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Celebrating the Recipients of the 2026 AALFNY Public Interest Scholarship at the Annual Summer Reception, Hosted by McDermott Will & Schulte

On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) held the Annual Summer Reception. The event celebrated the recipients of the 2026 AALFNY Public Interest Scholarship. Each year, AALFNY grants Public Interest Scholarships to law students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Asian American community. Since 1997, AALFNY has awarded over 60 scholarships, supporting law students  and encouraging them to apply their legal education to benefit the Asian American community and to foster commitment by law students to public service. The Reception took place at McDermott Will & Schulte in their Midtown Manhattan office.

Upon arrival, attendees enjoyed a variety of hor d’oeuvres and drinks, mingling until the Reception officially started. The program began with Sylvia Chin, AALFNY President and Partner Of Counsel at White & Case LLP, delivering welcome remarks to all attendees and formally introducing AALFNY directors to the attendees. Additionally, Sylvia read NAPABA’s statement issued earlier that day about the Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship. Sylvia then asked AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen to introduce the AABANY Board members in attendance.

The event then proceeded with the honoring and introduction of the three scholarship recipients: Julie Phan,  UC Berkeley School of Law, Class of 2028, interning with Safe Passage Project; Sarah Raterta, City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Class of 2027, interning with the National Immigration Project (NIP); and Mikail Husain, City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, Class of 2028, interning at the New York State Office of the Attorney General, Labor Bureau. As each recipient was presented with a certificate, the honorees offered personal reflections on their journey and expressed their deep appreciation to AALFNY for providing support through these scholarships.

The program concluded with remarks from Jenna Agatep Slater, a current Labor & Employment Associate at Wilson Elser and Immediate Past President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALA New York), who was a past recipient of the Public Interest Scholarship. Jenna shared her personal journey to becoming a lawyer, as well as the impact of the scholarship on her life.

Later, after the Reception was over, each recipient was interviewed to discuss their personal backgrounds, their discovery of the scholarship opportunity, and their current activities. They were also asked to provide reflections on the award, share their future professional goals and offer words of advice for aspiring law students.

Julie Phan:

Growing up in a refugee community, Julie saw how daunting it was to navigate a complex legal system without support. Witnessing her family and friends struggling to bridge that gap deeply inspired Julie’s journey in pursuing immigration law and public service. Today, that goal is not only powered by an incredible village of family, friends, and mentors back home, but also the clients she meets through the programs she has been involved in while attending law school. 

With this scholarship, Julie plans to serve the immigrant community and practice cultural humility within those spaces. She currently volunteers at a variety of legal clinics, focusing on forming true connections with clients in a direct services capacity. In the future, she hopes to apply to a legal fellowship to work with an organization dedicated to advancing immigrant rights. 

“I want to thank AALFNY for this incredible opportunity,” Julie stated. “Scholarships like these help alleviate financial barriers that many law students encounter when deciding to pursue a career in public interest law and encourage us to pursue our passions. I also want to thank my amazing mentors and friends from Asian Americans Advancing Justice SoCal for sending me this scholarship opportunity. I am so grateful for their friendship and support.”

Sarah Raterta:

Sarah Raterta was introduced to an internship at the Migrant Center of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Manhattan by Father Julian Jagudilla, a Filipino friar, in 2017. This internship allowed her to work directly with clients and see firsthand the true impact of her efforts, securing green cards, legal status, and citizenship, thus inspiring her to pursue a legal career in immigration advocacy.

With this scholarship, Sarah wants to give back to her community by making immigration processes more accessible. Currently interning with the National Immigration Project (NIP), she focuses on high-impact legal work, including recent projects in which she researches attorneys’ fees through the Equal Access to Justice Act, tracks pending habeas petitions in circuit courts, and more. In the future, Sarah wants to help indigent immigrants and the broader community, working  with nonprofit organizations or pro bono immigration services. 

Sarah stated, “I hope to become the kind of advocate who helps people feel like they never have to walk alone.”

Mikail Husain:

Mikail Husain works as a researcher in the labor movement, hearing workers’ stories about enduring difficult—and often dangerous—working conditions. This deeply angered him but also sparked a strong desire to acquire better tools to advocate for workers’ rights. Additionally, working alongside brilliant, dedicated attorneys further fueled this ambition, showing him firsthand that a career in law is a powerful way to fight for what he believes in.

With this scholarship, Mikail hopes to give back to his community by ensuring workers’ rights are both known and respected. Currently interning with the New York State Office of the Attorney General’s Labor Bureau, he assists with the Bureau’s legal battles to obtain justice for workers.

“I would recommend that aspiring lawyers not be afraid of reaching out to lawyers, law students or any other potential mentors with questions or for advice about pursuing a legal career,” Mikail suggested. “Speaking to my law school’s career planning advisor is how I found out about this in the first place!”

Thank you to everyone who attended the Summer Reception at McDermott Will & Schulte to celebrate the 2026 recipients of AALFNY Public Interest Scholarship. To see the full photo album, featuring photos taken by AABANY Legal Intern Clive Chong, click here.

Thank you to McDermott Will & Schulte for generously providing the space for this event.

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In The News: Judge Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin Interviewed by the New York Law Journal

Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin, a retired Big Law partner, were recently interviewed by Steve Cohen and Julia Levi for the New York Law Journal. The married couple, who are both members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), have spent the last two decades creating reenactments of monumental civil rights cases. Creating scripts is the result of collaborative work with attorneys and judges at AABANY. 

In the article, published on July 28, Judge Chin and Kathy Chin discussed how reenactment scripts are created based on available trial transcripts, but difficulties often arise when they do not exist or are incomplete. Newspaper articles, depositions, letters, briefs, and court opinions are often combined with narration to create a comprehensive reenactment. 

Additionally, reenactments have drawn interest more frequently in light of current events. For example, the Chins have performed their reenactment of the Vincent Chin trial more than 30 times over the past decade, but demand for the script increased during the rise in anti-Asian violence amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, intervening events and changes to precedent necessitated updates to the scripts. For example, in the Korematsu v. United States reenactment, the ending was changed after the Trump v. Hawaii decision announced the overturning of Korematsu.

While the reenactments are popular continuing legal education programs, they have also been performed in law schools, colleges, and even high schools. Students may be unable to understand the intricacies of particular laws but are able to grasp the compelling stories and impact of these historic cases. Judge Chin’s goal in performing these reenactments for younger audiences is “to make the reenactments accessible without watering them down.”

The interview ended with advice from both interviewees. “My biggest piece of advice I would impart to law clerks is to think big picture,” Judge Chin said. Kathy Hirata Chin’s advice was directed to attorneys just starting out. She emphasized the importance of building a network early on, with fellow attorneys and with clients. “Above all, try to learn to look around corners and figure out what next steps would be of most value to the client and the team,” she said. 

Click here to read the full article (subscription required). 

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In the News: Joint Statement from AABANY and Other New York AANHPI Bar Associations about Court of Appeals Vacancy Covered by New York Law Journal

On July 23, 2026, five New York-based Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (AANHPI) bar associations released a joint statement calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul to appoint the first AANHPI jurist to the state’s highest court following the expiration of New York Court of Appeals Senior Associate Judge Jenny Rivera’s term on February 10, 2027. The release was covered by The New York Law Journal.

The statement was issued by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALA New York), the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY), the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY), and the South Asian Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens (SAICBA-Q). 

The organizations noted that no AANHPI jurist has served on the Court of Appeals in its nearly 180-year history, despite New York being home to more than 2 million AANHPI residents.

“Appointing an AANHPI judge is both timely and long overdue,” the organizations declared.

Brian Lee, writing for the NYLJ, noted that: “The most recent Asian-American candidate to reach the final stages of the Court of Appeals selection process was former Appellate Division, First Department Justice Jeffrey Oing” on the 2022 shortlist for Chief Judge. 

“We urge Gov. Hochul to seize the opportunity and make a historic appointment of the first AANHPI judge to serve on the Court of Appeals,” the groups stated.

Click to view the full article here (subscription required).

To read the full joint statement, go here.

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AABANY Member Profile: James Chou Appointed Managing Partner of Saul Ewing’s New York City Office

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is excited to share that in June 2026, James Chou, former AABANY President of AABANY (2009) and long-time AABANY member began his tenure as the new Managing Partner of Saul Ewing‘s New York City office.

James came to law by way of a detour: he started at NYU, intent on majoring in biochemistry and chasing his family’s expectations. His grandmother, one of the few women of her generation to earn a medical degree, had instilled in all her children and grandchildren, that it was her wish for them to follow in her and her late husband’s footsteps as medical doctors. James’ distaste for organic chemistry and frustration with the confining nature of the hard sciences convinced him otherwise. The breadth of a liberal arts education with its exposure to a wide array of fields and focus on critical thought, analysis, and communication provided a more attractive alternative. In his words, “the questions felt bigger, more interesting, and practically impactful.” He graduated magna cum laude from NYU and went on to Georgetown Law, where he served on the Journal of Legal Ethics and also tried his first case as a student advocate.

After a brief stint at Schulte Roth & Zabel, James spent seventeen years at Akin Gump, where he cut his teeth as a lawyer, handling all manner of complex commercial disputes. Those years were highly significant to his professional development, and he remains deeply grateful for his training and mentors there.

In 2015, he left Big Law and took a bet on himself to help build the New York office of a Long-Island-based firm, Moritt Hock & Hamroff, spending nine years there enhancing the firm’s Manhattan presence and brand in the New York market before making a returning to a broader platform at Saul Ewing in July 2024.

In May 2026, he was named the New York Office Managing Partner, effective June 1. In his new role, James is responsible for helping to develop and implement the office’s strategic vision to enhance its market position within the New York legal market and key practice areas and industries, build strategic client relationships, attract and develop top talent, and drive revenue growth and profitability. He takes on this role while maintaining a very active litigation practice as well as serving on the Board of the New York City Bar Association and as Chair of its Council on Judicial Administration.

When asked whether his Asian American identity presented a structural obstacle in his career, James replied that rather than encountering structural obstacles, he did think his cultural sensibilities—humility, deference, and polite restraint rather than aggressive self-promotion—prevented him from succeeding earlier in his career than he did. But James sees no value in dwelling on setbacks, and he views each challenge as an opportunity for growth and development. In this regard, he practices “the discipline of gratitude”—an intentional, regular practice of prioritizing thankfulness as a steady habit of mind and spirit, built on stoicism’s premise that we will all cease to exist, as well as a recognition that every experience in our life journey shapes who we are today.

Over the course of his long career, two cases stand out, both of which were pro bono. The first was in the mid-2000s, when James and his colleagues represented the New York County Democratic Committee in defending New York’s judicial convention—the system by which political parties nominate candidates for the New York State Supreme Court—against a constitutional challenge. In New York State Board of Elections v. López Torres, the Democratic Committee  argued that the First Amendment protects a political party’s right to determine how it selects its own nominees, and in 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed, with a  9–0 decision. The second was in in 2012, when James represented an Angolan asylum seeker who had been wrongly linked to a violent independence movement and a high-profile 2010 attack he had no part in. The man’s only tie to the group was a membership card he received after attending a single meeting of the group in which they were promoting basic social services. Working alongside the New York Legal Assistance Group, James secured the man’s asylum in February 2012 and eventually reunited him with his wife and young son.

James shared that Saul Ewing prides itself in being a “people-first firm,” which is not just a mantra, but a core value manifest across the Firm’s platform. Consistent with that ethos, his vision as New York managing partner is to invest in people and cultivate a collaborative environment where they can maximize their potential, which, in turn, is essential to excellent client service. His message for AABANY’s members is that your reputation will be built not by the cases you win, but by the trust you earn, the people you develop, and the institutions you leave stronger than when you found it, so make sure to invest in those things.

Please join AABANY in congratulating James on this milestone achievement in his career and wishing him further success as he takes on leadership of Saul Ewing’s New York City office.

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2026 NAPABA Convention General Scholarship Application Deadline Extended!

We’ve extended the application deadline for the 2026 NAPABA Convention Scholarship!

Applications will now be accepted through Wednesday, August 5, at 8:00 pm ET, giving members additional time to apply.

The Convention is just around the corner, bringing together attorneys, judges, law students, and legal professionals for three unforgettable days of connection, learning, and career growth.

We know attending can come with financial hurdles, which is why NAPABA offers member-exclusive scholarships to help offset registration and ticketed events. If you’re a current NAPABA member, don’t miss this opportunity to make the most of the Convention experience.

Apply now and join us in Los Angeles this November!

Apply for the General Scholarship

Additional resources about the Convention are on our website. For further questions, email us at convention@napaba.org.

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AABANY Solo & Small Firm Committee Members Meet to Share Advice on the Administrative Side of Running a Law Firm

On Thursday, July 16, 2026, the AABANY Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee hosted another popular virtual networking event for solo and small firm practitioners to connect. The meeting, intentionally informal and freeform, gave attendees an opportunity to discuss any topics at hand. After brief introductions and a couple of minutes for colleagues to catch up with one another, the topic of office practicalities was brought up. 

Yen-Yi Anderson, Principal at Anderson and Associates Law, PC and Co-Chair of the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, asked attendees about what printers, time management systems, and invoice systems they used in the office. Many of the attorneys in the call described their printers to be fault-prone, often requiring costly repairs. Recognizing that  most clients prefer an electronic copy of documents, most attendees recommended a leased Brother printer for any hard copy needs.

From there, the conversation moved on to invoicing systems. Programs like Bill4Time, MyCase, Clio, and PracticePanther were described as relatively reliable systems, but attendees described each program having its own issues. However, this judgement could only be made after fully investing into one system, making inefficient invoicing systems a large inconvenience for small firms. Additionally, small or solo firms often lack the staff to delegate invoicing tasks to associates or paralegals, leaving less time to manage these systems effectively.

This topic then transitioned into billing. Methods such as Zelle, Stripe, or direct wiring were most commonly used. Given that various fields of law have different retainers and billing rates, there was no consensus on which billing method was the most efficient. Attendees also described using various bank accounts to receive and access funds. Although there were quite a few differences in the actual billing process, most attendees agreed that tracking billable hours manually was far better than any automatic tracking software. Despite rapid developments in technology, “old-fashioned” methods were often the most reliable. 

The virtual networking hour concluded with many more topics being suggested for discussion at the next event. The vibrant community among the members of  the Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee was evident, with each member helping to uplift the other through practical tips about how to run a law firm. To learn more about the Committee and get involved, visit the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee page.

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Thank You to the Volunteers at the July Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic

Many thanks to the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, as well as our dedicated volunteers for joining our Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on July 15, 2026 at AAFE’s Norfolk Street Community Center in Manhattan.

PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 18 clients and provided guidance on a range of legal issues, including housing, immigration, real property, trusts and estates, labor and employment, family law, tax, public benefits, and civil litigation.  Clients who needed further assistance were directed to AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS), a resource that connects clients with qualified attorneys to represent them.

We had a large turnout at this clinic, including many new and old clients and volunteer attorneys. With the help of our attorneys and translators, we efficiently provided assistance for clients with multi-year old disputes, predetermined court dates, and emerging cases. One client expressed that they were “very impressed“ with the professionalism of the services provided.

While providing legal aid, our volunteer attorneys, shadowers, and interpreters gained a deeper understanding of the clients’ personal struggles and life stories, connecting them with deeply moving narratives that will permanently inspire and guide them throughout their future careers.

We thank the following volunteers for attending the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic:

Attorneys

Francis Chin 

Jack Hsia 

Beatrice Leong 

Arthur Lin 

Kwok Kei Ng 

Jasmine Tan 

Hin Ton Wong 

Gary Yeung

Interpreters/shadowers

Helen Ding

Cheri Chaibut 

Kaitlyn Cheng 

Qiao Kang 

Nandar Win Kerr 

Momo Sano 

Allison Yu 

Wendy Zeng 

Zhiyi Zhang

Assisting amidst the rainstorm and showing up to serve those in need despite unbearable heat and unhealthy air quality, their dedication to our community was on full display.

We appreciate their dedicated service, serving as an inspiration to the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee.

We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:

– August 5th [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

– August 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

– September 12th [Brooklyn link here] from 12:30-2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232

To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, visit probono.aabany.org.

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming clinic sessions.

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AABANY Real Estate Committee Hosts Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud – Red Flags

On July 20, 2026, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) Real Estate Committee hosted a timely and informative Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program focusing on one of the most pressing issues facing today’s real estate industry: the growing threat of real estate and mortgage fraud, wire fraud, and deed theft.

The program brought together attorneys, title professionals, lenders, real estate agents, and law students to examine how increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes are impacting residential and commercial transactions across New York. As technology continues to evolve, so do the tactics used by fraudsters, making education, vigilance, and collaboration among industry professionals more important than ever.

The CLE featured presentations by Margaret Ling, New York State Agency Underwriting Counsel and Education Director at AmTrust Title Insurance Company, and Jason Ganfer, Partner at Goldberg Segalla and Co-Chair of AABANY’s Real Estate Committee. Drawing from their extensive experience, the speakers provided practical guidance on recognizing fraud schemes, understanding emerging trends, and implementing best practices to safeguard clients and transactions.

The presentation emphasized that preventing fraud requires more than simply reacting to suspicious activity—it requires proactive communication, strict verification procedures, and a culture of cybersecurity awareness throughout every stage of a transaction.

The AABANY Real Estate Committee extends its sincere appreciation to Citizens Bank and AmTrust Title Insurance Company for generously sponsoring this CLE program. Their continued support makes it possible to provide meaningful educational programming that benefits both legal professionals and the communities they serve.

Special thanks also go to Margaret Ling and Jason Ganfer for sharing their knowledge and practical insights, and to everyone who attended and contributed to an engaging discussion.

To learn more about AABANY’s Real Estate Committee, click here.

– Written by Jameson Xu, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Real Estate Committee

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AABANY Member Profile: Kwok Kei Ng Recognized for Longstanding Service to the Community

During Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month this May, Kwok Kei Ng, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, was honored with two awards for his contributions to the AANHPI community. Kwok received the Hon. Randall T. Eng Award at the Fourth Annual Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program as well as the Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together Award at the Second Judicial District Equal Justice Committee’s celebration of AAPI Heritage Month: “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together.”

Emblematic of these two awards, Kwok has built his career and service around strengthening the AANHPI identity and community. After growing up in Hong Kong, Kwok moved to America for schooling. He first joined AABANY almost 10 years ago in 2017 as a law student. Now, Kwok is an accomplished Associate Court Attorney at the New York County Criminal Courts.  He continues to be a leader in the AABANY community, overseeing the Brooklyn branch of AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinic, an award-winning legal clinic that has served predominantly monolingual Asian communities in New York for over a decade.

Access to justice, particularly through language, has always been a pressing concern for Kwok. He initially entered the court system as a Brooklyn Family Court Interpreter for Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese speakers, and so his AANHPI identity has long-shaped his career. The experience of interpreting, Kwok says, “is the foundation of everything for me …. Standing in the courtroom, translating for parents who couldn’t understand what was being said about their children, I felt the full weight of what was at stake—especially now that I’m a parent myself.”

Kwok further noted,  “My AAPI identity essentially defined my role because I was the one bridging the gap between the court users who had a language barrier and everyone else in the room.” 

Meaningful representation has to occur at multiple levels, according to Kwok. “We talk about the underrepresentation of AAPI judges and the idea that the court should reflect the community it serves,” he stated, “but that should extend to court officers, court clerks, and court attorneys too.” Reflecting on his own identity, he added, “For a time, I was the only AAPI court attorney in Brooklyn. I’m glad it’s not the case now.”

Not straying far from these roots, Kwok has sought to expand access to legal services, as well as representation within legal careers, throughout his professional life. His passion for language access in the courts, stemming from his experiences as a court interpreter, led to his appointment to the Advisory Committee on Language Access for the New York State Unified Court System by Chief Administrative Judge Hon. Lawrence Marks.

Kwok considers AABANY his “home bar association,” but he is also a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association, where he serves as the Vice-Chair of the Diversity Committee. He is also a Board Member of the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY). Additionally, Kwok serves as Deputy Vice President of the High School Division of the Sonia and Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program (SCSJIP). The program, which he himself participated in as a law student, places students in judicial internships. Kwok found SCSJIP through his involvement in AABANY, while still  in law school. At a time when the legal field “felt especially opaque” and a path felt difficult to find “for someone like me,” it’s another experience that has shaped him: “That internship set the path and defined my career.”

My work with the Sotomayor program is simply my way of giving back,” Kwok declared. “When I help place a high school student in a judicial internship, I know it can genuinely change a trajectory, because it changed mine.” 

Through AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics, Kwok has helped strengthen New York City’s communities, making sure that people with limited English proficiency and without financial access to a lawyer can meet with a volunteer attorney or law student. He reminisces on how AABANY—and his involvement with AABANY—has grown over the past decade: “From the beginning, I was most active with the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, volunteering at the clinic to help with interpretation. At the time [almost 10 years ago], there was only one clinic, at AAFE on 111 Division Street,” Kwok recalled. “Over the years, we’ve moved, grown, and expanded to locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens—Confucius Plaza, CCBA, CCCNY, Homecrest, CPC, UCA Brooklyn, and AAFE Queens—collaborating with community-based organizations, hosting know-your-rights workshops, and serving thousands of New Yorkers.”

His work is never done, however: “Looking ahead, I hope we keep serving AAPI community members who face language barriers and can’t afford legal help—and that we also expand to other communities facing the same challenges.” Kwok added that he’s currently working on expanding outreach in Brooklyn to other groups, such as Latino communities. 

Summing up his many contributions to the legal community and AANHPI community, Kwok offered a guiding principle he follows: “I genuinely believe that the most meaningful change happens when people get to know each other, learn from each other, and work together across cultural boundaries. We need to know each other better, but it’s just as important to make ourselves known to each other.” 

As parting words, Kwok also offered some advice to law students or young lawyers: “Go out and meet people – but don’t do it just to network. Find the space where people are doing the work, and then stay in it. Don’t just try to be seen, try to be useful.”

Kwok drew from his own experience, where his primary goal was not to build up the connections themselves, but rather improve the community as a whole through working together. “The relationships that have meant the most to me didn’t come from working a room at a cocktail reception,” Kwok recalled. “They came from working alongside people on something that mattered. When you show up consistently, carry your share, and are genuinely trying to serve, people notice. More importantly, you become someone who is actually useful to your community.” 

“Don’t let the parts of your identity that feel complicated become things you hide,” Kwok added. “For example, the fact that I came here as an immigrant with no roadmap, or that I started out as a court interpreter—that didn’t make me less qualified than anyone else in the room. In my case, it made me more capable of understanding the people who walk into the courtrooms every day.”

AABANY congratulates Kwok and is privileged to have a compassionate and driven community-builder like him in the AABANY community. For more information on AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinics and how to get involved, click here. The next few upcoming clinics are:

  • August 5th [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
  • August 19th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002 
  • September 12th [Brooklyn link here– from 12:30 – 2:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Thank you to Vincent Carvalho for the above photos from the Fourth Annual Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program.

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NAPABA 2026 Convention: Thursday Specialty Programs

Kick Off Your Convention Experience with NAPABA Specialty Programs!

The Convention Thursday Specialty Programs are intentionally designed to create dedicated spaces for attendees with shared identities, career stages, or professional interests. These programs offer a more intimate, focused environment where you can build meaningful relationships, exchange experiences, and strengthen your network within NAPABA’s community. This year’s Specialty Programs are:

  • Women’s Leadership Workshop
  • International Law Symposium
  • Public Service Network Workshop
  • Solo & Small Firm Boot Camp
  • Young Lawyers Workshop

CLE Information: All Thursday Specialty Programs except for the Young Lawyers Workshop are eligible for continuing legal education.

Registration Information:

  • Thursday Specialty Programs are included in Convention Registration.
  • One-day registration is available for anyone interested in attending only the Thursday Programming.
Register Now

Additional Thursday Activities

The Thursday Specialty Programs is just the beginning of Thursday’s activities. The NAPABA Village, our reimagined exhibit hall opens at 11 am. After an afternoon of learning and exploring the village, join us at the NAPABA Welcome Reception and Best Under 40s Awards Celebration. Our welcome reception is followed by NAPABA Committee and Network receptions.

See Full Agenda

Not a Member Yet or Need to Renew?

Your membership pays for itself. Members save up to $675 on Convention registration, receive early access to registration and the hotel block, and unlock exclusive year-round professional development, leadership, and networking opportunities. Join or renew now.  

Become a NAPABA member and enjoy savings that go beyond the cost of membership!

Join or Renew Today

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