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.

AABANY Congratulates Member Eunkyong Choi on Her Appointment as Special Trial Judge

On December 6, 2021, Chief Judge of the United States Tax Court, Maurice B. Foley announced that AABANY Member, Eunkyong Choi, has been selected to serve as a Special Trial Judge.

Eunkyong Choi holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in Political Science from the University of Akron, and both a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in Taxation from the Washington University School of Law. In addition to time spent in private practice working on a variety of legal issues, Eunkyong taught Ethics & Media at Sanford Brown College and was a Lecturer in Law at the Washington University School of Law. Eunkyong spent several years working for Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITCs), having served as the LITC Program Director for Nevada Legal Services from 2010-2014 and as a Supervising Attorney with the Washington University LITC from 2014- 2016. In June 2016, she became head of The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, an independent office within the New York City Department of Finance set up to help New York City residents with property and business tax problems after they have found difficulty in fixing them on their own.

Eunkyong spoke at the AABANY Fall Conference in 2017 in a program titled “The Melting Impôt: The Intersection Between Immigration and Tax.” The panel discussed tax issues faced by many immigrant and ESL taxpayers who are unaware of their taxpayer rights and responsibilities. In July 2018, AABANY co-sponsored Diversity Tax Day for Professionals Working with Limited English Proficiency Taxpayer in which Eunkyong was a guest speaker. In October 2020, she was a speaker on AABANY’s Real Estate Committee program, “New York City and Long Island Real Estate Taxes.”

Please join AABANY in congratulating Eunkyong Choi on her appointment as Special Trial Judge in the United States Tax Court.

Apply to become a member of the IRS Advisory Council (IRSAC)!

Apply to become a member of the IRS Advisory Council (IRSAC)!

PRESS RELEASE: Accepting Applications for Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT

Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Centre Street
New York, New York 10007

ROBERT A. KATZMANN
CHIEF JUDGE

CATHERINE O’HAGAN WOLFE SALLY PRITCHARD 
CLERK OF COURT DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

March 3, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Criminal Justice Act/Pro Bono Committee is accepting applications for the Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Panel. The deadline is Friday, May 2, 2014.

Pro Bono Panel members will, at the Court’s invitation or on an appellant’s motion for appointment of counsel, represent pro se litigants in civil appeals that present issues of first impression, complex issues of law or fact, or raise potentially meritorious claims warranting further briefing and oral argument. Pro bono representation will be provided to litigants who would otherwise be unable to pay for counsel and are ineligible for the appointment of counsel pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act.

Cases in which pro bono counsel will be appointed cover a broad range of legal issues. A significant percentage of the cases are prisoner civil rights appeals; others may involve labor and employment, discrimination, social security, immigration and tax law.

Applicants must be admitted to and members in good standing of the Bar of the Second Circuit, or have an application pending before this Court, and have at least three years of appellate experience. Pro Bono Panel members will serve for a term not to exceed three years.

Pro Bono Panel Members who were appointed by the Court in 2011 for a three-year term must submit a new application if they wish to remain on the Panel. A completed application package contains a resume, a written application (available on the Court’s website at http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov) and three writing samples, preferably appellate briefs on which the applicant was the primary author. These materials must be submitted to Sally Pritchard, Director of Legal Affairs, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 40 Foley Square, New York, NY 10007, by Friday, May 2, 2014.