Vietface - Asian Pacific American Legal Center - Ngoc Nguyen

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center will start offering family law workshops in Vietnamese starting March 2, the first of their kind in the nation.
The workshops will be run by Ngoc Nguyen, an APALC staff attorney and Westminster resident. They will only deal with family law cases, specifically divorce, legal separation and annulments.
Nguyen says she knows first-hand the challenges faced by the Vietnamese community when it comes to navigating the courts. Many can't speak English fluently or understand the law, and they don't have the money to hire an attorney.
"This program will hopefully provide them access to our justice system," she said. "Everyone should have access to the courts."
Stewart Kwoh, executive director of APALC, said this is the first time they have partnered with the courts to provide such a program. The project is the first of its kind in Orange County, California, and the nation and is being funded by a grant from the California Bar Foundation and the Partnership Grant Fund. APALC currently has three Vietnamese American staff members in its Orange County office, Kwoh said.
"We hope to bring our language skills and our cultural sensitivity to these workshops as well," he said.
Kwoh said a number of people who lack language fluency and knowledge of the law are intimidated by the justice system, end up spending more money than they need to and worse, lose their rights.
Nguyen said she knew someone who did not get the child support she was entitled to receive because she did not know her rights or where to go for help.
Nguyen clarified that she will only conduct the workshops and assist with filling out paperwork and filing them with the courts.
"We will be there to help them through the process from the start to the finish," Nguyen said. "I will not represent them in court, but will help them represent themselves."
Ngoc Nguyen, a staff attorney with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, will conduct family law workshops for members of the Vietnamese community starting March 2.
Workshop information

The three-hour workshops will be held at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, 341 The City Drive South in Orange. Appointments are mandatory.

Attorney Ngoc Nguyen will also help Vietnamese speakers at the Self Help Centers Tuesdays at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange and Thursdays at the West Justice Center, 8141 13th St. in Westminster. No appointments are necessary.
Information: Ngoc Nguyen at 714-705-4528.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Vietface
• Ngoc Nguyen's
• Trong Hai