February 24, 2014

PRESS RELEASE: AABANY To Honor Vernon Jordan and Other Honorees at 25th Annual Dinner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director

February 24, 2014 (718) 228-7206

AABANY TO HONOR VERNON JORDAN WITH “I4 LEADERSHIP AWARD” AT 25^TH ANNUAL DINNER TO BE HELD AT CIPRIANI WALL STREET

NEW YORK – On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) will hold its 25^th Anniversary Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street. Attendees of the 2014 AABANY Annual Dinner will include prominent federal and state judges, elected officials and dignitaries, attorneys from large and small law firms, corporate law departments, prosecutors’ offices and government agencies. AABANY’s 2013 Annual Dinner attracted more than 750 members of the legal and business communities from New York and beyond. This year AABANY is pleased to announce that its 2014 Annual Dinner honorees will be:

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Senior Managing Director Lazard Frères & Co. LLC

Randal S. Milch, Executive Vice President, Public Policy, and General Counsel Verizon Communications Inc.

AALDEF (Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund)

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. will receive the AABANY I4 Leadership Award. The I4 Leadership award is presented to a leader who is an ICON, embodying the highest IDEALS and INSPIRING others while making a real and lasting IMPACT in the community and society. Mr. Jordan, a Senior Managing Director at Lazard Frères & Co. LLC, the financial advisory and asset management firm, also remains Senior Counsel at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he practices general, corporate, legislative and international law in Washington, D.C.

Randal S. Milch is Executive Vice President, Public Policy, and General Counsel of Verizon Communications Inc. He leads the company’s public policy, legal, regulatory, government affairs and security groups. From 2006 until being named to his current position in October 2008, Mr. Milch served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Verizon Business, responsible for all legal services and external affairs support for the company’s global enterprise carrier. Before that, Milch served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Verizon’s domestic telecom business. He was appointed to the latter position in 2000, upon the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. He sits on the Verizon Leadership Council, the corporation’s senior operating and policy making body. At Verizon, Mr. Milch has championed diversity through the creation of a supervisory diversity council within the legal department. Mr. Milch will receive AABANY’s Corporate Counsel Leadership Award.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), which was founded in 1974 and is celebrating its 40^th anniversary, 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. AALDEF focuses on critical issues affecting Asian Americans, including immigrant rights, civic participation and voting rights, economic justice for workers, educational equity, housing and environmental justice, and the elimination of anti-Asian violence, police misconduct, and human trafficking. AALDEF will receive AABANY’s Public Advocacy Award.

“We are deeply honored and humbled that such a legendary defender of legal rights as Vernon Jordan will be helping AABANY commemorate our 25^th anniversary at our Annual Dinner, along with such notable leaders in their respective corporate and community legal spheres as Randal Milch and AALDEF,” said Mike Huang, AABANY President.

For more information about AABANY, or this event, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any media inquiries to [email protected].

###

The Asian American Bar Association of New York was formed in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent the interests of New York Asian-American attorneys, judges, law professors, legal professionals, paralegals and law students. The mission of AABANY is to improve the study and practice of law, and the fair administration of justice for all by ensuring the meaningful participation of Asian Americans in the legal profession.

February 24, 2014

PRESS RELEASE: NAPABA CONDEMNS ARIZONA LEGISLATION THAT BOLSTERS BUSINESSES’ ABILITY TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST LGBT PEOPLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 24, 2014

Contact: Emily Chatterjee (202) 775-9555

NAPABA CONDEMNS ARIZONA LEGISLATION THAT BOLSTERS
BUSINESSES’ ABILITY TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST LGBT PEOPLE
Calls on Governor Jan Brewer to veto bill

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) strongly urges Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto legislation passed by the Arizona state legislature last Thursday that, under the guise of religious freedom, would enable discrimination against individuals who identify as LGBT.

“NAPABA has a long-standing commitment to supporting the civil rights of all members of our community, including our LGBT brothers and sisters,” said William J. Simonitsch, president of NAPABA. “While NAPABA respects the sincerely held religious beliefs of all people, religion has unfortunately been misused by some historically as an excuse to oppress people of color and people of other religions. For many it justified slavery, segregation, and the criminalizing of interracial marriages. The employment of a religious justification to now excuse the discrimination of LGBT people is just as reprehensible.”

If Governor Brewer does not veto Arizona House Bill 2153/Senate Bill 1062 by this coming Friday, Arizona will soon allow individuals and for-profit corporations to discriminate against anyone if they claim to be acting in the name of their religious convictions. This includes refusing services to members of the LGBT community and denying equal benefits to women in the workplace. On its face, it could be used as justification for discriminating against anyone, on any grounds, so long as a free religious exercise claim is asserted.

“As a long-time citizen of Arizona and as a former President of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association, I believe that this bill does not represent our state, and we categorically denounce this and all legislation targeting disenfranchised groups, including the LGBT and immigrant communities,” said George C. Chen, president-elect of NAPABA. “Religious freedom is an important part of our society, but this bill is about legalizing discrimination, not about religious freedom. Governor Brewer needs to veto this bill.”

###

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 67 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include 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 the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

February 24, 2014

Columbia APALSA Third Annual Conference: On the Shoulders of Giants

The Columbia Asian Pacific America Law Students Association invites you to attend their third annual conference: On the Shoulders of Giants: New Horizons for Asian Americans in Law and Politics. The conference will be held on Saturday, March 8 starting at 1pm. Attend one of three panels on Immigration Reform, Minority Identity, and Professional Development or attend dinner with keynote speaker former NYC Comptroller John Liu. Among the speakers at the conference will be AABANY President Mike Huang, President-Elect Clara Ohr and Board Member Karen Lim, who will be joining Helen Wan (author, The Partner Track) and Vivia Chen (blogger, The Careerist) on a panel entitled “Navigating the Career Ladder: Professional Development Strategies for Asian American Attorneys.”

CLE credit will be offered. Tickets are available on our
website at http://blogs.law.columbia.edu/apalsaconference/.

February 24, 2014

PALS Presents: Opportunities and Career Paths of U.S. Attorneys

You Are Invited to Attend a Career Panel & Networking Reception

Opportunities and Career Paths of U.S. Attorneys

Thursday, March 6, 2014

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.