Media Coverage
Media Coverage
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Olivia Thomas
04.16.21
As reports of anti-Asian sentiment and attacks increase, more than 45 law firms and a number of Fortune 1000 general counsel have joined to form The Alliance for Asian-American Justice, a coalition providing “culturally responsive” legal aid and advocacy to those impacted by anti-Asian hate crimes and harassment, The American Lawyer reports. The group launched this week, with Pillsbury signed on as a member firm.
The alliance will offer legal services including filing lawsuits that pursue compensatory damages and other civil remedies and will work with law enforcement to ensure justice in the wake of hate crimes, whose victims often suffer from a lack of legal recourse on account of language barriers and discrimination, the organizers said. The group has already received more than 10 cases, referred by the Asian-American Legal Defense Fund and Education Fund and the National Asian-Pacific American Bar Association.
The American Lawyer reports that anti-Asian hate crimes rose by nearly 150 percent in 2020 in the largest American cities, based on a California State University Study.
“These are some of the best lawyers in the world who have agreed to help us attack this problem and to prevent and deter future incidents,” said Wilson Chu, a founding member of the alliance’s board of directors. “Part of our intent is … to send a deterrence message out there, but we also want to send a message to the APA community that help is on the way.”
Read more about The Alliance for Asian-American Justice on The American Lawyer (subscription required).