The APALRC seeks legal interns/externs for Fall 2011, as well as undergraduate or graduate students and recent graduates, who are interested in working in local communities.  Interns will have various responsibilities that include work on one or more of the following projects:

Asian American Multilingual Legal Helpline (Legal): The helpline is the first point of contact for potential clients of APALRC.  It has separate lines for Mandarin/Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Hindi/Urdu/Gujarati speakers.  Helpline interns will take incoming calls, conduct initial intakes, work with the legal team to identify and outline next steps, conduct legal research, and work on cases under the supervision of a staff attorney.

Crime Victims' Assistance Project (Legal/Non-Legal): This project provides information and assistance to Asian victims of aggravated crimes to ensure that they can access law enforcement services and information about the D.C. Crime Assistance Fund.  In addition, this project also works with immigrant victims of crime who may be eligible for T and U Visas.  An intern in this project will assist with intake calls, filing applications with eligible community members, and work on the range of issues that a victim of crime may encounter.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, APALRC board of directors, staff, law student volunteers, community partners and supporters came together to celebrate the APALRC’s 13th anniversary at the Arts Club of Washington. 

HOST COMMITTEE
Sandy Dang; Carlos&Lucinda Eng Garcia; Gia Lee&Jeremy Maltby; Teresa Lee&Benjamin Wu; David Hsu; Taron Murakami; Chan&Jayne Park; Julie Song&David Smyth; George Wu; and Portia Wu

SPONSORS
Alston&Bird LLP; Cohen, Milstein, Sellers&Toll PLLC; Covington&Burling LLP; Crowell&Moring LLP; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett&Dunner, LLP; GreenbergTraurig LLP; Steptoe&Johnson LLP; White&Case LLP; Wiley Rein LLP; and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE MEMBERS
Megan Chung; Carlos&Lucinda Eng Garcia; Julian Kim; Alex Oh; Chan & Jayne Park; Christopher & Jeannie Rhee; Julie Song & David Smyth; Chung Shu Yang; and John C. Yang & Esther H. Lim

The Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC), a legal advocate for justice for the Asian American community in the D.C. metropolitan region, announced today the appointment of its new Executive Director, Zenobia Lai, Esq., effective May 2, 2011.  In this capacity, Ms. Lai will build upon the APALRC’s current programs and strengthen collaborative efforts with key local community organizations.  She will work with public and private program and funding partners, and will chart a course for the next iteration of services that will propel the organization to an even more effective and crucial role in the region. 
   
“Zenobia has devoted her career to advancing the legal and civil rights of Asian Americans, and her skills and experiences in legal services, advocacy, and fundraising make her the ideal leader for APALRC as we move forward,” said Curtis Lu, Chair of the APALRC Board of Directors.

“I am honored to have been selected as the APALRC’s new Executive Director and excited to be a part of an organization that is dedicated to ensuring access to justice for the Asian Pacific Americans in the region,” said Ms. Lai.  “I look forward to working with the Board, staff, and community partners to continue the APALRC’s critical services to the community.”

To view the full press release, please click here.

As Interim Executive Director, Ms. Laur will oversee daily finances and operations, lead fundraising efforts, and assist with the search for a permanent executive director.  Ms. Laur brings to APALRC an array of professional skills and experiences.  She has nearly 30 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, and has served as a permanent full-time executive for over a dozen years.  Over the past 5 years, Ms. Laur has assisted 8 different nonprofit organizations in the D.C. metropolitan region as Interim Executive Director. 

The APALRC’s Board of Directors also elected Curtis Lu as the new Chairperson.  Mr. Lu is the General Counsel of LightSquared and is responsible for advising on all legal matters affecting the company.  Mr. Lu has served on the Board of Directors of APALRC for the past few years, and has been actively involved in the Asian Pacific American community affairs through various roles.

To view the full press release, please click here.

Co-Sponsors:
APABA-DC,    APABA-MD,     &  APABA-VA

Speakers:
Mark Keam, Esq.
Representative
Virginia House of Delegates, 35th District

Karen Narasaki, Esq.
President and Executive Director
Asian American Justice Center

Sponsors:
Asian American Justice Center

Crowell&Moring LLP

Cohen, Milstein, Sellers&Toll PLLC

DiMuroGinsberg PC

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver&Jacobson LLP

King&Spalding LLP

Steptoe&Johnson LLP

Host Committee:

APALRC seeks fall interns in the following program areas:

• Asian Immigrant Youth Assistance (AIYA) Project: The project seeks to protect the rights of the Asian immigrant youth who have been abused, abandoned, or have been victims of crime, including human trafficking, through linguistically and culturally appropriate legal assistance and outreach efforts in the Asian communities in D.C., MD, and Northern VA.

            For details on the part-time legal internships for law students, please click here. 

New D.C. Office Address:
Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC)
1012 14th Street, N.W.
Suite 450
Washington, D.C. 20005

Hepline numbers remain the same:
(202) 393-3572 | Main Ext. 22

Chinese:          Ext. 18
Hindi/Urdu:       Ext. 19
Vietnamese:     Ext. 20
Korean:            Ext. 21

E-MAIL: helpline@apalrc.org

Fax number remains the same:
(202) 393- 0995

For the NEW staff directory, please click here.

APALRC board, staff, volunteers, and supporters came together on May 19, 2010 to celebrate the APALRC 12th Anniversary at the Equality Center in Washington, D.C.

    The Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC) launched a multi-pronged education and advocacy initiative — The Census 2010 Community Education and Outreach Project — to mobilize Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) in the D.C. metropolitan region, particularly in Northern Virginia, to participate in the 2010 Census.  The main goal of the project is to increase the 2010 Census mail response-rate by limited-English proficient APA residents, who have been historically undercounted, by providing them with accurate census information in culturally appropriate and linguistically competent ways.  This initiative was launched via a subgrant of the Asian American Justice Center.

“Participating in the Census can ensure that benefits, funding, and services are geared toward the APA community,” stated Myron Dean Quon, APALRC Executive Director.  “Furthermore, this confidential process will provide disaggregated data for different Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnicities that are crucial to ensuring the local needs of the community are addressed.”