LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new nonprofit program in southern Nevada is providing free legal consultations to folks in the valley's rapidly growing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
As part of the Ask a Lawyer program, local Asian American attorneys volunteer their time to offer free legal advice to folks on the first Friday of every month.
Dr. Christian Giovanni, the Ask a Lawyer program director and founder of the Thai Culture Foundation, said legal jargon can be difficult to navigate for folks who may not speak English fluently.
The attorneys and other folks in this program are working to bridge that language barrier gap. They can speak Thai, Korean, Chinese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, with the goal of expanding to accommodate more AANHPI languages in the future.
"The legal system is complex. Even for somebody who speaks perfect English, they still don't understand. So for somebody who their primary language is not English, they're going to have a very difficult time," Dr. Giovanni said.
Dr. Giovanni added, that she's seen a real need for these services emerge recently, with some folks getting taken advantage of because of that language barrier when they try to seek legal help.
"There is an ongoing problem with the nonspeaking communities falling prey to individuals charging huge, substantial fees for legal services that they're not licensed to provide, which has in turn, caused further complications with cases and further expenses," Dr. Giovanni said. "So Ask a Lawyer was created to provide an opportunity for anybody needing help to come in, and sit down with one of our licensed attorneys and get it right."
Dr. Giovanni said the attorneys who help with this program offer legal expertise in a variety of areas, including personal injury, immigration, estate planning, and notary public services. She plans to expand their services to help with domestic violence and divorce cases starting in October.
"We have women from various communities who feel trapped or they don't speak English well and they're in a different country. They're scared. So we're here to help them start a new life if they're not in a good situation, or they're simply not happy," Dr. Giovanni said.
Dr. Giovanni said they started these events in May of this year and have seen attendance grow each month.
"They come back with, 'Thank you, we didn't know you were here. I didn't know where to get this help.' So that makes me really want to continue with this program," Dr. Giovanni said.
The next event is Friday, Sept. 1.
The Ask a Lawyer events are the first Friday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Hwang Law Group at 2880 S Jones Blvd Suite 3, Las Vegas, NV. For more information, call 702-820-0888.
