Asian American Lawyer Referral Information Service (CA) Contact: Christine E. Lee, Director Asian American LRIS 3550 Wilshire Blvd - Suite 1020, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Activity Summary: The Asian American Lawyer Referral Information Service's mission is to provide legal education and referral services to Asian Americans in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. We offered a day-long program featuring speakers, public information booths and counseling services. We publicized the event in the Asian ethnic news media. Activity Narrative: Asian American LRIS sponsored an all-day community educational forum on May 1st at the Berendo Street Baptist Church in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles as part of the annual national "Law Day" celebration sponsored by the American Bar Association. This year's Law Day celebration coincides with the National Day of Prayer, which is held on the first Thursday of May each year. In honor of both of these national celebrations the theme for this year's community educational forum is "Celebrate Your Freedom - In God We Trust." The event targeted an audience of 1000 in the Asian American community in the Los Angeles area. The seminar began with registration from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Presentations by lawyers and other specialists on a wide range of legal and social issues were presented through to 6:30 p.m. After the speaker program, speakers and representatives from Asian American LRIS were available for questions and preliminary counseling until 7:30 p.m., after which a special prayer service was held. New arrived Asian American immigrants are typically unaware of their rights and responsibilities under American law. For most Asian American immigrants, they are encountering a wide new range of freedoms than they permitted in the country of origin. This year's Law Day theme Celebrate Your Freedom! is especially appropriate topic in educating about and enculturating new Asian Americans immigrants into American law and society. The event was extensively covered in the Korean press, thereby achieving our goal of educating a much wider audience on the seminar topics. The presentation topics covered discrimination issues, employment law, hate crimes, drug abuse, personal injury, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, living trust, ethics, and victims' rights. A light lunch and refreshments were provided. Over 10 community organizations also sponsored information at booths during the Law Day program. Asian American LRIS (Lawyer Referral Information Service) has been approved by the State Bar of California to offer its counseling, lawyer referral and mediation services to residents of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Asian American TIMS's LRIS program was recently honored with a commendation in April 1997 by the Los Angeles City Office of the City Attorney for its active involvement and supporting role in the Korean Outreach Program of the City Attorney's Victim's Assistance Program (VAP). Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization