to the Asian American community. Congratulations to the recipients for their good work!

During the mixer, AALFNY held a Give Lively text to pledge fundraiser to support the Turning the Tide Project and nearly raised $1000. Thank you to everyone who donated! We are continuing to take donations via Give Lively and if you would like to donate, text “TIDE3” to 44-321. (A copy of AALFNY’s latest annual report may be obtained from P.O. Box, 161, 41 Purdy Ave, Rye NY 10580  or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from us at [email protected] or the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.)

After the AALFNY presentation, AABANY members went around the Zoom Room for the mixer portion. The participants introduced themselves, and answered the icebreaker question: “How will you change your lifestyle now that the city has reopened?” Participants told the group their various plans, including “adjusting their commute to work from home on most days,” “going back to travel internationally” and “going back to attend large gatherings.”

The weekly mixers had a core group of attendees, including Barry Kazan, Sylvia Chin, William Lim, Francis Chin, and Kevin Hsi, all of whom regularly attended the weekly mixers. In particular, Barry Kazan, a Partner at Mintz & Gold LLP, was awarded “MVP” (Most Valuable Participant) of AABANY’s Online Membership Mixers.

Membership Committee Mixers held various theme nights, including a trivia night, a Show & Tell night, a Talent show with dancing, guitar playing and Comedian, a Halloween Costume Contest, a Virtual Tour through Japanese Mountains, and Founder’s Night.

The participants expressed gratitude that there was a weekly outlet to connect, talk and share their thoughts every week, and appreciated that the mixers allowed people to form friendships through video. A few members requested that the mixers continue. 

Membership Committee plans on meeting in person beginning in July; please stay tuned for the announcements. The Committee is looking to host a cruise later this summer. Be on the lookout for the survey!

Thanks to everyone who attended the final mixer and to our members and friends who joined us for one or more mixers over the past year! Thanks to Beatrice Leong, Membership Director, for being such a gracious host.

We look forward to seeing everyone in person for future Membership Committee events. 

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Please Join AALFNY and AABANY for the 2021 Public Interest Scholarship Summer Reception

Please join us for the AABANY/AALFNY virtual Summer Reception to be held on zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday June 25, 2021. 

Please RSVP at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1420369

The Reception is the main fundraising event of the Asian American Law Fund of NY and provides funding for our projects which include, among others, our Public Interest Scholarships, the Turning the Tide Project and the AABANY Pro Bono Clinic.

While not a requirement for attendance at the event, we would be delighted if you or your firm would demonstrate support of the Fund by making a donation. The donation would be acknowledged on the Fund’s website. The various contribution levels are detailed below.  The Fund is a 501(c) (3) entity and contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Feel free to circulate this announcement to any interested lawyers and law students. There is no charge for attendance.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Contribution Levels

Diamond …………………………………………………….……$1000

Gold ………..……………………………………………………….$750

Silver ……………………………………………………………….$500

The Asian American Law Fund of New York awards Public Interest Scholarships each year to law students with a demonstrated commitment to the Asian American community. The purpose of the award is to assist law students with their tuition while encouraging them to use their legal knowledge and training to benefit the Asian American community in New York and to foster commitment by law students to public service to the Asian American community in New York.  Since 1997, AALFNY has funded more than 60 public interest scholarships to law students.

This year’s recipients were Amanda Jimenez, Evelyn (Meng) Lin, and Shelley Wu. In addition, Dawa Lhamo was the recipient of the AALFNY-SABANY Public Interest Fellowship.

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.

Donations to AALFNY may be made at asianamericanlawfund.org/donate or by check to AALFNY, PO Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580. A copy of our latest annual report may be obtained from us at the above address or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from us at [email protected] or the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.

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Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) Awards Public Interest Scholarships for Summer 2021

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sylvia Chin, [email protected]

Please join us on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 6:30 PM on Zoom at the AABANY-AALFNY Summer Reception to congratulate the AALFNY 2021 Public Interest Scholarship recipients. Register online at https://aabany.org/aalfnysummer.

Amanda Jimenez Evelyn (Meng) Lin

Shelley Wu

Dawa Lhamo

Amanda Jimenez (CUNY School of Law, Class of 2022) will be interning with Mission to End Modern Slavery, where she will be assisting migrant workers and trafficking victims;

Evelyn (Meng) Lin (Syracuse University College of Law, Class of 2022) will be interning with the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York; and

Shelley Wu (Cardozo School of Law, Class of 2023) will be interning with the Domestic Violence Project at the Urban Justice Center.

We will also honor the recipient of the AALFNY-SABANY Public Interest Fellowship: Dawa Lhamo (CUNY School of Law, Class of 2023), who will be interning with Catholic Migration Services.

The Asian American Law Fund of New York awards Public Interest Scholarships each year to law students with a demonstrated commitment to the Asian American community. The purpose of the award is to assist law students with their tuition while encouraging them to use their legal knowledge and training to benefit the Asian American community in New York and to foster commitment by law students to public service for the Asian American community in New York.  Since 1997, AALFNY has funded more than 60 public interest scholarships to law students.

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.

Donations to AALFNY may be made at asianamericanlawfund.org/donate .
A copy of our latest annual report may be obtained from us at P.O. Box 161, 41 Purdy Ave., Rye NY 10580 or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from us at [email protected] or the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.

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