AALDEF Fall Internship Opportunities
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund Fall 2015 Internships
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is the first organization on the East Coast to protect and promote the legal rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, and community education. For more information about AALDEF, please visit our website at www.aaldef.org.
Fall internships are available for the following program areas (open to all unless otherwise noted):
Anti-Trafficking Initiative – legal research and writing on the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of exploited and abused workers. **Law students ONLY**
Immigrant Access to Justice – litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach with communities impacted by post 9/11 immigration and law enforcement policies. An additional emphasis on Asian communities’ access to representation and education about immigration policies and practices that may impact them, including deferred action policies and administrative relief for youth and other immigrants, unconstitutional DHS stops, and collaboration between state/local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement. **Law students ONLY**
Administrative Assistant – provide administrative support in preparation for AALDEF’s annual gala, including: researching for prospective dinner sponsors and silent auction donors. Computer experience with databases, graphics and web programs are helpful. **Undergraduate students ONLY. Work study grants accepted.**
Description of Internships:
Interns are supervised by attorneys and/or AALDEF staff in specific program areas. These internships are not paid positions, but academic credit may be arranged. Interns work anywhere between 8 to 25 hours per week. The internship usually commences with the start of classes and ends in early December.
To Apply:
Any bilingual ability should be stated in the resume. Bilingual ability is helpful but not required. Applications should also state the number of hours the intern is able to work per week and which program area(s) you are interested in. Email applications are accepted. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Send a resume and cover letter (law students should include a writing sample) to:
AALDEF Fall Intern Search
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor, New York, New York 10013-2815
Fax: 212-966-4303 or Email: [email protected]
For more information, contact Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932, ext. 212 or [email protected].
NAPABA Affiliate Grant Program
Message from Tina Matsuoka, NAPABA Executive Director:
NAPABA’s President George Chen and Immediate Past-President Bill Simonitsch spearheaded the development of the NAPABA Affiliate Grant Program, which will allow affiliates to apply for funding of up to $3,000 annually for projects related to membership development and pro bono activities. Eligible projects include advocacy efforts to support APA communities, educational workshops for lawyers and law students, and community outreach efforts. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
For more information, please visit this link: http://www.napaba.org/?page=AffiliateGrant.
AABANY Fall Conference – Membership and Ticket Combo
If you know of anyone who has been meaning to join AABANY or has let their membership lapse, this Fall Conference membership and ticket combination offer may provide a great reason and incentive to join or renew. Help us spread the word!
To encourage non-members to join AABANY and attend the Fall Conference, AABANY is offering a special combo package for this year’s Fall Conference. Non-members get to sign up at the AABANY rate while at the same time getting a one-year membership in AABANY. We are offering an additional discount of $20 for anyone that signs up by the early bird deadline of Sept. 4. The discount for sign-ups after that is $10 off.
To see a larger version of this pricing chart, click here. Those interested in taking advantage of this great opportunity should email [email protected]!
Thanks to Membership Committee Co-Chair Jack Chen for this great membership initiative!
Information about regular Fall Conference pricing is available here. For information about the Fall Conference in general, click here. Information about joining AABANY can be found here. Email [email protected] if you have any questions.
AALDEF Position Announcement: Voting Rights Organizer
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a New York-based national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy and community education. AALDEF has a 12-person staff and is supported by foundations, corporations, individual contributions, and special events. For more information about AALDEF and its voting rights activities, visit our website at www.aaldef.org.
DESCRIPTION:
AALDEF’s Asian American Democracy Program seeks to promote fairness in the electoral process and invigorate the civic participation of Asian Americans, especially new citizens and persons not yet fluent in English. By expanding access to the electoral process for Asian Americans, AALDEF improves the quality of democracy for all Americans.
The Voting Rights Organizer is a one-year position and may be extended, subject to available funding. The Organizer will be responsible for mobilizing Asian American community groups for a non-partisan exit poll of Asian American voters and overseeing volunteers for Election Day poll monitoring in several states for the 2016 Presidential Election.
The job includes recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers; working with community leaders; supervising the development, translation, and printing of materials; and giving educational presentations. The Organizer will also oversee post-election follow-up and assist in writing a report about Asian American voter participation in the 2016 elections.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Highly organized, detail oriented, and able to supervise volunteers and work with a wide variety of community leaders and organizations.
- Strong knowledge of MS Access and other database systems.
- Bilingual ability in an Asian language is desirable.
- Strong communication skills.
- Experience in community organizing is desirable.
- Ability to travel and work on occasional weekends.
TO APPLY: Send a cover letter, resume, and three references to:
Voting Rights Organizer Search
AALDEF
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, NY 10013-2815
Fax: 212-966-4303
Email: [email protected] (put “voting rights organizer search” in the subject line)
DEADLINE: Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until filled.
AABANY Goes to Allegiance!
Did you know that George Takei (yes – Capt. Sulu, civil rights and gay rights activist, and Facebook phenomenon) was interned with his family during World War II? From that personal and life-changing experience he has developed a musical called “Allegiance” to tell a story from the American experience that most Americans don’t know about or would prefer to forget.
For more information about George Takei’s new musical Allegiance, visit: http://allegiancemusical.com/ Let us know if you’d like to join AABANY for a theatre outing between Oct. 6 and Nov. 8 by filling out the questions in the survey!
If you have any questions, contact [email protected] for more information.
Press Release: NAPABA Names Ropes & Gray as its 2015 Law Firm Diversity Award Recipient
For Immediate Release
Aug. 12, 2015
For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
202-775-9555, [email protected]
NAPABA Names Ropes & Gray as its 2015 Law Firm Diversity Award Recipient
WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has named Ropes & Gray LLP as the 2015 Law Firm Diversity Award recipient. NAPABA created the Law Firm Diversity Award to recognize law firms that actively, affirmatively, consistently, and enthusiastically recruit, retain, and promote Asian Pacific American lawyers to equity partnership and firm leadership.
The award will be presented at the NAPABA Anniversary Gala at the 2015 NAPABA Convention on Nov. 7, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Ropes & Gray has a long and proud history of being an industry leader when it comes to workplace diversity,” said NAPABA President George C. Chen. “It is a tremendous honor to be consistently recognized by your peers as one of the nation’s leaders in diversity practices, and NAPABA applauds the firm’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.”
Ropes & Gray has been recognized as a leading firm for diversity by the inaugural Law360 Minority Report released in May 2015. The distinction complements the firm’s top diversity rankings in other leading surveys, including the 2016 Vault guide, which ranked the firm in the top five U.S. law firms for overall diversity for the seventh consecutive year. Among the largest law firms on the Law360 list, Ropes & Gray ranked highest, and was the only firm with more than 1,000 lawyers recognized among the top 10 firms on the list, ranking eighth overall. The survey ranked Ropes & Gray for its inclusiveness based upon the firm’s minority representation at both the partner and non-partner levels, and based upon the firm’s total number of minority attorneys. Separately, Law360 ranked Ropes & Gray as one of the 50 best law firms for minority partners.
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 approximately 70 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services 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.
To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).
Auction, Artifacts, and George Takei: How ADR Helped Preserve a Part of Japanese-American History-Theodore K. Cheng
AABANY would like to share Theodore K. Cheng’s article “Auction, Artifacts, and George Takei: How ADR Helped Preserve a Part of Japanese-American History,” published in the NYSBA Arts, Sports and Entertainment Law Journal.
Theodore K. Cheng is the President of our sister affiliate APALA-NJ and current ADR Sub-Committee Chair of AABANY’s Litigation Committee, as well as a former board member of AABANY.
Here’s a brief synopsis of his article:
Entitled, "Auction, Artifacts, and George Takei: How ADR Helped Preserve a Part of Japanese-American History,” it recounts the successful story of how treasured artifacts from Japanese-American internment camps were saved from being generally disseminated to the public through the intervention of various interest groups and, ultimately, George Takei, who brokered a deal with the Japanese American National Museum. Along the way, Theo mentions the Heart Mount War Relocation Center and AABANY’s re-enactment (see, in particular, endnote 4).
To read the full article please CLICK HERE.