January 19, 2017

NAPABA Solo & Small Firm Network Webinar Series: Steering Clear of Disciplinary Trouble in Today’s Legal Practice Environment

Speakers | Wendy Wen Yun Chang (Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson; member, ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility) and Ellyn Rosen (Deputy Director of ABA Center for Professional Responsibility)

Webinar date/time | Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, at 4 p.m. EST

Registration link | https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5150420706887343875

In today’s legal services marketplace, more and more solo and small firm lawyers are facing challenges not only in terms competition with new forms of legal service providers, but also with regard to practices that could result in disciplinary complaints. We will have a panel of experts who will discuss simple steps that lawyers can take to reduce the risk of becoming the subject of a disciplinary complaint and what to do if they are on the receiving end of a grievance. In particular, the discussion will focus on areas that result in the most disciplinary complaints: Model Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1 (Competence), 1.4 (Communication), 1.5 (Fees), 1.6 (Confidentiality), and 1.15 (Safekeeping Property).

This webinar is the result of collaborative efforts of the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility and NAPABA.

Please e-mail Kristin Haugen, chair of the CLE & Programming Sub-committee of the SSF Network at [email protected] for any questions.

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.napaba.org

January 19, 2017

KALAGNY Elections: Call for Nominations

AVAILABLE POSITIONS

Elections are for President, Executive Vice President*, Vice President of Communications^, Vice President of Membership, Treasurer, Secretary (Officers) and seven (7) Governor positions on the KALAGNY Board. All positions are for two-year terms, except one (1) Governor position which is for a one-year term°. Terms commence July 1, 2017. To view KALAGNY’s current By-Laws, click here.

*The Vice Presidential Candidate with the most votes will be designated as Executive Vice President.
^Assist President with website, email, social media and all outbound communications.
°The Governor Candidate with the 7th most votes will be designated for the one (1) year term.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS TO SERVE AS A BOARD MEMBER

Only those members in good standing who have been admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction are qualified to run for an elected position. A member in “good standing” is defined as those members (a) whose membership has not been suspended or revoked as of the Election Date, and (b) who have paid in full their membership dues as of the Record Date.

NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES

The KALAGNY Nominations Committee is now accepting applications for the available positions listed above. If you are interested in seeking one of the available positions listed above, please submit your Statement of Interest along with your resume to [email protected] no later than January 30, 2017, 11:59 PM. Please add the word “Election” to the subject line of your e-mail. Late submissions will not be considered. Please be sure to identify the available position you are seeking.

The Nominations Committee will consider all applications and will provide a recommended slate of candidates for each of the available positions listed above.

RELEVANT DATES

Record Date – January 13, 2017. You must be a paid member by the Record Date to be eligible to seek election and to vote in the election.

Submission Date – January 30, 2017. Your Statement of Interest along with your resume must be submitted to [email protected] no later than January 30, 2017, 11:59pm. Please add the word “Election” to the subject line of your e-mail.

Distribution Date – February 20, 2017. Information regarding the slate of Officers and Governors selected by the Nominations Committee will be circulated by the Distribution Date. The slate will be posted on the KALAGNY website.

Ballot Date – March 20, 2017. Ballot form will be made available on the KALAGNY website. Members wishing to vote will have to hand in their ballots in person by no later than 8:00 PM on the Election Date. You may not cast your vote by proxy.

Election Date & General Membership Meeting – April 6, 2017. KALAGNY Elections and annual membership meeting will take place on the evening of April 6, 2017. Venue will be announced. All are welcome to this event but only eligible members may vote.

Light dinner and refreshments will be served. Click here to RSVP.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

January 19, 2017

Asian Americans say Obama had impact on them – USA – Chinadaily.com.cn

Asian Americans say Obama had impact on them
– USA – Chinadaily.com.cn

Read Paul Welitzkin’s article in the China Daily US, in which he touches upon the different ways that the Obama administration affected Asian Americans. Welitzkin draws from various perspectives, including that of Executive Director Yang Chen:

“President Obama also issued an executive order on diversity and inclusion within the federal government as related to the federal workforce and it had a big impact on Asian Americans who work for the federal government,” said Yang Chen, executive director of the Asian American Bar Association in New York.

However, Chen said there were also some negative developments during the Obama years “such as the failed prosecutions of two Chinese-American scientists, one a professor and the other a federal employee, which illustrated how the fear of China affected Chinese Americans.”

To read the full article, click on the link in the title.

January 19, 2017

NAPABA Statement on Today’s Supreme Court Arguments in Key Cases Involving Trademarking of Racial Slurs and Racial and Religious Profiling

For Immediate Release
Jan. 18, 2017

For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
202-775-9555; [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Today, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on two cases — Lee v. Tam and Ziglar v. Abbasi — that will have a significant impact on racial and religious minorities.

In Lee v. Tam, the Court will consider whether Simon Shiao Tam’s application to trademark the name of his band, “The Slants,” was properly rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In a decision by the Federal Circuit, the appellate court found Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, which prohibited “disparaging” trademarks such as “The Slants,” to be unconstitutional under a facial challenge brought by Tam.

“Racial slurs should not be recognized as commercial speech through federally-protected trademarks,” said NAPABA President Cyndie M. Chang. “Freedom of speech does not require that the government allow racially derogatory terms to be trademarked so that a trademark owner can have exclusive rights to use and monetize such terms.”

NAPABA previously filed an amicus brief in Lee v. Tam when it was before the Federal Circuit and joined a brief — along with the Hispanic National Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the National Native American Bar Association, and the National LGBT Bar Association — to urge the Supreme Court to support the constitutionality of Section 2(a). NAPABA also joined an earlier-filed amicus brief in the related case, Blackhorse v. Pro-Football Inc., before the Fourth Circuit regarding the Redskins trademark.

Ziglar v. Abbasi concerns the rights of individuals who were detained as terrorism suspects in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, based solely on the basis of their race, religion, immigration status, or national origin and whether they have the rights to sue former high-level Bush administration officials who were involved in ordering the racial and religious profiling that led to their detention.

“The diverse group of amici in Ziglar v. Abassi highlights the importance of resolving the issue of the ability of individuals to seek specific redress from the government when their civil rights have been violated through racial or religious profiling,” Chang continued. “We expect the Court to carefully consider the amicus briefs and arguments made today in making their decision.“

NAPABA joined 27 national and local organizations, including bar associations (such as NAPABA affiliates Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago and Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania), religious organizations, and civil rights groups in filing an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in this case.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 50,000 attorneys and over 75 national, state, and local 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 engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.

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.

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.napaba.org