Tag: volunteers

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the September 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 September 16, 2026.

PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 7 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, torts, and civil litigation.  

A huge, heartfelt thank you to our wonderful PBCS Vice-Chair, Arthur Lin, for delivering such a fantastic orientation! 

We sincerely thank the following volunteers who attended the clinic:

Attorneys:

  • Francis Chin
  • Jack Hsia
  • Carmen Huang
  • Daniel Kim
  • Beatrice Leong
  • Arthur Lin
  • May Wong

Interpreters/Shadowers:

  • Cheri Chaibut
  • Helen Ding
  • Nandar Win Kerr
  • Celine Lee
  • Pan Pan
  • Ria Punukollu
  • Ellyse Ramos
  • Suzie Yu
  • Jingjing Wang
  • Wendy Zeng

Thank you again for your commitment to pro bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community. 

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

– October 21st [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

– November 14th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232 

– November 18th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

– December 2nd [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.

We look forward to your participation in future Pro Bono Clinics!

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the October Queens 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 Queens Pro Bono Clinic on October 7, 2026.

PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 16 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, real property, trusts & estates, family & matrimonial, litigation and civil claims.

One client commented: “Very helpful. Passionate in helping.”

Great thanks to our small but mighty team of volunteers for attending the Queens Pro Bono Clinic and for their dedicated service:

Attorneys: 

  • Jingjuan (Max) Guo
  • Kevin Hsi
  • Carmen Huang
  • Arthur Lin
  • Sinbay Tan
  • May Wong
  • Gary Yeung
  • Meng Zhang

Interpreters/shadowers:

  • Helen Ding
  • Renato Pangan
  • Jingjing Wang
  • Suzie Yu
  • Wendy Zeng

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
– October 21st [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

– November 14th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232 

– November 18th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

– December 2nd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

Thanks to all our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic.

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

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AALFNY and AABANY Connect with Brooklyn Community Members at RaisingHealth’s 11th Annual Health Empowerment Celebration

On September 19, 2026, the Asian American Law Fund (AALFNY) and AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee co-hosted a community outreach table at RaisingHealth’s 11th Annual Health Empowerment Celebration Event in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The event brought together community organizations and offered free health exams, hot meals, groceries, and other resources for local residents. RaisingHealth, formerly known as the Academy of Medical & Public Health Services, is a nonprofit health service organization founded in 2010 that supports underserved communities through culturally competent health, education, and community-building programs.

Community Outreach and Legal Resources

At the health fair, AABANY volunteers, including Kwok Ng, Co-Chair of the AABANY’s PBCS Committee, and May Wong, past Co-Chair of the PBCS Committee, along with Nandar Win Kerr, AALFNY’s Pro Bono and Grant Consultant, set up a table to pass out important resources, including:  

Public Charge Guidance

Throughout the fair, volunteers shared legal resources, flyers and Pro Bono Clinic promotional materials with more than 200 attendees. Volunteers also distributed Public Charge Guidance Info Sheets about the current changes to the public charge rule that took effect on September 18, 2026. A shout-out to the Asian American Federation (AAF), Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and Issues Committee (Co-Chairs Vishal Chander and Rachel Lee) for providing training, toolkits and resources that helped volunteers share accurate information with the community members in their native languages. 

The Public Charge materials were provided by the New York Immigration Coalition and Asian American Federation. The materials are available in 13 Asian languages: Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, Khmer, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Hindi, Japanese, Karen, Korean, Nepali, Urdu, and Vietnamese. 

Community members seeking assistance can contact the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs’ hotline at (800) 354-0365 or by calling 311 or the New York State Office of New Americans Hotline at (800) 566-7636. For more information, please visit Public Charge Guidance Info Sheets.

Upcoming Pro Bono Clinics 

October 7th – Queens: Interested volunteers should register here. 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

October 21st – Manhattan: Interested volunteers should register here. 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002 

November 14th – Brooklyn: Interested volunteers should register here. 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11232

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

Thank you 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 supporting our Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on August 19, 2026.

Our volunteer attorneys and law students met with 21 clients to provide critical guidance on various legal issues, including housing, public benefits, family law, torts, immigration, trusts and estates, employment discrimination, and civil litigation. 

One happy client remarked, “Francis took the time to listen to my situation and explained everything clearly.”

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the following volunteers who attended:

Attorneys:
Sam Chen
Ivy Chien 
Francis Chin
Marcus Cheung  
Carmen Huang 
Justin Lee 
Beatrice Leong 
Susan Song
Gary Yeung 
Evelyn Yu

Interpreters/Shadowers:
Cheri Chibut
Michael Chu
Helen Ding
Emily Kam  
Nandar Win Kerr 
Alexandra Ly
Jingjing Wang 
Wendy Zeng
Shang Zhai

Thank you to our volunteers for your incredible service and for inspiring the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee.

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

– October 7 [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

– October 21 [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE, 111 Norfolk St., New York, NY 10002

–November 14 [ Brooklyn link here] from 12:30pm-2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Service, 4101 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232


To learn more about our work, please visit probono.aabany.org. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming sessions.

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AABANY and AALDEF Present Webinar on TPS in Transition, Offering Options to Assist Affected Immigrants

On August 27, 2026, almost 20 attendees joined AABANY and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) for a critical webinar on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) terminations. The panelists—Nicole Fink (Ogletree Deakins, AABANY Immigration Law Committee Chair ), Vishal Chander (The Chander Law Firm, AABANY Issues Committee Co-Chair, AABANY Board Director), and Dinesh McCoy (AALDEF)—walked participants through relief pathways for the 1.3 million people losing status: family-based sponsorship, employment-based green cards (EB-2, EB-3), asylum, withholding of removal, cancellation of removal, and special immigrant categories.

The comprehensive panel discussion went beyond individual legal remedies to examine broader systemic impacts. Presenters addressed the severe operational challenges facing employers who must navigate complex workforce transitions as valued employees risk losing their authorization. Furthermore, the speakers explored active federal litigation challenging the administration’s TPS termination decisions, highlighting ongoing legal battles aimed at protecting impacted populations. 

Throughout the webinar, the experts underscored a critical tactical takeaway: affected individuals must proactively file for alternative relief options prior to their official status termination date. Doing so is essential to preserving uninterrupted work authorization while their legal petitions undergo administrative processing. With multiple country designations already terminated or approaching imminent expiration deadlines, the panel warned that time is of the essence and the window to take corrective legal action is rapidly closing.

To mitigate these urgent challenges, attendees were strongly encouraged to get involved directly in community defense efforts. AALDEF is actively recruiting legal volunteers and community advocates for its Rapid Response Task Force. This initiative is designed to provide robust, on-the-ground assistance to vulnerable populations through comprehensive screening clinics, direct legal case representation, individual consultations, and broad community outreach. In parallel, AABANY’s Immigration Law and Issues Committees are expanding their collaborative initiatives by coordinating substantive community education webinars, legal advice clinics, and specialized professional development programs scheduled for later this year.

Whether you are an experienced attorney, a paralegal, a law student, or a dedicated community advocate, your skills are urgently needed. Regardless of whether you can commit one hour a month or ten, there is a vital role for you to make a meaningful difference in the lives of impacted individuals. We invite you to reach out and volunteer your time today to support our ongoing advocacy efforts. Please consider becoming a member of AABANY to support our work in support of vulnerable communities.

–Written by Nicole Fink, Chair of AABANY’s Immigration Law Committee

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the August Queens 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 Queens Pro Bono Clinic on August 5, 2026.

PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 19 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, family and matrimonial law, immigration, real property, trusts and estates, torts and other civil litigation.  

Here are some of the clients’ feedback:

“May Wong is very professional and answered all my questions. She also gave me helpful advice and referrals. Thank you!”

“Thank you, Shirley, for listening to our concerns. She is very knowledgeable about different routes going forward.“

“Very grateful this service is available for the Asian community as it always seem there is always a lack of community service for us.”

We thank the following volunteers for attending the Queens Pro Bono Clinic and for their dedicated services:

Attorneys:  

Wendy Cheng 

Marcus Cheung 

Kevin Hsi 

Richard In 

Shirley Luong 

Sinbay Tan 

Johnny Thach 

Anthony Wong 

May Wong 

Gary Yeung 

Evelyn Yu

Interpreters/shadowers:

Nathan Cao

Michelle Chen

Kaitlyn Cheng

Helen Ding

Nandar Win Kerr

Momo Sano

Jingjing Wang

Suzie (Sue) Yu

Wendy Zeng

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

– August 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

– September 12 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

– October 7 [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.

We look forward to your participation in our future clinics!

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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 July Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic

Many thanks to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), and AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, as well as our dedicated volunteers for joining the Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic on July 11, 2026.

PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 23 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, real property, trusts and estates law, labor and employment, family law, and civil litigation.  

Positive feedback from some of the clients who came included: “I received helpful information today.” and “It was respectful & calm. I learned a lot as well.”

We thank the following volunteers for attending the Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic:

Attorneys:
Vishal Chander
Michael Chu
Helen Ding
Alice Liang
Arthur Lin
Willow (Yichun) Liu
Kwok Kei Ng
May Wong
Jameson Xu
Karen Kithan Yau
Gary Yeung

Interpreters/Shadowers
Gigi Chen
Sam Chen
Anna Chung
Philip Han
Nandar Win Kerr
Hannah J. Lee
Cynthia Li
Luana Li
Jingjing Wang
Wendy Zeng
Zhiyi Zhang
Betty Xinyue Zhu

Thank you once again to all our volunteers for their commitment to Pro Bono service and for making a meaningful difference in our community. 

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 – 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.

We look forward to your participation in the future clinic sessions!

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

Thank you to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, and our dedicated volunteers and law students for another successful Pro Bono Clinic on June 17, 2026 at AAFE’s Norfolk Street Community Center in Manhattan.

Our Pro Bono Clinic helped nine clients this month, with varying issues ranging from housing, divorce, immigration, and a noise complaint. Due to the number of volunteers who showed up, the June Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic offered consultations that extended beyond the standard 30 minute time frame for each client, ensuring that our volunteers could provide the best possible guidance for clients with thorny legal issues. For some cases, volunteers directed clients to AABANY’s legal referral and information service (LRIS), a resource that connects clients with qualified attorneys to represent them.

Thank you to all of our volunteers for attending the Pro Bono Clinic. We look forward to your participation in future clinics!

Volunteer Attorneys

Wendy Cheng

Keey Diep

Carmen Huang

Justin Lee

Beatrice Leong

Arthur Lin

Meng Ru

Gary Yeung

Anna Bao

Suzie Yu

Law Students and Other Volunteers

Wenwen Cao

Jason Chen

Clive Chong

Nandar Win Kerr

Wendy Zeng

Zhiyi Zhang

Livy Li

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

July 11 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30-3:00pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232

July 15 (Manhattan link here], from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

August 5 (Queens link here], from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

If you are interested in supporting the work of the Clinic, we encourage you to make a donation to AALFNY. AALFNY supports the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS), provides scholarships and internship opportunities for law students, and works with the AABANY Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. Donations can be made here.

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

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Thank you to our Volunteers at the May Pro Bono Clinic in Brooklyn

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 Clinic in Brooklyn on May 9th. Our volunteers met with 23 clients to address legal matters involving family, real estate, criminal, housing, and labor law.

These clinics not only answer legal questions but also focus on training law students and young attorneys to identify legal issues and explain legal concepts in everyday language. We value your willingness to listen to our clients’ stories and provide them with a safe space to be heard.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the following volunteers who dedicated their time and expertise to make this Clinic a success:

Alexandra LyHaotian Chen
Andrew SunHelen Ding
Angie LiaoKaren Yau
Anna BaoKeli Huang
Arthur LinMay Wong
Elaine OuyangNandar Kerr
Gary YeungWendy Zeng

If you are interested in continuing to support our community, we invite you to join us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

  • May 20th in Manhattan from 6:30-8:30pm at AAFE 111 Norfolk St.
  • June 3rd in Queens from 6:30 – 8:30pm at AAFE One Flushing Community Center.
  • July 11th in Brooklyn, from 12:30pm-2:30pm at CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave.

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, please visit probono.aabany.org.

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