National Bar Association Accepting Applications for 2013 Advocacy Competition-Deadline February 28!

The National Bar Association (NBA) is accepting applications for its 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition. More than $25,000 in scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors and seniors who place in the regional and national competitions. To compete, eligible students must submit an essay by February 28, 2013. For the fourth consecutive year, MetLife is proud to be the Platinum sponsor of the program.

High school juniors and seniors from across the country are invited to submit an essay for the 2013 competition. In no more than 1,000 words, students should address the following issue: Consider how Trayvon Martin was killed walking to his home on February 26, 2012 by George Zimmerman, a Florida neighborhood watchman in a gated community. Some have justified Zimmerman’s actions based on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. If Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive, would he advocate repealing this law and other similar laws? Please discuss why or why not.   

For more information, please visit www.nationalbar.org/mlkcompetition.

NAPABA APPLAUDS U.S. SENATE BIPARTISAN PASSAGE OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400 
Washington, DC 20006


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
February 13, 2013

Contact: Emily Chatterjee 
(202) 775-9555

NAPABA APPLAUDS U.S. SENATE BIPARTISAN PASSAGE 
OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, in a vote of 78-22, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds the expansions made in the Senate legislation, reintroduced by Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) in the new Congress. Some of these expansions include ensuring better access to services for victims of sexual and domestic violence in communities of color, and for the first time extending protections to victims in Native American and LGBT communities.

“NAPABA commends the bipartisan group of senators who voted in support of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act,” said Wendy Shiba, president of NAPABA. “In the United States, three women die each day because of domestic violence. We can wait no longer for reauthorization of this critical legislation. NAPABA urges the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Senate version of VAWA without any further delay.”

The Senate version of the reauthorization bill no longer includes a NAPABA-supported provision that would have increased the number of U-Visas for immigrant victims of sexual and domestic violence. Last year, members of the U.S. House of Representatives pointed to this provision as a cause for rejecting the bill. Senator Leahy plans to include a similar provision in forthcoming comprehensive immigration reform legislation and NAPABA applauds his continued efforts and commitment to protect immigrant victims of sexual and domestic violence.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 62 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members represent solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

Council of Urban Professionals: 6th Annual Leadership Gala

Invitation to CUP's 6th Annual Leadership Gala  
THE COUNCIL OF URBAN PROFESSIONALS
along with
CUP’s Gala Honorary Chair, Co-Chairs, 
and Benefit Committee
Graciously Invite You to Attend our

An Evening of Recognition and Celebration 

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
6:00 PM COCKTAILS
7:30 PM DINNER & AWARDS

@ ESPACE
635 West 42nd Street 
(Between 11th & 12th Avenues)

New York City

FESTIVE ATTIRE

A limited number of individual tickets will be available.
To Purchase Tickets, Click Here

CUP is offering a limited number of discounted member tickets for current members in good standing. Contact [email protected] for more information.
______

CUP PROUDLY HONORS

KATHY & KENNETH CHENAULT
Philanthropic Leadership Award

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
Breakthrough Leadership Award

VIACOM MEDIA NETWORKS
Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award

______

To Purchase Tickets, Click Here.

_____________________________________________________________________________


HONORARY GALA CHAIR
VALENTINO D. CARLOTTI
Goldman Sachs & Co.

GALA CO-CHAIRS
Nicole Bernard
, The Fox Group
Sharon Bowen, Latham & Watkins LLP
David Brown, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Jocelyn Cooley, BET Networks
Eunu Chun, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
James E. Francis, Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC
Beatrice Hamza-Bassey, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
David Jones, CastleOak Securities, L.P.
Shawn Lytle, UBS
Keija Minor, Brides Magazine
Martez Moore, BET Networks
Charles Patton, Oak Hill Capital Partners
Luis R. Penalver, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
David Sutphen, Brunswick Group
Jose L. Tavarez, Bank of America – Merrill Lynch
Rossie E. Turman III, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Wanji J. Walcott, American Express Travel Related Services Company
Kelly M. Williams, Credit Suisse – Customized Fund Investment Group
GALA BENEFIT COMMITTEE
Janelle Alexander, Alprion Capital Management
Sherrese Clarke, Morgan Stanley
S. Jeanine Conley, Baker & Hostetler LLP
Carlos Davila-Caballero, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Lisa Davis, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Leonard de Montagnac, Wells Fargo
Joseph Drayton, Cooley LLP
Maria Fernandez-Williams, IBM
A. Mark Getachew, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Keli Goff, Loop21.com 
Roderick Hardamon, Citi
Duane L. Hughes, Morgan Stanley
Cheryl C. Joyner, The Global Ivy Society
Monika Mantilla, Altura Capital Group LLC
Levan Moulton, Goldman Sachs & Co
Reginald M. Rasch, LinkShare Corporation
Johnita Walker Mizelle, Lyxor Asset Management
Gregory M. Weston, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Dawanna Williams, Dabar Development Partners
Katerina Zacharia, PromaxBDA

_____________________________________________________________________
 

CUP is Grateful for the Support of Our

6th Annual Leadership Gala Sponsors:

PLATINUM
Goldman Sachs
Morgan Stanley

CUP’S PIONEER CIRCLE
Valentino D. Carlotti
Amelia & Bayo Ogunlesi
Kim & Tarrus L. Richardson
Angelique & James Francis

GOLD
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Deutsche Bank
New York Life Insurance Company
Wells Fargo
Williams Capital Group, L.P.

SILVER
Barclays Bank
CastleOak Securities, L.P.
Latham & Watkins LLP
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Pfizer, Inc.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Thomson Reuters
The Fox Group
UBS

BRONZE
Ariel Investments
Bank of America
Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP/ Luis Penalver
Consolidated Edison Co. of New York
Credit Suisse
HBO, Inc.
Johnita Walker Mizelle
Ogilvy & Mather
RBC Capital Markets
The McGraw-Hill Companies

FRIENDS
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Leigh & Jarrod Fong

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

For sponsorship information, please contact:

Samantha E. Erskine, Director of Development, at [email protected].

 View Photo’s from Last Year’s Gala

 To Purchase Tickets, Click Here.

  
For more information on CUP, visit  www.nycup.org.

AALDEF Press Release: AALDEF 2013 Justice in Action Awards

February 20, 2013 – Congressman John LewisMember of the U.S. House of Representatives (Georgia), Jose Antonio Vargas of Define American, and Simone Wu of Choice Hotels International, Inc. were honored with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s (AALDEF) 2013 Justice in Action Awards on February 19.

Since 1987, AALDEF has presented the Justice in Action Awards to exceptional individuals for their outstanding achievements and efforts in advancing social justice. The awards were presented by Rep. Grace Meng, the first Asian American to represent New York in Congress, Tony Award-winning playwright of M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang, and Gordon Smith, CEO of Consumer and Community Banking, JPMorgan Chase.

Juju Chang, Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC News Nightline, and Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Digital Officer at Columbia University, both long time supporters of AALDEF, were the co-emcees for the banquet of over 700. They were joined at the end with a surprise appearance on stage from actor BD Wong, who urged the guests to show their support for AALDEF.

Among the guests at Pier Sixty in New York City were Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York, U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Debra James, and past Justice in Action Award recipients Don LiuParkin LeeAlice Young, and Sandra Leung.

AALDEF Board president Tommy Shi wished the audience a happy new year and shared the story that, seven days before the 2012 election, with AALDEF’s national poll monitoring and exit poll project at stake, Hurricane Sandy hit New York. AALDEF staff was stranded in outer boroughs and the office was without electricity. “We put out an emergency call for help,” said Shi. “AALDEF staff and volunteers lugged boxes of voting materials down 12 flights of stairs in the dark. We were lucky that Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP donated temporary space with computers and phones for our staff and volunteers. And Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP opened its conference rooms to us. In the end, the Asian American Exit Poll surveyed over 9,000 voters in 14 states on Election Day, the largest multilingual survey of its kind.”

Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said that the three Justice in Action Award recipients had taken courageous stands on some of AALDEF’s current priority issues: securing real immigration reform, expanding diversity, and defending the Voting Rights Act before the U.S. Supreme Court.

David Henry Hwang introduced honoree Jose Antonio Vargas as having “one of the great immigrant stories of our time.” Vargas, an award-winning Filipino American journalist, publicly revealed himself to be an undocumented immigrant in a 2011 New York Times Magazine article. “Immigrant rights are human rights,” said Vargas, who acknowledged the work of AALDEF and civil rights organizations by joking that the reason he “was still here” was that he was “all lawyered up.”

Honoree Simone Wu, senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary, and chief compliance officer of Choice Hotels International, spoke about the need for diversity and inclusiveness. “So many Asian Americans do not get a chance to share in the model minority myth,” said Wu. “At Choice Hotels we value diversity in all our decisions and our results are better as a result of doing that.”

The evening came to a close with Rep. Grace Meng introducing civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis with a surprise video of the Congressman dancing “Gangnam-style” for the right to vote.

“The right to vote is precious, even sacred,” said Congressman Lewis, who, in 1965, led over 600 peaceful protesters in the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation known as “Bloody Sunday,” and the senseless cruelty hastened passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “I gave a little blood for the right to vote. But some of my friends gave their lives. We have made too much progress to stop now.”

Past Justice in Action Award recipients include Fred Korematsu, David Henry Hwang, Fareed Zakaria, BD Wong, Sandra Leung, Harold KohMira NairDeval Patrick,George TakeiSalman RushdieSeymour HershCharles Ogletree, Jr.Harry BelafonteMargaret Cho, and Yoko Ono.

Contact:
Ujala Sehgal
212.966.5932 ex.217
[email protected]

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Image Credit: Lia Chang for AALDEF

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Image Credit: Corky Lee for AALDEF

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Image Credit: Lia Chang for AALDEF

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Image Credit: Corky Lee for AALDEF

View release online >

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

For further information and updates, please visit us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

From AABDC: SILK ROAD PERFORMANCE

What a way to celebrate the Chinese New Year! From the China Gansu Dance Theatre comes the astonishing New York premiere of a milestone masterpiece of Chinese dance theater: SILK ROAD.

Performed at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center from February 27 – March 3, 2013, this spectacular production features 60 dancers, along with astounding athleticism, artistry and ision. This stunning production is inspired by the magnificent Dunhuang frescoes and follows master painter Zhang, his daughter Yingniang, and Persian merchant Yunus as they travel along the Silk Road.

Come experience this strictly limited engagement… and travel along the Silk Road to a world of wonder, enchantment and extraordinary dance.

SILK ROAD PERFORMANCE @ DAVID H. KOCH THEATER
February 27, Wednesday ,8pm

March 1, Friday, 8pm
March 2, Saturday, 8pm
March 3, Sunday, 1pm

Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more.
For rates and availability please contact Kimberly Giannelli at[email protected] or 212-875-5378.




Copyright © 2013 Asian American Business Development Center, All rights reserved.

From SDNY/EDNY: Changes to Rules Effective Feb. 25

EASTERN AND SOUTHERN DISTRICTS ADOPT REVISIONS TO JOINT LOCAL CIVIL RULE AND LOCAL ADMIRALTY RULES EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 25

The United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York have adopted revisions to Joint Local Civil Rule 1.5 and Local Admiralty Rules B.2 and C.1. The revised rules go into effect on Monday, February 25 and can be found online at http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtrules.php.
       

The courts adopted new subsection (h) of Local Civil Rule 1.5 to impose an obligation upon an attorney who has been disbarred, suspended, or censured by one court to notify other courts. The courts amended Local Admiralty Rule B.2 to clarify the plaintiff’s notice obligation following an attachment. The courts also amended Local Admiralty Rule C.1 to specify that the Rule applies to a summons issued pursuant to Rule C(3)©.

Click Here to see the revisions.

From PALS: The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. Scholarship Program

PALS Logo White on Blue

The Following Opportunity May Be of Interest to PALS Law Students
(Please indicate you found out about the opportunity through PALS )    

The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. Scholarship Program 

The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc. Scholarship program was organized in 1995.

They have awarded over $30,000 in scholarships since 1995. 

Criteria:            

The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of:

* demonstrated community service;

* personal financial need; and

* current enrollment as a full-time student

at an accredited law school in Connecticut, New Jersey or New York. 

Academic performance is NOT the deciding factor.

Recommendations and personal statements should reflect community service activities.

The recommendations must be attached to the application.

No faxes will be accepted. 

The application is available on the website:

 www.abwanewyork.org 

The application consists of seven (7) pages. Please complete the entire application.

All information submitted is strictly confidential. 

Deadline:         

All applications should be postmarked by Wednesday, April 1, 2013 to: 

Diane Gatewood, Chair-Scholarship Committee

The Association of Black Women Attorneys, Inc.

255 West 36th Street, Suite 800

New York, New York 10018

Delivery:          

Please note that the address is a mail drop. ABWA does not maintain office facilities. 

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PALS Mission Statement: 
PALS is dedicated to enhancing the skills and careers of minority law students and early career attorneys.  PALS does this by offering customized mentoring, educational and professional development opportunities.  PALS provides resources to augment the law school and employer training of, respectively, minority law students and beginning lawyers, and will continue to offer its services free of charge.

From AABDC: The Affordable Care Act Legislation and Small Businesses in NY

The Affordable Care Act Legislation and Small Businesses In New York State

February 19, 2013 – With the 2014 roll-out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or “ObamaCare”) less than a year away, business owners are scrambling to understand what it means for them. Small businesses in New York State, specifically Asian American owned businesses, can now go to one online portal for relevant information on ACA.
 
Created by the Asian American Business Development Center, the Asian American Small Businesses and Health Reform information portal (www.aabdc.com) provides basic, easy to understand information for Asian American small business owners regarding

a) proposed policy changes;
b) the potential impact of ACA;
c) planning for the long term needs of their business and employees.
 
The goal of the ACA is to provide access to affordable and quality health care coverage to more Americans.  It entails a number of gradual reforms that are being enacted between 2010 and 2014. These reforms will take place on the federal, state, and community levels and will affect individuals, healthcare professionals, and business owners. Since 2010, New York State has been moving forward with reform requirements in preparation for its roll-out in 2014. The AABDC health reform information portal is part of that effort. The project was funded by Macy’s Foundationand Pfizer.
 
The AABDC health reform information portal provides up-to-date information about requirement mandates, tax benefits, state insurance exchanges, and continued policy developments at the state and federal levels. It answers basic questions: Are you required to provide health insurance coverage for your employees? Are you eligible for a federal tax credit if you do provide health coverage? Can you keep your current coverage?
 
The healthcare portal Website offers online consulting services. The Asian American Business Development Center encourages the community to visit its Website to post comments and view expert explanations.