Day: March 30, 2015

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Press Release: NAPABA Opposes Indiana Governor’s Passage of Anti-LGBT Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2015

Contact: AuriaJoy Asaria
(202) 775-9555, ext. 3

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law SB 101, legislation that would enable businesses to discriminate under the banner of religious freedom against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Religious claims have in the past been used to justify slavery, segregation, and bans on interracial marriage and are now being used in the same manner to support discrimination against LGBT individuals.

“Governor Pence’s decision to support a law that permits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is disheartening and a step backwards for all Americans,” said George C. Chen, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Religious freedom is important, but discrimination masked as religious freedom is not acceptable anywhere in our nation.”

With this new law, Indiana has become the first state in the U.S. this year to enact legislation by allowing corporations and individuals to refuse to provide services to individuals simply by asserting that a discriminatory act is based on a sincerely held religious belief. Supporters of the bill deny that the bill is about discrimination and argue that religious liberties are under attack and must be protected. But this kind of legislation opens the door for widespread discrimination and goes against American values of diversity and inclusion. NAPABA supports efforts to oppose SB 101 and similar bills pending in others states to ensure equality for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation.

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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 70 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.

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AALFNY Community Service Scholarships, Deadline Extended to Mar. 31

Each year, the Asian American Law Fund of New York awards up to three scholarships of up to $5,000 to law students that are committed to helping the Asian American community in New York. The Fund recognizes that at a time when money is tight, committing one’s time to our community service organizations can be a financial strain, especially when considering law school tuition and living expenses.

If you are a law student and are planning to work with a community service organization in the New York area during the summer 2015, you are eligible to apply. The completed Scholarship Application and all required materials must be postmarked by March 31, 2015. The recipients will be announced April 20, 2015. Click here to download the application.

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Congratulations to Jean Lee

Congratulations to AABANY Past President and Board Director Jean Lee, recipient of the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York’s Trailblazer Award! Jean Lee will be honored alongside Korea Ambassador Oh Joon at KALAGNY’s 29th Anniversary Gala on June 10, 2015 at Capitale.

Jean has been making waves for quite some time now. She was also recently honored as a Council of Urban Professionals Catalyst for Change. Since her AABANY presidency in 2012, she has served on AABANY’s Board of Directors. We’re lucky to have her passion and guidance.

To purchase tickets to the KALAGNY Gala, click here. If you have any questions regarding their gala, contact [email protected].

Pictured here: Jean Lee introducing the Don H. Liu Scholarship Program at the AABANY 2015 Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street

Pictured here: Jean Lee (third from the left) among friends/AABANY members at CUP’s Lawyers Forum

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AABANY 2015 Membership Committee Delegate Program

Membership Secretary Irene Tan is seeking interested law students to serve as Membership Committee Delegates for AABANY. As a Membership Committee Delegate, law students will participate on the Membership Steering Committee and have the opportunity to work with senior leadership to develop and execute key strategic membership initiatives for the organization.  

Membership Committee Delegates are required to attend a minimum of four AABANY-sponsored events in a semester where the Membership Committee Delegate will assist with checking in attendees at events, distributing marketing materials, and promoting the organization. Membership Committee Delegates will be invited to participate on other Membership projects on an ad hoc basis.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in getting more involved in the organization. Membership Committee Delegates will attend AABANY events for free, quickly develop an expansive network within the organization, and contribute to and collaborate on membership initiatives for one of the largest minority bar associations in New York.

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KALAGNY Congratulates the Honorable Kathryn Paek

AABANY joins the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York in congratulating the Honorable Kathryn Paek on her historic appointment.

Here’s the announcement from KALAGNY:

The Honorable Kathryn Paek was appointed as a Judge of the New York City Criminal Court. She is the first Korean American woman judge in the New York State courts.

Judge Paek is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and appointed to the bench this year by the New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio.  Prior to her appointment, she was the Chief of Staff for the Office of Policy and Planning for the New York State Court System.  She was also a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society  in the Criminal Defense Division and the Immigration Unit.

Congratulations, Judge Paek!

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Take The ATL/MoFo Communication Challenge!

Take The ATL/MoFo Communication Challenge!

Apply today to participate in the ATL and Morrison & Foerster Effective Communication Challenge, an innovative law student competition hosted by BARBRI.

Law students, take advantage of this free event on Friday, April 10, 8:30am-4:30pm hosted by everybody’s favorite legal blog, Above the Law! Basically, the challenge consists of law student teams working with attorneys from Morrison & Foerster in a pitch competition, judged by MoFo and BARBRI executive vice president Dan Schoepf. 

In the words of ATL, “Come learn from BARBRI and work with MoFo attorneys so you can stop sucking at communication. ATL’s own Elie Mystal will be there to entertain you, and pretend he knows how to do this best.”

No cost to law students. No need to assemble teams.

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