The Bamboo Closet: To Stay In Or Not?
The Bamboo Closet: To Stay In Or Not?
The 2015 NAPABA Convention featured a panel about the shifting landscape for Asian-American LGBT attorneys. Entitled “The Bamboo Closet: To Stay in or Not,” the panel was moderated by Connie Montoya, who is an AABANY member and was co-chair of our Litigation Committee last year. The article was written by David Lat, another wonderful AABANY friend and Managing Editor of Above the Law.
For a recap of the AABANY Trial Reenactment at the NAPABA Convention, which also featured Connie Montoya, click here. For social media highlights from AABANY @ NAPABA, click here. For a full list of speakers at the NAPABA Rising Convention, click here. For the Best Under 40 highlights, click here. Click here for Francis Chin’s beautiful photos.
Ms. JD Honors Awards – Call for Nominations
Ms. JD will close its 8th Annual Conference this year with the the Ms. JD Honors Reception, honoring recipients of the Ms. JD Honors awards – women and men who have made a notable
contribution to the legal field. Nominations for the Ms. JD Honors awards (listed below) are
open until Wednesday, November 25, 2015. For more information about
the nomination process, please go to: http://ms-jd.org/blog/article/ms.-jd-honors-awards-nominations-open-until-november-18-2015.
This year’s awards are:
Woman
of Inspiration Award – To a woman who, regardless of her practice
area or type of practice, inspires others by her commitment and passion to her
work. (2 available.)
Student
of Inspiration Award – To a male or female law student who
inspires others through their commitment and passion to their legal studies,
extracurricular activities or to a particular cause.
Road
Less Traveled Award – To a woman who is using her J.D. in a
unique, non-traditional, way to pursue an issue or cause that she is passionate
about. (Need not be in legal practice.)
Sharing
Her Passion Award – To a woman who has practiced for more than
ten years who is inspiring younger women lawyers through sponsorship,
mentorship, and sharing her passion for the practice.
Women’s
Strength in Numbers Award – To two or more women who have
partnered with one another to create a unique program, business, or
organization. (The group may include men and the success need not be in legal
practice.)
TIM
Initiative Award – To a man who is an active champion for women’s
advancement in the legal profession. Ms. JD launched The Incredible Men (TIM)
Initiative in 2014 to celebrate men who not only value equality and diversity
in the profession, but earnestly and enthusiastically support women and women’s
initiatives.
Law
School Chapter Award – To a law school organization that
champions the advancement of women law students through, for example, chapter
initiatives (including pre-law initiatives), programming or recruitment.
Academic Freedom, Free Expression, & China’s Quest for World-Class Universities
Academic Freedom, Free Expression, & China’s Quest for World-Class Universities
Academic Freedom, Free Expression, and China’s Quest for World-Class Universities
When: Thursday, December 3, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: The New School, Starr Foundation Hall, 63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
Endangered Scholars Worldwide, in collaboration with Scholars at Risk and UNO Press, presents an evening panel discussion featuring:
Teng Biao, Chinese human rights lawyer; visiting scholar, NYU School of Law
Jewher Ilham, author and activist for her imprisoned father, Ilham Tohti
And others
Moderator: Jerome Cohen, faculty director, US-Asia Law Institute, NYU School of Law
This event is free and open to the public. Please register by following the link in the title.
PRESS RELEASE: NAPABA Calls on the Justice Department to Appeal Fifth Circuit Decision on DAPA and expanded DACA
For Immediate Release
Nov. 12, 2015
For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
[email protected], 202-775-9555
NAPABA Calls on the Justice Department to Appeal Fifth Circuit Decision on DAPA and expanded DACA
WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is deeply disappointed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Texas v. United States to continue to place on hold President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiatives. This decision prevents deportation relief to an estimated 4.9 million undocumented immigrants, of which an estimated 1.3 million are Asian Pacific American immigrants.
“The Fifth Circuit’s decision leaves millions of families in limbo and at risk of continuing to be torn apart,” said Jin Hwang, president of NAPABA. “NAPABA urges the U.S. Department of Justice to appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court so that implementation of these programs can move forward and families can receive needed relief. This decision highlights the need of Congress to pass legislation to address the problems in the immigration system.”
This lawsuit was filed in December 2014 and blocks the implementation of temporary deferred action programs. Of the 1.3 million undocumented Asian Pacific Americans, an estimated 400,000 will benefit from this temporary relief. Supporting the need for comprehensive immigration reform has long been a priority for NAPABA.
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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 approximately 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 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).
Upcoming Pro Bono Opportunities with AABANY
AABANY SCRIE/DRIE CLINIC: Dec. 2
Assist elderly and disabled tenants complete applications for Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE). These programs offer a lifeline to vulnerable populations who risk losing housing. Volunteers will receive training before assisting applicants. Bar admission and language skills are not required. To participate, please click here to register.
When: December 2 at 2:00PM
Where: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (62 Mott St. 2nd Floor, NY, NY 10013)
AABANY Housing Part Petition Clinic: Dec. 16
Assist tenants suffering from lack of heat or other emergency conditions draft pro se petitions against landlords for housing repairs. Volunteers will receive a brief training before assisting tenants. Bar admission and language skills not required. To participate, please click here to register.
When: December 16, 2015 at 6:00PM
Where: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 2nd Fl. (62 Mott St. 2nd Floor, NY, NY 10013)
Queens Legal Services (QLS) Housing Part Petition Clinic
Assist tenants suffering from lack of heat or other emergency conditions draft pro se petitions against landlords for housing repairs. Clinics will take place on the 4th Wednesday of every other month from 6:00PM – 8:30PM. Bar admission not required. Language skills not required, however the ability to speak Spanish or other languages may be useful. To participate, contact Heejung Kook ([email protected]).
2015 Dates: October 28; December (TBD)
2016 Dates: February 24; April 27; June 29; August 24
Where: Central Astoria (2569 38th St., Ground Fl., Astoria, NY 11103)
AABANY Speakers at NAPABA Rising 2015
The following made New York proud at the 2015 NAPABA Annual Convention in New Orleans.
- Solo/Small Firm Boot Camp
Featuring Eve Guillergan; Edward Kang, Mentorship Program Coordinator; and Tsui Yee, Immigration & Nationality Law Committee Co-Chair - Asian Pacific Americans in Alternative Dispute Resolution: A New Frontier
Featuring Theodore K. Cheng, Litigation – ADR Sub-Committee Chair - Lessons from Detroit: Advising Municipalities in Distress
Featuring Commercial Bankruptcy & Restructuring Committee Co-Chair Vincent Roldan - The ABCs of Insurance Panel Counsel
Featuring KALAGNY Immediate Past President Kyun Yi - Surviving The Lion’s Den: A Young Lawyer’s Guide to Navigating Office Politics
Featuring Blossom Kan, In House Counsel Committee Co-Chair - Fishy Justice: SCOTUS Takes on Prosecutorial Discretion & Over-criminalization
Featuring Vinoo Varghese, Former Board Member - The New Hollywood: How Technology is Transforming Entertainment Media
Featuring Vernon Chu - Shattering Double Ceilings: How to Increase APA Women Leaders in Law
Featuring Jennifer H. Wu - NAPALSA – Social Justice, Clerkships & Government Jobs, and Alternative Careers for JDs
Featuring Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan - Luncheon & Plenary Session: The Voting Rights Act 50 Years Later: A Call to Action
Featuring Jerry Vattamala - Asian-American LGBT Attorneys & The Bamboo Closet: To Stay In or Not?
Moderated by Connie Montoya - Many Pros, Few Cons – More and More Lawyers Turning to Compliance
Featuring Julie Kwon, Former Mentorship Program Coordinator, and Robert Shin
Chaired by Michelle Rhee, Advisory Committee Member - Secret Handshakes: Practical Leadership and Professional Development Skills for APAs
Moderated by Michael Yap - The 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act: What’s Happened and What Does it Mean for 2016?
Moderated by Jerry Vattamala - Sorry, I Thought You Were the Interpreter – When It’s Lawyers Who Are Being Profiled
Featuring David Lat - Rising Waters: Practical Tips on Making It Rain
Featuring Rio Guerrero, Immigration & Nationality Law Committee Co-Chair - The Ins & Outs of Becoming an Administrative Law Judge: A View from the Bench
Moderated by Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan - Breakfast & Plenary Session: Women Leaders in Public Service
Featuring 2015 AABANY Women’s Leadership Award Recipient Jenny R. Yang and 2016 AABANY Women’s Leadership Award Recipient Michelle K. Lee - Paradox of Abundance: The Ups & Downs of $50/Barrel Crude Oil
Featuring Clara Ohr, Immediate Past President - Strategies for Effective Advocacy in Combating Human Trafficking
Featuring Song Kim, Issues Committee Co-Chair - Justice for All: LGBT Civil Rights & the API Community
Moderated by Glenn Magpantay, LGBT Committee Chair, and Carmelyn Malalis - Why and How to Become a Law Professor: Advocacy for APAs Through Legal Scholarship
Featuring Elaine Chiu - NAPALSA Pre-Law Conference
Featuring Christina Nguyen, Former Intern - General Counsel Roundtable
Featuring Don Liu, Advisory Committee Member, and Ivan Fong, 2016 AABANY Corporate Counsel Leadership Award Recipient - AABANY Trial Reenactment: The Vietnamese Fishermen and The Ku Klux Klan – See the full cast, photos, and highlights of the event by clicking here.