About

By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

What We Do

AALDEF focuses on critical issues affecting Asian Americans, including immigrant rights, voting rights and democracy, economic justice for workers, educational equity, housing and environmental justice, and the elimination of anti-Asian violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking.

AALDEF engages in the following activities:

• litigates cases that have major impacts on the Asian American community;
• provides legal resources for community-based organizations and facilitates grassroots community organizing efforts;
• conducts free, multilingual legal advice clinics for low-income Asian Americans and new immigrants;
• educates Asian Americans about their legal rights;
• comments on proposed legislation and governmental policies; and
• trains students in public interest law and encourages them to use their legal skills to serve the community.

AALDEF has a 24-person staff, including 14 lawyers and 3 organizers. We are assisted by over 300 volunteers, including pro bono attorneys, community workers, and students. AALDEF receives financial support from foundations, corporations, individual contributions and special fundraising events.

Annual Report and Form 990 Information

To learn more about AALDEF’s work, please read our latest Annual Report, our most recent audited financial statements and our IRS Form 990.

Job Opportunities

A list of current employment and internship opportunities is available here.

For a 3-1/2 minute slideshow highlighting AALDEF board, staff, student interns, volunteers, clients, organizers, honorees, and supporters from the past 40 years, watch AALDEF@40: Reasons to be Happy: