Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) is proud to announce, in conjunction with the Boston Bar Foundation (BBF), a donation totaling $50,000 to the Asian Community Fund (ACF) of The Boston Foundation in honor of Paul W. Lee, founder of the ACF. 

"We are proud to have the opportunity to partner with AALAM in making this donation," said BBF President Steve Hall. “We are excited to support the important work of the Asian Community Fund and hope this donation will extend our collective impact outside the legal community-while also honoring the legacy of such an important figure to both the legal and Asian communities of Boston.” 

Paul W. Lee, retired partner at Goodwin Law and one of the founding members and first President of AALAM, will be honored with the BBF’s 2024 Public Service Award at the John & Abigail Adams Benefit on April 6 at the Museum of Fine Arts. The BBF will recognize Lee for his lifetime of dedication to serving and advancing the Asian communities of Boston, including his role in founding the ACF, an entity that shares the BBF’s values of uniting and empowering diverse individuals in our community. 

“We are deeply proud to help recognize Paul for his many contributions to this city and to the legal profession, particularly within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities that have benefited immensely from his leadership and dedication for so many years,” said Melissa Wong, Partner at Holland & Knight LLP and President of AALAM. “We are very grateful to the Boston Bar Foundation for their generous matching contribution to the Asian Community Fund. Paul and the other founding members of AALAM have always emphasized that our mission extends beyond our own practice of the law, and that we must support and uplift the Asian American and Pacific Islanders communities around us as well. We can’t think of a better way to honor Paul’s lifetime of service.”    

The Asian Community Fund at The Boston Foundation was established in 2020 to increase the visibility of the Asian American community and expand resources for nonprofits that serve disadvantaged Asian Americans. 

“This gift is an extraordinary testament to Paul Lee’s leadership and his longstanding dedication to uplifting the civil rights of AAPI and immigrant communities across Massachusetts,” said Danielle Kim, Executive Director of the Asian Community Fund. “As the founder and chair of the Asian Community Fund, Paul has directly impacted the lives of countless AAPI residents, helping to build a powerful pipeline for AAPI visibility, philanthropy, and representation. We extend our sincere gratitude to the leadership of Boston Bar Foundation and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts for this tremendous contribution. We intend to use this gift to advance Paul’s lifelong mission of amplifying community leadership, mentorship, and service.” 

Today, the ACF serves as a permanent resource designed to develop, strengthen, and support the AAPI community power in Massachusetts through community leadership and advocacy, small business assistance, and traditional grantmaking. Since its inception in 2020, ACF has distributed more than $600,000 to 59 nonprofits led by and serving AAPI communities across Massachusetts. You can learn more about the ACF here.