don’t understand their avenues of appeal or, if they choose not to fi ght eviction, the importance of moving out promptly. T e legal clinics have become so well-known through
word-of-mouth among mom-and-pop businesses, Oak says, that “when we arrive, there is a line of people waiting at the door, and they tell us how much they looked forward to this particular day.” Joann Lee, directing attorney of Legal Aid’s Asian and
Pacifi c Islander community outreach unit, calls the ongoing KABASoCal eff ort a “tremendous resource” in supplement- ing her organization’s services. “We have diffi culty fi nding resources to help the many people seeking it, and there are few options for linguisti- cally and culturally compe- tent legal help,” she says. T e monthly clinics have
been in place for about a decade, Lee says, and evolved from an annual “law day” event at Legal Aid in which KABASoCal members provided similar pro bono counseling . Oak says that members
among the hardest hit neighborhoods. In the ensuing months, KABASoCal members helped shop owners fi le
insurance claims, apply for loans to cover rebuilding costs, and replace business licenses and permits, Oak says. KABASoCal has also reached out to local youth. T is
PEOPLE WAITING AT THE DOOR, AND THEY TELL US HOW MUCH THEY
“WHEN WE ARRIVE, THERE IS A LINE OF
have long committed to the clinics because “it’s a direct way of giving to the Korean American community, and in lots of ways, it’s like giving back to our immigrant parents” because of the generation gap between volunteers and many of their walk-in clients. KABASoCal also helped local Korean Americans navi-
gate the legal system after the race riots in 1992. T ousands of individuals took to the streets after white Los Angeles police offi cers were acquitted in the beating of African American motorist Rodney King. Widespread arson, loot- ing, and violence occurred for six days, with Koreatown
MCCA.COM
LOOKED FORWARD TO [THE LEGAL CLINIC].” —JANE OAK
year, members conducted a mock trial at a public high school to educate students about the legal system, Oak says. And in cooperation with teachers of that school, they organized a fi eld trip for juniors and seniors to visit law offi ces of some KABASoCal members to learn more about the profession. Eddie Wada, an advisory board member of the Asian Business League of Southern California, notes that the reach and infl uence of KABASoCal extends beyond Koreans and the legal pro- fession. Wada says that at a recent networking mixer co-sponsored by his organiza- tion and KABASoCal, he met several certifi ed public accoun- tants and non-Korean profes- sionals who had learned of the event from KABASoCal. Internally, KABASoCal
recently launched an interest
group among members who are considering career changes to solo practice, Oak says. T e group also includes members who are already solo practitioners or, like herself, the heads of small law fi rms who can mentor the other attorneys try- ing to switch. Plans call for the group to hold seminars and networking mixers, she says. D&B
Lydia Lum is a freelance writer and former reporter for the Houston Chronicle and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 DIVERSITY & THE BAR® 45
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