Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
At the Asian Health and Social Service Council meeting on Friday morning, July 19, they will be addressing the Universal Access to Legal Services Law. For more information see the flyer and RSVP to [email protected] if you wish to attend.
On Thursday, June 27th, AABANY held its 12th annual Summer Soiree, formerly known as the Wine Tasting and Networking Reception, at the Castell Rooftop Lounge located atop AC Hotel New York Times Square. The In-House Counsel Committee and the Corporate Law Committee once again co-organized this event, and around 130 senior in-house lawyers and senior law firm attorneys and partners attended this year.
Attendees networked with one another as they enjoyed an abundant selection of drinks paired with signature items prepared by the chef, with views of the Manhattan skyline from the terrace. To get our attendees to actively mingle and mix, we played an icebreaker game in which attendees had to find at least one other person in the room that matched them on various things, like where they went to school, what type of practice they are involved with, and where they have lived before coming to New York City. Congratulations to the two winners of the icebreaker, Gary Eisenberg of Perkins Coie and Jenifer Liu of JP Morgan, who each received a bottle of champagne, thanks to the generosity of Sabine Poisson.
The attendees represented 51 companies from a variety of industries, such as banking media, finance, and real estate, and 30 top global and regional law firms with offices in New York City.
We would like to give special thanks to the following sponsors for helping us make this event a memorable success:
Thank you to all our attendees, and we hope to see everyone again at next year’s Summer Soiree. To learn more about the Corporate Law Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/128 To learn more about the In-House Counsel Committee go to: https://www.aabany.org/page/149
On July 11th, at the Museum of Korean American Heritage, AABANY, along with KAAGNY and KALAGNY, co-sponsored the robing ceremony for the Hon. Michael H. Park, United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The event was held to commemorate and celebrate Judge Park as the first Korean American to serve on the Second Circuit.
The program kicked off with a spirited rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Then, Charles Yoon, President of KAAGNY, delivered opening remarks from the podium noting the historic nature of this event in Korean American history. The venue was especially fitting for the ceremony as many momentous Korean American milestones were printed on the walls—from honoring the first Korean naturalized citizen of the United States, Philip Jaisohn, to remembering the Korean comfort women.
KALAGNY President Gene Kang then delivered heartfelt comments on the necessity of diversity on the judicial bench and how far Korean Americans have advanced in the legal profession starting out with humble origins from “a small Asian peninsula.” Next, Michael Kim, a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis and Yale Law School classmate of the Hon. Michael Park, shared a memory from when he was still in law school and Judge Park belted out an NSYNC song at Karaoke—true to Korean fashion. Kim commented that if Judge Park had decided to stay in Korea, he might be introducing a K-pop star instead of a Second Circuit Judge. Finally, the Hon. Denny Chin, the first Asian American United States Second Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals, administered the oath of office to the Hon. Michael Park. Sarah Seo, Judge Park’s wife, robed him. KALAGNY generously provided the new robe for Judge Park.
After the robing ceremony, Judge Park took the stage to thank attendees and organizations such as AABANY, KALAGNY, and KAAGNY for their support. He especially thanked those who had come before him, such as the Hon. Denny Chin, in paving a path for more Asian American judges, like him, to follow. In closing, AABANY President Brian Song cited AABANY’s mission statement and shared hopes that one day, a robing ceremony for an APA judge might not appear so remarkable as many more APA judges are elevated to the bench in the future, to more accurately reflect the diversity of America.
AABANY congratulates the Hon. Michael H. Park and warmly thanks all attendees for joining us in celebrating the historic event.
July’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic, held on Wednesday, July 10 at 33 Bowery Street in Confucius Plaza, brought out 41 volunteers who volunteered their time to help 43 clients.
We are asking every member to actively support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic by making donations that are vital to its continuing operation. In a few short years, with the tireless and generous assistance of our volunteers, we have helped hundreds of low-income clients with free legal advice and referrals to high-quality, culturally sensitive, and linguistically competent legal services. Together we have helped expand access to justice for underserved Asian American New Yorkers.
If you know family members, friends, or businesses, such as your firm, who would like to support the Clinic, please help us connect with them by contacting Karen Yau at [email protected].
Or please urge them to make a donation directly. They can visit the website of Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate: https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/
AALFNY is accepting charitable donations on the Clinic’s behalf and can issue any donor a tax receipt. Any contribution, large or small, would help. Please be sure to indicate in the memo field that the donation is intended for the Pro Bono Clinic.
Thank you to all of the July Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!
Lawyers:
Yvetta Scott
Breanna Andree-Couturier
Gaye L. Chun
Samantha Sumilang
Sae-Eun Ahn
May Kay Wong
Eun Hye (Grace) Lee
Beatrice Leong
Yan Sin
Bart Wu
Jean Soo Park
Satoshi Kurita
Gloria Tsui-Yip
Thomas Hou
Annie Tsao
Mirin E. Park
Shengyang (John) Wu
Christopher Chin
Kelly Diep
Chris M. Kwok
Francis Chin
Yifei He
Interpreters:
Justina Chen
Henry Man
Ruth Poon
Shimeng (Fiona) Zhang
Weixi He
Yuchen (Fiona) Zheng
Min Chen
Vivian Chen
Sarah Lu
Special thanks to Coordinator Johnny Thach, Coordinator Jenny Lam, Technology Coordinator Roger Chen, Vice Chair Kwok Kei Ng, and Vice Chair Zhixian Liu for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung-Ha, Karen Kithan Yau, Asako Aiba, and Judy Lee for their leadership. AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic occurs every second Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The next clinic will take place on August 14, 2019. If you are interested in volunteering at future Pro Bono Clinics, please contact Asako Aiba at [email protected].