Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
2014 Rising Stars: Congrats to Vinoo Varghese
The New York Law Journal congratulates the 42 young lawyers chosen as 2014 Rising Stars by a panel of 20 esteemed judges. Our panel reviewed more than 230 no…
We are pleased to share the news that past Board member Vinoo Varghese was recently named one of the New York Law Journal’s 2014 Rising Stars. Congratulations, Vinoo! To see the other Rising Stars for 2014, follow the link in the title.
Myung Kang-Huneke, AABANY Advisory Committee Member, will be honored at KALAGNY’s 28th Anniversary Gala. Myung Kang-Huneke is Executive Vice President and General Counsel & Secretary at Sesame Workshop. She is being honored for her role as a Trailblazer within the Korean American legal community. The award will be presented on June 10th at the Harvard Club. For more information on KALAGNY’s 28th Annual Gala, please click here.
Parkin Lee, AABANY Advisory Committee member, will be honored at the New York Immigration Coalition’s 10th Annual Builders of the New New York Awards. Parkin Lee is Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of The Rockefeller Group. He was chosen for his outstanding service to New York society and initiative in community-building. The award will be presented on June 23, 2014 at Capitale. For more information on the gala, please click here.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Parkin for this well-deserved honor.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2014
Contact: Emily Chatterjee (202) 775-9555
NAPABA APPLAUDS CONFIRMATION OF INDIRA TALWANI
TO THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT FOR MASSACHUSETTS
WASHINGTON — Today, Indira Talwani was confirmed to United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts with a 94-0 vote. Talwani will be the first person of Asian descent to serve as a federal judge in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the first person of Asian descent to serve as an Article III judge in the courts covered by the First Circuit, and only the second female Article III judge of South Asian descent nationwide.
“Indira Talwani’s confirmation is cause for further celebration as we observe Asian Pacific American Heritage Month,” said William J. Simonitsch, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “With her confirmation, Judge Talwani makes history as ‘the first’ of many titles and we congratulate Judge Talwani on her accomplishments.”
Prior to her confirmation, Judge Talwani was partner at the Massachusetts law firm of Segal Roitman and the San Francisco law firm of Altshuler Berzon LLP. After graduating for law school, she clerked for the Honorable Stanley A. Weigel on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Talwani has been recognized for several awards, including: Best Lawyers in America (2013); Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2012); Top 10 Lawyers of the Year, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2010); and Chinese Progressive Association’s Workers Justice Award (2012). Judge Talwani received her J.D. from the University of California Berkeley School of Law and B.A. from Harvard/Radcliffe College.
NAPABA applauds President Obama for this nomination, and thanks Senator Elizabeth Warren for her support of Judge Talwani. Her confirmation today increases the number of active Asian Pacific American Article III judges to 25 nationwide: 4 federal appellate court judges and 21 federal district court judges.
###
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 68 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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 7,2014 Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director (718) 228-7206
XEROX CORPORATION GENERAL COUNSEL AND ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER DON LIU TO RECEIVE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS “LEGEND OF LAW” BURTON AWARD
NEW YORK – May 7, 2014 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that Don Liu, General Counsel & Secretary of Xerox Corporation and a member of AABANY’s Advisory Committee, has been named one of the “Legends in Law” by the Burton Awards Program in association with the Library of Congress.
Nominated by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Don Liu was chosen among the general counsels nominated by managing partners of the nation’s 1,000 largest law firms. The winners are selected based on their reputation in the legal profession, demonstrated competence in a specialized area of law, extensive background and experience, complexity and scope of matters handled, success in global or national issues, and exemplary leadership in law. The Burton Awards were established in 1999 by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit academic effort devoted to recognizing excellence in the legal profession.
“AABANY congratulates Don Liu for this latest prestigious honor recognizing his exceptional legal career,” said AABANY President Clara Ohr. “As one of the numerous beneficiaries of Don’s tireless efforts to champion diversity and inclusion through his guidance, individual mentoring, and raising mainstream awareness, AABANY is pleased but not at all surprised the Burton Foundation has selected him as a ‘Legend in Law.’”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].
The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
###
Additional information about AABANY is available at www.aabany.org
Follow our blog at www.blog.aabany.org
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aabany
Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aabany
Find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/aabany
You are cordially invited to see a new daring documentary about the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, premiering in New York’s IFC CENTER on May 16th!
AI WEIWEI THE FAKE CASE
a documentary by Andreas Johnsen
+DIRECTOR Q&As ALL OPENING WEEKEND+
US premiere May 16th at NYC’s IFC Center
Join the [Facebook Event] for an advance ticket link!
[ Trailer | Website | Facebook | Twitter ]
A LIFE LIVED IN SILENCE IS NOT A LIFE.
Named Best Documentary of 2014 by the Danish Film Critics’ Association
After 81 days of solitary detention world famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is put under house arrest. He suffers from sleeping disorder and memory loss, 18 cameras are monitoring his studio and home, police agents follow his every move, and heavy restrictions from the Kafkaesque Chinese authorities weigh him down. Picking up where Alison Klayman’s Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry left off, AI WEIWEI THE FAKE CASE is more explicitly political, reflecting Ai’s battle against the gigantic lawsuit thrust upon him by the Chinese government in an effort to silence him. Ai Weiwei is shaken, but during his year on probation he steadily finds new ways to provoke and challenge the mighty powers of the Chinese authorities in his fight for human rights and free expression. The film also features the creation of S.A.C.R.E.D., a new work depicting Ai’s time in prison, which premiered during the Venice Biennale and is now on view at the Brooklyn Museum.
•••
“POWERFUL. MOVING. ABSORBING. The world’s press turns off their cameras, but it is here that Andreas Johnsen’s film begins. FASCINATING.”- Mark Adams, Screen
“Picks up where Alison Klayman’s Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry left off, serving as not just an update, but an EVEN MORE GALVANIZING call for reform. Ai’s voice carries louder than ever before.” – Peter Debruge, Variety
“INTIMATE. TOPICAL.”- Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter
Other Screenings
San Francisco, CA – Starts 5/23 at Landmark Opera Plaza
Berkeley, CA – Starts 5/23 at Landmark Shattuck
Santa Fe, NM – Starts 5/23 at Contemporary Arts Center
Los Angeles, CA – Starts 6/6 at Laemmle Royal
Portland, OR – Starts 6/6 at Northwest Film Forum
Chicago, IL – Starts 6/13 at Gene Siskel Film Center
Miami, FL – Starts 6/27 at O Cinema
On Friday, June 6, at 8 p.m., Teresa Cheung will lead the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra in Brahms’ Double Concerto (with Wendy Y. Chen and Stephen Fang as the soloists), Sibelius’ Karelia Suite, and Mahler’s Totenfeier. The concert will take place at Symphony Space (Broadway and West 95th Street). Tickets for students, seniors, and Symphony Space members are $18; other tickets are $25 from the Symphony Space box office but $18 from orchestra members. Orchestra member Takemi Ueno is willing to get discounted tickets for AABANY members. If interested, please send a request to [email protected].
When: Friday, June 6, at 8 p.m.
Where: Symphony Space (Broadway and West 95th Street)
Price: $18
In a Flourishing Queens, Prosperity Eludes Some Asian Families
Though there is much ado about the area’s growth, it is a different story for some Asian households, which fell deeper into poverty even after the recession ended.
As yet another example of why the ‘model minority’ myth is harmful, Rachel Swarns’ article illustrates how Asian Americans are far from economically monolithic and how we must disaggregate the data to paint an accurate portrait of our communities.