What We Do

Committee Goals and Initiatives

The Pro Bono and Community Service Committee (PBCS) focuses on several key factors:

Language Access, Cultural Sensitivity, and Inclusivity: PBCS removes language barriers and creates a welcoming space for clients with limited English proficiency. The legal clinics guide clients guiding them through complex legal challenges and the court system.

Supporting Local Businesses and Nonprofits: PBCS collaborates with local nonprofits and shows appreciation by providing volunteers meals from nearby restaurants. Our volunteers also join community workshops and fairs to educate the public regarding legal profession, know your rights program, and forming business entities.

Legal Issues Awareness: PBCS clinics educate New Yorkers about common legal topics, including housing, immigration, family and matrimonial law, trusts and estates, and civil litigation. We are listening to our communities to seek proper resolution and to address with our local elected officials.

Volunteer Training: PBCS trains young professionals and law students, encourages them to serve and mentor others, and supports its ongoing mission.

In 2025, the top five categories of issues encountered at the clinics are Housing (124), Immigration (53), Torts (30), Family (24), and Contracts (24).

Monthly Pro Bono Clinics

PBCS hosts walk-in legal clinics, free and open to all members of the community, every month in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Flushing. Please visit the front page for the schedule of our clinics. Photos of the clinic can be found on AABANY’s Blog here.

PBCS will continue working with AAPI community partners and exploring collaboration opportunities with other community partners in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens to provide legal assistance to the community.

LRIS

AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (“LRIS”) connects members of the New York Asian American community with qualified legal counsel, overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers and increasing the accessibility of legal referral services in the Greater New York area for an underserved demographic.

Community members in need of a legal referral can call one of several phone numbers depending on language spoken: 516.788.8820 (English), 516.788.8821 (Mandarin), 516.788.8822 (Cantonese), 516.788.8823 (Japanese), or 516.788.8825 (Korean).

For more information about LRIS, please visit legalreferral.aabany.org.

HEART

In response to heightened anti-Asian violence during the pandemic, AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force created the Hate Eradication Active Response Team (“HEART”) initiative to support community members who have suffered a bias incident or hate crime. HEART aims to help community members obtain a resolution consistent with their interests and desires, whether that means seeking justice under the law for a given hate incident or providing a referral to mental health or other services. The HEART initiative is ongoing, and more information can be found here.

Community Partners

THANK YOU, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our community partners and elected officials for their unwavering support of our pro bono clinics and activities. Your collaboration makes it possible for us to serve those in need and strengthen our community.

Council Member Alexa Avilés

Council Member Kayla Santosuosso

Council Member Sandra Ung

Council Member Susan Zhuang

Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE)

Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC)

Homecrest Community Services

New York Team Up

South Brooklyn Community Coalition

Parent-Child Relationship Association

United Chinese Association of Brooklyn (UCA)

United Cultural Association

Special thanks and recognition to PBCS Co-Chairs (Beatrice Leong, Gary Yeung, and Kwok Kei Ng), as well as Arthur Lin, May Wong, and Nandar Win Kerr.

We also extend our deepest gratitude to the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) for their incredible support. Your commitment and generosity have played an essential role in empowering our efforts, uplifting the communities we serve, and inspiring us to continue making a positive impact every day.

PBCS is always open to collaboration opportunities. If you are interested in working with us as a community partner, please contact us at probono@aabany.org.