On October 20th, 2026, Justice Margaret Anne Pui Yee Chan of the Appellate Division, First Department, made New York State history when Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson designated her to preside over a matter before the Court of Appeals. Her appearance marked the first time an Asian American woman has sat on the bench of New York’s highest court, a milestone celebrated across the Asian American Pacific Islander judiciary and legal community.
Photo (L-R): Court of Appeals Associate Judges Shirley Troutman and Jenny Rivera, Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, Appellate Division, First Department Associate Justice Margaret Anne Pui Yee Chan, Court of Appeals Associate Judges Anthony Cannataro, Michael Garcia, and Madeline Singas at Court of Appeals Hall on October 20. Justice Chan made history that day, becoming the first Asian American woman to sit on New York’s highest court.
Her presence on the Court of Appeals reflects a judiciary increasingly committed to representing the diversity of the communities it serves. For many, this moment signifies long-awaited progress in elevating voices and perspectives historically underrepresented at the State’s highest levels of judicial decision making.
Justice Chan’s path to this achievement began far from Albany. Born in Hong Kong, she immigrated to Canada at age seven and later to Brooklyn at fourteen. Her judicial career started in 2006 with her election to the New York City Civil Court, where she became the first Asian immigrant woman to serve as a New York judge. She went on to serve as an Acting Supreme Court Justice beginning in 2012 and was elected to the Supreme Court in 2021, overseeing matters including mass torts, constitutional litigation, and complex commercial disputes.
In 2025, she again broke new ground as the first Asian-born woman judge appointed to any New York appellate court when Governor Kathy Hochul named her to the Appellate Division, First Department. Before joining the bench, Justice Chan practiced immigration and appellate law in Manhattan’s Chinatown and built her legal foundation through years of dedicated study and service, including roles as a senior court attorney and managing editor of her law review.
Justice Chan continues to contribute to the court system through committee service and legal education. Her historic appearance on the Court of Appeals stands as both a personal milestone and a powerful symbol of progress for the AAPI community and the New York judiciary.
Photo: Justice Chan and her husband, New York County Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits, at Albany’s Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court
Written by Hon. L. Austin D’Souza, Supervising Judge, New York City Civil Court
Reprinted with permission from InsideUCS – Intranet of the NYS Unified Court System
On October 22, 2026, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY)’s Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee hosted its Pumpkin Carving Night to celebrate the Spooky Season. The event brought together attorneys and their children from across New York City to midtown where boutique firm Anderson & Associates hosted an evening of creativity in which each carving stroke brought a new pumpkin to life.
The event was planned by Yen-Yi Anderson of Anderson & Associates Law, P.C., and Tiffany Miao of Miao Law LLC, both of whom are active in AABANY as Co-Chairs of the Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee. As solo and small firm practitioners themselves, Yen-Yi and Tiffany have organized arts and crafts gatherings to bring together fellow solo and small firm practitioners. Indeed, new relationships were formed while dim sum was shared and advice on starting solo practices and small firms were imparted while the pumpkins received their makeovers. The evening culminated in the creation of seventeen beautiful jack-o-lanterns.
To learn more about AABANY’s Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee, visit https://www.aabany.org/page/111. The next SSFP event will be an online Meet & Greet scheduled for December 9, 2026 at 12:00 p.m (register here).
– Written by Yen-Yi Anderson, Co-Chair of the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee
AABANY and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) were proud to participate in the inaugural Filipino American History Month celebration at the Little Manila Parade & Block Party on Sunday, October 18, 2026, in Woodside, Queens. Co-hosted by the Office of Assemblymember Steven Raga and community partners, the event brought together community members, organizations, and local leaders to celebrate Filipino American history, culture, and service.
The celebration began with a parade from General Hart Playground and continued with an all-day block party featuring cultural programming, community resources, and recognition of outstanding community members for their service and dedication to the AANHPI community.
At the event, AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee (PBCS) hosted an information and resource-sharing table to connect community members with AABANY’s Pro Bono Legal Clinics. Special thanks to Yang Chen, Executive Director of AABANY; Gary Yeung, Co-Chair of PBCS; Arthur Lin, Vice-Chair of PBCS; and Nandar Win Kerr, AALFNY’s Pro Bono Project Consultant, for engaging with about 100 community members, sharing promotional materials with Pro Bono Clinic information, answering questions about available legal services, and informing community members about upcoming clinic sessions.
The team also highlighted the AABANY-AALFNY and FALA New York joint pop-up Pro Bono Clinic, which took place on October 27, 2026, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Assemblymember Steven Raga’s Office , 60-14 Queens Blvd, Woodside, NY 11377. The clinic offered free 30-minute legal consultations with volunteer attorneys. Tagalog interpreters were available, in addition to the regularly provided Mandarin and Cantonese language support. The pop-up clinic was co-sponsored by Assemblymember Steven Raga, the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALA New York), Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (FALDEF), and Mission to End Modern Slavery (MEMS).
Upcoming PBCS clinic information can be found below:
November 14 – Brooklyn Time: 12:30 PM–3:30 PM Location: CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232 Volunteer registration: Register here
November 18 – Manhattan Time: 6:30 PM–8:30 PM Location: AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, New York, NY 10002 Volunteer registration: Register here
December 2 – Queens Time: 6:30 PM–8:30 PM Location: AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355 Volunteer registration: Register here
Thank you to AABANY Executive DirectorYang Chen; AALFNY President Sylvia Chin, President of AALFNY; and PBCS Co-Chair Kwok Kei Ng for their tremendous support of this collaborative community outreach initiative.
– Written by Nandar Win Kerr, AALFNY’s Pro Bono Project Consultant
On Saturday, October 17th, 2026, AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee teamed up with the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY) to attend the South Asian Comedy Fest. Called “Brown Unhinged. Uncensored.,” the show promised a bold and no-filter night of stand-up comedy from a distinctly South Asian point of view, and it absolutely delivered. On a chilly fall evening, there was no better place to be than in a room full of new friends, colleagues, and people, all sharing many laughs.
Events such as these remind us that one of the best parts of bar associations is bringing people together. The evening provided an opportunity for SABANY and AABANY members to convene, with some longtime friends catching up and others meeting for the first time. Attendees mingled and swapped stories before the show and between sets.
The lineup brought together comedians from across the country and around the world:
Sandeep Sen (Host) – NY Times, 2x Comedy Fight Club Champion, NYC Club Comic
Pallavi Gunalan – Dropout TV, SF Sketchfest, New York Comedy Festival, Kill Tony
Sunil Mashari – Dubai-based comedian and one of the UAE comedy circuit’s leading hosts
Domitri Wejaysingher – NYC comic tackling race, identity, and social commentary; Harlem Comedy Festival alum
Fizaa Dosani – Netflix Is A Joke Festival, ABC/FX/Netflix credits, NYT-featured touring comedy show
Piyali Syam – NYC actor/writer, Today Show – featured comic, and PIT SoloCom Festival performer
Ali Mehedi – CBC Canada, Halifax Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Laughing Lassi
Shafi Hossain (Headliner) – Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Festival, Producer of Penthouse Comedy Show
The comedians held nothing back. Their sets covered everything from food and family to cultural quirks, politics, and joking about the everyday antics of life. Each comedian brought a distinct voice and perspective. The jokes landed hard, the crowd was fully engaged, and our tables were laughing from the first set to the last.
AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee thanks SABANY for collaborating on this event; all of the attendees who came out to laugh; and Foley & Lardner LLP for its generous sponsorship. We look forward to more opportunities to bring our communities together. To learn more about AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee, go here.
On October 15, 2026, AABANY’s Tax Committee and Trusts and Estates Committee co-hosted their annual dinner at Tang Pavilion in Midtown, Manhattan. The evening brought together members from both Committees, including tax and trusts and estates (T&E) professionals alongside colleagues practicing in other areas, for an evening of great food and lively conversation.
Attendees enjoyed a multi-course Chinese dinner while mingling with both new and familiar faces. The relaxed, convivial setting of Tang Pavilion gave attendees ample opportunity to build new connections and strengthen existing relationships across different practice areas.
The Tax Committee and Trusts and Estates Committee look forward to co-hosting more joint events to bring AABANY members together. Those interested in tax or trusts and estates matters are encouraged to attend future events and to visit the Committees’ subpages on the AABANY website for more information.
Written by Eric Min, Co-Chair, AABANY’s Tax Committee
On October 6, 2026, ten attendees joined AABANY’s Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee for a virtual meet-up focused on strategies for success in solo and small firm practice, which included productive discussions on how to get certified in the state and city, ways to secure government work, and how to encourage other small business owners. Committee Co-Chairs Tiffany Miao (solo practitioner at Miao Law LLC, who focuses on business litigation, general counseling ) and Yen-Yi Anderson (owner of Anderson and Associates Law P.C., a small firm focused on business immigration and commercial litigation) led the session. Attendees included criminal and civil practitioners, an IP practitioner, a law student and prospective law students interested in small firms.
A central focus of the discussion was on Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) certification, which is available through both the city and the state. Applicants submit tax returns and documentation showing that the owner is a minority or a woman, and holds at least 51% of the business. Certified firms are placed on a list that receives notifications about Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and some RFPs give weight to certification when awarding contracts. One participant noted that New York State has a 30% spending goal for MWBE-certified businesses. City certification does not carry over to the state or the Port Authority however, which each require a separate application.
Participants described several routes to obtaining consistent work. Large RFPs often go to big nonprofits that then subcontract to MWBE firms. One participant has done this, and has also run monthly legal webinars and clinics for the City for about four years. She also encouraged small firms to team up on bids, for example by bringing in another practitioner for an IP or labor component, and said government agencies usually have a need for attorneys in every practice area. City agencies also hold discretionary funds to hire attorneys for smaller matters without a bid. Yen-Yi received two such engagements from city agencies; she also served as escrow agent on a Department of Veterans Affairs property purchase that required federal certification.
The main takeaway was that certification leads to work when it is paired with diligent outreach. Jenny and Megan’s firm was certified for years before it began pursuing contracts actively. They mentioned a solo practitioner who spoke at a recent state certification event who researched more than 90 state agencies, sent each General Counsel a capability statement describing her firm, and eventually landed a fractional general counsel assignment for one agency. Panelists added that government payment is reliable but can lag three to four months around fiscal year-end, and that rates run lower than private work, so a financial cushion helps.
Closing the session, Tiffany Miao, who started her solo practice three years ago, said it helps to have “your ducks lined up,” but “sometimes it’s good to just get going,” because once the work starts “a lot of things are going to change.” “The beauty of a solo practice is that you get to make it your own,” she said.
To learn more about the Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee, click here. To join future events, please check out AABANY’s calendar.
On September 24, 2026, AABANY’s Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, Litigation Committee, and Career Advancement Committee partnered to host “Ink & Inspiration: A Chinese Ink-Painting Workshop.” This event was led by Sharon Y. Li, an oil and Chinese ink painter based in Brooklyn who teaches introductory creative art workshops across New York and China.
Upon arrival, attendees were greeted with a beautiful setup of Xuan paper rolls (宣纸卷; Chinese rice paper rolls), mao bi (毛笔; traditional Chinese brushes), Chinese inks, felt pads, and painting tip sheets. The session began with participants learning how to grip a traditional Chinese brush properly and practicing various brush techniques.
After participants became comfortable with the basics, Sharon provided step-by-step instruction on how to paint iconic Mid-Autumn Festival symbols, including the rabbit, moon, and pomelo. The relaxed, friendly environment encouraged a range of conversations between lawyers and law students alike.
After two hours of engaging instruction, meaningful community bonding, and plenty of shared laughter over our unidentifiable ink blobs, the workshop drew to a close. The event ended in a vibrant gallery walk that proudly highlighted every single participant’s magnificent, unique work.
To see more photos from this event, click here. To read Law360’s article about this event, click here.
On September 22, 2026, AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee and Government Service and Public Interest Committee co-hosted a panel discussion at St. John’s University School of Law on public defense and public interest careers, bringing together law students, attorneys, and community members. Three lawyers – Eugene Kim, Criminal Defense; Shirley Luong, Tenants’ Rights; and Rex Chen, Immigration – provided insight on their day-to-day, the work that keeps them going, and how their practices confront systemic struggles while serving and representing the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
Criminal Defense: Eugene Kim
After graduating from Northeastern University School of Law, Eugene began his career at the Legal Aid Society, where he spent many years representing approximately 3,000 clients. He went on to work in the Mayor’s Office, but during the panel, Eugene reflected on his time at the Legal Aid Society. He has also served previously as Vice Chair and Co-Chair of AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service Committee.
When asked to describe what his typical day at work looked like, he talked about time spent staffing the courtroom, moving between court appearances, legal research, and visits to Rikers Islands to take on new cases.
Eugene described both the challenges and rewards of his practice. The biggest challenge, he said, was that there are “no moral victories in court,” especially in criminal defense. For Eugene, the most rewarding aspect is “winning for a client when their family is in the room,” which he said is what kept him going.
On the issue of racism in his profession, Eugene was direct: In the criminal justice system, racism is unfortunately a “feature” of it. As a public defender, his goal was to provide “the best defense that money can’t buy.” Turning to the AAPI community, Eugene expressed his belief that AAPI residents are underrepresented because there are fewer attorneys who share their backgrounds and can understand them, and he called for greater advocacy towards proper representation. His advice for attorneys entering the profession: leadership cannot be forced. “Figure out who you are and stay true to it, because people will notice if you don’t.”
Tenants’ Rights: Shirley Luong
A lifelong New Yorker born and raised in Flushing, Shirley attended Brooklyn Law School. From 2024-25, she served as Vice Chair of AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service Committee and is currently Vice Chair of AABANY’s Government Service & Public Interest Committee. She is a Staff Attorney in housing justice and tenant defense at the Legal Aid Society, where she has worked for the past decade. Shirley is passionate about pursuing justice for her clients’ housing circumstances. For example, just before the pandemic struck, she compelled a landlord to build a wheelchair-accessible ramp so that her client could safely and conveniently access his own home.
For Shirley, secondary trauma is the greatest challenge of her direct service work. As a client’s first line of defense, she found it difficult to balance sympathy with maintaining the emotional distance needed for her profession. The reward is the flip side: the impact on people’s lives is immediate and tangible.
When asked about racism in her area of practice and how her work addresses it, she describes it as systemic and deeply rooted – a theme all the panelists shared. Housing policies like redlining, she explained, historically excluded communities of color from homeownership and, with it, generational wealth. This turns into exclusion from employment opportunities, education, and other benefits, rights, and privileges. Though such practices are now illegal, they have lasting effects, and minority communities continue to be targeted in housing court today. To Shirley, tenants’ rights form an essential aspect of racial justice work. For AAPI clients specifically, language access remains a barrier, as housing law is difficult to understand, even for attorneys, and interpretation often can’t accurately communicate legal terminology.
Immigration Law: Rex Chen
Rex Chen has over 20 years of immigration law experience. After graduating from New York University School of Law, he worked at the Legal Aid Society and the Safe Passage Project, later served as Director of Immigration at Legal Services NYC, and now serves as Supervising Attorney for Immigrant Rights at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, where his work includes impact litigation meant to benefit whole groups of people. His days mix client consultations, tracking constant shifts in immigration law, and mentoring pro bono attorneys on their own cases.
For Rex, keeping a moral compass when everything is changing has presented his biggest challenge. His reward is knowing that he and his work are on what he deems “the right side of history.” Rex spoke candidly about the systemic racism rooted in immigration law and how his team responds: commenting on proposed rules, prioritizing antiracist projects, and educating communities. On AAPI communities specifically, he pointed to how criminal convictions can lead to deportation, including Southeast Asian community members for offenses committed when they were young, and increasingly racist policies aimed at South Asians and Muslims. Stereotypes, he noted, affect AAPI attorneys and inevitably enter public interest spaces – something that continued community engagement and advocacy will help address.
Together, the three panelists offered an introspective and candid look at what it takes to sustain a career in public defense and public interest law: the emotional weight of the work, the systemic issues it addresses, and the communities it serves.
AABANY thanks Eugene, Shirley, and Rex for sharing their perspectives and for the work they do, and Victoria Elise and Nathan Cao of St. John’s University School of Law for moderating. AABANY also thanks St. John’s University School of Law for hosting this event and gratefully acknowledges Student Outreach Committee Co-Chairs, Helen Ding and Joseph D. Eng Jr., and the Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chairs, Kevin Hsi and Johnny Thach, for organizing this event. To learn more about the Student Outreach Committee and how you can get involved, go here. To learn more about the Government Service and Public Interest Committee go here.
Are you attending the NAPABA Convention on November 12-14, 2026 in Los Angeles this year? Check out some of these events and programs at which you can find AABANY members and leaders while you are there!
This list will be periodically updated as we get new information about AABANY member participation, so check back here for updates.
Solo & Small Firm Boot Camp 1 | Scaling Your Practice: Partnerships, Mergers, and Exit Strategies for Solo & Small Firm Lawyers.
AABANY Board Director and Issues Committee Co-Chair Vishal Chander and AABANY Board Director Jennifer Wu will be on this panel.
2:45 PM-4:00 PM
Public Sector Network Workshop 2 | Public Interest Lawyering in the Age of Trump 2.0.
AABANY Academic Committee Co-Chair Dennis Fan will be on this panel.
Solo & Small Firm Boot Camp 2 | Cutting Through the Hype: Practical AI Implementation for Solo & Small Law Firms
AABANY Board Director and Issues Committee Co-Chair Vishal Chander will be on this panel.
Friday, November 13, 2026
9:00 AM-10:15 AM PT
Shark Tank Part IV: The GC Hot Seat — Live Pitch Coaching and Business Development Mastery
AABANY Past President and member Susan Shin and AABANY member Allen Lo will be on this panel.
10:45 AM-12:00 PM
General Counsel Roundtable
AABANY In-House Counsel Committee Co-Chair David Sohn and AABANY member Michael Wu will be co-moderating this panel, and a number of GCs from AABANY, including Don Liu and Allen Lo will be speaking.
Law Student Workshop 2 | Breaking Into Public Interest and Impact-Driven Advocacy: Strategies for Finding Purpose-Driven Legal Careers
AABANY members Louise Lingat and Professor Rose C. Cuison-Villazorwill be on this panel.
Hate Crimes in the COVID‑19 Era and Beyond: The Unfinished Work Facing Attorneys, Advocates, Government, and Society
AABANY Board Director Jennifer Wu will be on this panel.
Behind the Curtain: What Really Happens in Mediation and Arbitration
AABANY Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee Co-Chair Chris Kwok will be on this panel.
12:00 PM-1:30 PM
Mainstage Event: Friday Plenary Luncheon: A Conversation with Min Jin Lee and Don Liu
AABANY member Don Liuwill be moderating. AABANY Board Director Jennifer Wu will introduce the speakers. Her firm, Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone, LLP is sponsoring this luncheon.
2:00 PM-3:15 PM PT
“Concededly Loyal”: Ex Parte Mitsuye Endo
This is the newest AABANY Trial Re-Enactment, presented for the first time at NAPABA. AABANY members Hon. Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin will be narrating this reenactment, along with a cast featuring many AABANY members.
Dueling Experts: Inside the Damages Battles That Decide High-Stakes Litigation
AABANY Past President and member Brian Song will be on this panel.
Hyper Velocity, Higher Stakes: Mitigating Early Tenure Risk for General Counsel
AABANY member Don Liuwill be on this panel.
Saturday, November 14, 2026
9:00 AM-10:15 AM PT
AI in the Crosshairs: Generative AI, Intellectual Property, and the Global Technology Threat
AABANY Past President and member Sapna Palla, and NAPABA incoming President-Elect,will be on this panel.
10:45 AM-12:00 PM PT
Still Under Watch: The China Initiative’s Lasting Impact on Asian American Workers, Academics, and Advocates
AABANY Board Director and Issues Committee Co-Chair Rachel Lee will be on this panel.
Yes, we do have a WhatsApp group for AABANY members at the NAPABA Convention. If you are on WhatsApp and wish to be added, send a request to [email protected].
If you are participating in a panel or will be receiving an honor at the NAPABA Convention but are not listed above, please let us know at [email protected], and we will update this blog post accordingly.
PBCS volunteers, comprising volunteer attorneys and law students, met with 20 clients and provided guidance on a variety of legal issues, including housing, immigration, real estate property, trusts and estates, family law, public benefits, and civil litigation.
Positive feedback from the clients included: “Productive! Helpful.” and “Thank you for this service! Really appreciate it!!“
Thank you to the following volunteers for attending the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic:
Attorneys: Jingjuan (Max) Guo Kevin Hsi Beatrice Leong Arthur Lin Carrie Nie Ahseon Park Gary Yeung
Interpreters/shadowers: Helen Ding Cheri Chaibut Kaleah Haddock Nandar Win Kerr Alexandra Ly Pan Pan Renato Pangan Ellyse Ramos Jingjing Wang Suzie Yu Wendy Zeng Kangjie Zheng Nathan Zou
Special thanks to those who stayed late to consult on the last-minute housing case!
We invite you to continue supporting our community by joining us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics:
October 27th [Woodside Queens pop-up clinic link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, Assemblymember Steven Raga’s Office (Cellar), 60-14 Queens Blvd, Woodside, NY 11377
November 14th [Brooklyn link here], from 12:30 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232
November 18th [Manhattan link here] from 6:30-8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002
December 2nd [Queens link here], from 6:30 – 8:30pm, AAFE One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355
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.
