9107 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste 450
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
 
Visit us at
www.kabasocal.org

Last year, I represented a group of low-income Korean immigrant tenants in a week-long jury trial.  The tenants each went on the stand and testified through a translator about the physical and emotional injuries that they endured after their landlord started construction in their apartments, while the tenants lived there, in order to renovate and convert the building to condos.  The landlord, a Korean immigrant himself, clearly did not expect these tenants to know their rights or take legal action to enforce their rights.  As he tore out walls and plumbing fixtures, the tenants' home turned into a construction zone covered in drywall dust with their personal belongings strewn everywhere. 
 
The tenants suffered severe uninhabitable conditionsfor several months because they did not know the law and did not want to make complaints.  They didn't even tell their relatives or fellow church members about the situation, feeling embarrassed and powerless.  Only after a neighbor who speaks English intervened, did the tenants finally seek free legal advice.
 
But when the tenants testified before the jury-comprised of artists, teachers, and graduate students-the jurors did not understand why these tenants would have suffered for several months before seeking help and complaining to authorities.  Although in Korean culture, perseverance is highly valued over the act of complaining, many jurors assumed that if the tenants remained in the substandard conditions, it must have just not been that bad.  It didn't help that a literal translation of their testimony from Korean to English often failed to relay the tenants' actual feelings, leaving pain and suffering "lost in translation." 
 
Throughout the case, I learned that representing immigrants at trial required skills that were never taught in law school or covered on the bar exam.  I drew upon my own family experience to understand those of my clients.  I understood the challenges that my clients faced in their daily lives-as immigrant tenants and small business owners in Koreatown, because I had supported and advocated for my mother in a similar path.  As an attorney, I did my best to relay the injustice and injuries suffered by my clients, in terms that the jury could understand.
 
As Korean American attorneys, we are uniquely equipped to advocate for our community by giving Korean immigrants a voice, despite the language and cultural barriers that routinely keep the justice system out of reach.  As second-generation Korean American attorneys serving immigrant clients, we find ourselves doing much more than traditional legal counseling.  Not only do we double as translators, but we act as cultural ambassadors in the Korean American community and mainstream America. 
 
While Korean Americans are graduating from law school and entering professional careers in record numbers, the number of immigrants who are undocumented, limited English proficient, and live in poverty also continues to grow.  These individuals are too often the victims of worker exploitation, fraud, and civil rights violations.  In response to this need, KABA has worked towards a broader vision of social justice by developing resources, organizing our community, and participating in civil rights causes.  KABA invites all members, new and old, to continue this commitment to community service, which will remain vital in bridging the gap and increasing access to justice for all.     
 
Yungsuhn Park is a Staff Attorney at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, where she litigates impact cases on behalf of low-income immigrant communities, focusing on the rights of workers, tenants, and consumers.
 
KABA Monthly Legal Clinic
Beginning in March, KABA will be expanding the free legal assistance provided at monthly pro bono clinics by assisting litigants with Small Claims Court actions.  This new service was developed in response to a need to fill a void in the range of free legal assistance offered in the Korean American community.  While parties may not be represented by attorneys in Small Claims Court, attorneys at the clinic will help plaintiffs to prepare for court by assisting with claim forms and other related procedures (more information about the clinic is available at our website: www.kabasocal.org).  Clinic topics also include immigration, contract disputes, and small business matters.  New volunteer attorneys are always welcome! 
 

 

 

Thursday, April 16, 2009
Union Station
800 North Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA  90012
 
Cocktails 6:00 PM
Dinner and Program 7:00 PM
Keynote Speaker: Professor Bill Hing
 
Title Sponsor $5,000
Platinum $3,500
Gold $2,500
Silver $1,500
Individual Tickets $100
Government/Judicial/Public Interest $70
Law School Student $45
 
Sponsors are entitled to program ads and preferred seating.
(form can be downloaded at www.kabasocal.org) with reply card.
Make checks payable to the "Korean American Bar Association" or "KABA."
 

Tuesday, March 24, 2009
6 pm - 7:30 pm

Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd
LOS ANGELES

 

Lora Jo Foo is a passionate advocate for workers' rights and a gifted colleague. She will show us another side of her passion and gifts as well as her struggles as she reads from her new book, "Earth Passages: Journeys Through Childhood."
Earth Passages tells the story of the author growing up in a family of eight in San Francisco's Chinatown ghetto - living in a housing project, at the age of 11 sewing in a garment sweatshop. In her rare escapes into the woods rare escapes to the woods she discovers the folds of the earth as cradle, the caress of boulders and trees and the warm embrace of sunlight.
 
In 28 moving vignettes and 53 breathtaking color nature photographs taken by Lora Jo as an adult, "Earth Passages" has the power to make us all richer for the journey Lora Jo has taken.
 

Reading from "Earth Passages: Journeys Through Childhood"
with Author Lora Jo Foo
Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 6pm
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90017
 
RSVP to Julie Su at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
Refreshments will be served.

Co-sponsors of the event:
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance
UCLA Labor Center
Women's Leadership Circles