Tag: public interest

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Ng v. King Henry Realty, Inc., 16 Civ. 0013

Ng v. King Henry Realty, Inc., 16 Civ. 0013

Congratulations to our Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chair Anita Wu! New York Law Journal published the decision Ng v. King Henry Realty, Inc., 16 Civ. 0013. Anita was part of a legal team that represented Plaintiff Chee Sum Ng, who lived on the 7th floor of a building in Chinatown and suffered from end stage renal disease. He needed to leave his apartment several times a week for dialysis treatment but the one elevator in the building was being taken out of service for five months. The landlord did not offer Mr. Ng any accommodation, such as a first floor apartment, that would permit him to safely exit and enter the building. After reaching a settlement in favor of Mr. Ng, Anita and her team moved for and was awarded nearly $40,000 in attorneys’ fees in the case.

She had this to share from Judge James Francis’ decision: 

“Many of the defendants’ other objections to hours worked are entirely frivolous. For example, the defendants’ attorney objects to Ms. Wu’s billing entries totaling 8.6 hours on December 30, 2015 because ”[her] firm is in the public sector and I doubt that they are required to work a total of 7 full hours in 1 day.“ (Def. Memo., ¶15). The crux of the defendants’ argument is that lawyers at not-for-profit organizations are categorically unwilling to work long hours to meet their clients’ needs. This view is entirely divorced from reality and requires no further attention, except to note that it is debunked by the conduct of the plaintiff’s lawyers in this case. After learning of the planned elevator shutdown less than a week before it was scheduled to occur, the attorneys worked on a holiday weekend to file the case in time to stop the defendants from shutting the elevator down. (Wu Decl., ¶¶4, 6).”

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AABANY Government Service & Public Interest – Know Your Rights Community Trainings – Volunteers Needed!

AABANY is recruiting volunteers to be trained to give basic housing trainings to the Flushing community at Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) located at 35-24 Union Street.

Trainings to the volunteers will be provided by Legal Service NYC at 40 Worth Street. Starting in August, Volunteers can shadow experienced public interest lawyers on a monthly basis at night. Eventually, once the volunteer becomes comfortable, they can give the training themselves under the supervision of an experienced housing lawyer. Volunteers also have the opportunity to work at the Pro Bono committee’s Monthly General Advice Clinic in Manhattan Chinatown!

We are looking for committed volunteers who have demonstrated interest in social justice and want to help the community. As a volunteer, you will be asked to commit to being trained, observing at least one training, and giving one or more trainings to the community. Chinese language skills are a plus although may not be necessary.

If you would like to volunteer or have any questions, please contact Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chair Anita Wu at [email protected]

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2016 Fred T. Korematsu Summer Fellowship

Established by a generous gift from Parkin Lee and
The Rockefeller Group, the NAPABA Law Foundation in partnership with the
Fred T. Korematsu Institute have launched the Fred T. Korematsu Summer
Fellowship program.

The Fred T. Korematsu Summer Fellowship provides a
$6000 scholarship for one law student to gain meaningful legal
experience at a public interest host organization. The Fellowship is
open to all rising 1L and 2L law students at any qualified
host organization in the United States. Deadline for organizations to apply is February 5, 2016.
 The application will be available on the
NAPABA website shortly.

Find out more at http://bit.ly/2016korematsuflwshp

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Vietnamese American Bar Association Of Northern California Public Interest Fellowship Program

The
Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (VABANC) Law
Foundation (VLF) Public Interest Fellowship Program will fund one
$50,000 award to a recent law graduate or new attorney for the duration
of one year to provide legal services and advocacy for the
under-served and marginalized communities.                

The
VLF Fellowship Program seeks to increase access to legal services on
critical issues and improve the quality of legal services delivered to
under-resourced populations, including but not limited to the Vietnamese
American community.

Applications can be found here, and are due on Jan. 15, 2016, at 5 p.m. PST.

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2016 NAPABA Law Foundation Summer Public Interest Internship

The NLF Public
Interest Internship is to provide support for one law student to gain
meaningful legal experience during a 2016
summer internship at a public interest organization that provides
direct legal services, impact litigation, and/or legal advocacy on
behalf of the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) community. 

The deadline for Host application submission is January 15, 2016.  Find out more at http://bit.ly/2016nlfsmrpiintrnshp

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FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP & INTERNSHIPS – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP & INTERNSHIPS – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

2016 NAPABA Law Foundation Summer Public Interest Internship Grant

Deadline: January 15, 2016

Goal: The NLF Public Interest Internship is to provide support for one law student to gain meaningful legal experience during a 2016 summer internship at a public interest organization that provides direct legal services, impact litigation, and/or legal advocacy on behalf of the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) community.  

Overview:

  • Public interest organizations are to provide NLF with a legal intern summer project proposal.  
  • NLF will select a host organization from these submissions. Host organization awardee is permitted and encouraged to advertise the internship opportunity in its recruitment.
  • In April, the selected host organization will provide a list of summer legal interns (hired or tentative) for consideration of the award, along with their resumes and any additional supplemental materials for consideration. 
  • NLF will conduct telephonic interviews with the submitted summer legal intern(s). NLF, at its option, may select to narrow the pool of eligible summer legal interns to interview. NLF will select the award recipient and will use the interviews, resume, supporting materials, and input from the host organization in its deliberations.
  • Upon award, NLF will provide a grant of $6,000 to the host organization. 100% of this grant must be used for the legal intern’s salary. The host organization is responsible for any administrative fees, payroll processing fees, federal withholding, taxes, etc.
  • The selected intern shall work at the host organization for a minimum of 40 hours a week for 10 weeks during the summer of 2016.

Follow the link in the title for more information and the Summer Public Internship Grant application!

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Public Interest Fellowships for the 2015 ACS National Convention

In order to help public interest lawyers attend the ACS National Convention, ACS will again be making available a limited number of fellowships for attorneys working in the government and public interest sectors.  The 2015 ACS National Convention will take place at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC from June 11-13.  Recipients will receive a combination of registration for the Convention, lodging at the Capital Hilton and/or a stipend for travel.

The ACS National Convention provides unparalleled networking opportunities for progressive lawyers.  There will again be dedicated networking time following each panel discussion and fellowship recipients will be able to meet leaders from their respective practice and geographic areas. In order to strengthen ties between fellowship recipients and ACS, we require that fellowship recipients join ACS and complete at least three of the following in the coming year:

To apply, please click here and complete the simple online application.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and will be accepted until April 15, 2015, or until filled. Please share this information with public interest attorneys who may be interested in this opportunity. 

ACS National Convention
June 11-13, 2015
Capital Hilton
1001 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 

2015 Fellowship Applications Accepted Until: Wednesday, April 15

To apply, please click here. 

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