The Belin Economic Justice Project (EJP), in collaboration with Cathay Bank
and Ropes & Gray LLP, will be hosting a free Basic Legal Considerations
Workshop For Small Businesses at Cathay Bank, located at 621 Washington Street
in Boston, MA on Thursday, September 23, from 6 to 8 PM. This workshop is
the beginning of what the hosting organizations believe will be a vibrant,
ongoing collaboration and of immense benefit to the Chinese Business
Community. The workshop will provide an overview of a number of important
business legal topics, the understanding of which can help entrepreneurs and
small business owners improve their business performance while protecting
themselves, their businesses, and their personal assets as well.
Co-sponsoring the workshop are Chinatown Main Street, a Boston Main Streets
Initiative, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Asian American Civic
Association, Inc, and Asian Community Development Corporation.
Belin Economic Justice Project
EJP provides business legal assistance and education to entrepreneurs who are
starting or operating community businesses located in under-served areas in
Massachusetts and who cannot afford legal counsel. The mission of EJP is
to contribute to the economic growth of low-income communities of color by
helping individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency and develop sustainable
businesses.
EJP operates out of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, a non-profit
organization dedicated to combating race and national origin discrimination
through civil litigation. EJP functions by collaborating with attorneys
from Lawyers’ Committee’s member law firms and with community organizations
dedicated to economic development. Through these partnerships, EJP
provides a variety of services to entrepreneurs, including informational
workshops, one-on-one clinics, and, when appropriate, ongoing legal
representation.
Cathay Bank
Founded in 1962, Cathay Bank is a subsidiary of Cathay General Bancorp
(NASDAQ: CATY). Recognizing that the communities it served was part of a more
diverse one; Cathay Bank adopted the motto "An Open Door for All". Cathay
Bank offers a wide range of financial and commercial banking services. Cathay
Bank currently operates 31 branches in California, 8 branches in New York State,
1 in Massachusetts, 2 in Texas, 3 in Washington State, 3 in the Chicago,
Illinois area, 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Hong Kong, and a representative office in
Shanghai and in Taipei. Cathay Bank is a publicly traded company with
stockholder equity of approximately $1.42 Billion and total assets of $11.4
Billion.
Cathay Bank's New England regional office is located at 621 Washington
Street, Boston, MA. This full-service banking office offers complete
personal and business deposit and loan services. These services range from
checking, money market and savings accounts to small business loans, commercial
real estate, construction and international loans and services. Cathay
Bank is also a national certified preferred SBA lender. For more information,
please visit our website at www.cathaybank.com or contact our Boston
office at 617-933-8068.
Ropes & Gray LLP
Ropes & Gray is a leading global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers
and professionals in New York, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Washington, D.C.,
Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Built on a foundation of over
140 years of dedication to forging strong client relationships, the firm
represents the world's leading businesses and public institutions across a broad
spectrum of industries including medical institutions, pharmaceutical and
medical device companies, financial institutions, private equity funds, mutual
funds and hedge funds. Ropes & Gray lawyers help clients with their most
challenging transactions and litigation issues, and the firm has leading
national practices in private equity, healthcare, life sciences, intellectual
property, securities litigation and complex business litigation.
Because Ropes & Gray does not distinguish between pro bono clients and
paying clients in terms of the quality of legal services provided or for
purposes of associate reviews and compensation, lawyers and staff are able to
participate meaningfully in a wide array of pro bono activities. In 2009
alone, Ropes & Gray devoted 90,000 hours to pro bono clients, a commitment
that represents more than a 500 percent increase in hours of pro bono work by
Ropes & Gray over the last five years. Recently the firm was honored for its
pro bono work by the Medical Legal Partnership Boston, Immigration Equality,
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project, and The Lawyers’ Committee
for Civil Rights Under Law of the Boston Bar Association. Ropes & Gray
partners with LCCR to staff and run EJP workshops and clinics in Brockton and is
now expanding its participation into the Chinatown
project.