On Friday, October 11, at 7:30 p.m., join former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and New York Times best-selling author Preet Bharara at the Morristown Festival of Books as he discusses his book, Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law. “In a fascinating combination of memoir and ethical-legal manifesto, Bharara reminds readers that, while the law is an incredible tool, it is people who create or corrupt justice.” Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review.
Preet Bharara served as U.S. attorney for the Southern
District of New York from 2009 to 2017. Bharara oversaw the
investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases and
supervised an office of more than 200 assistant U.S. attorneys, who
handled cases involving terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking,
financial and healthcare fraud, cybercrime, public corruption, gang
violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations.
In 2017, Bharara joined the NYU School of Law faculty as a distinguished scholar in residence. He is the executive vice president of Some Spider Studios and the host of CAFE’s Stay Tuned With Preet, a podcast focused on issues of justice and fairness. Bharara graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and from Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the law review.
For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
For More Information, Contact: Navdeep Singh, Policy Director 202-775-9555; [email protected]
WASHINGTON – Late yesterday, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a ruling that upheld the use of race conscious admissions in Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
NAPABA applauds the Court for reaffirming that (1) diversity remains a
critical and compelling interest for universities to achieve; and (2)
the consideration of race as one of many factors in a holistic
admissions process is a permissible means to evaluate an individual
student’s application.
“The
ruling makes clear that it is vital for students to be able to share
their whole selves when applying to college,” said NAPABA President
Daniel Sakaguchi. “NAPABA is encouraged that the Court upheld the
principle of holistic, race-conscious admissions, recognized that race
continues to matter in people’s daily lives and experiences, and
eloquently underscored the importance diversity in education. While the
Court found Harvard did not engage in intentional discrimination against
Asian American applicants, NAPABA also supports continuing efforts by
colleges and universities to improve their admissions processes,
including work to recognize and address implicit bias, so that all parts
of a thoughtful and holistic admissions system work together to ensure
that all students have equal opportunities free from discrimination.”
NAPABA supports efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in education and the consideration of race as part of a holistic, individualized admissions process.
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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 80 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.
On Tuesday, October 22, join A4 for a silent auction of costumes, art, clothing, and accessories created by Asian American artists and designers to benefit A4.
Your ticket supports A4 programs that seek to ensure greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and arts organizations.
The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) was invited by the Asian American Federation and some of its member agencies – not-for-profit organizations that have substantial Chinese-speaking staff – to help with training their limited-English-proficient staff in their native languages on the prevention of sexual harassment in order to meet the new requirements under the New York State and New York City Human Rights Law.
On behalf of AABANY, Karen Kithan Yau, a co-chair of the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee and Eric Su, a co-chair of the Labor and Employment Law Committee, both of whom are long-time employment lawyers, representing workers and employers respectively, gave three trainings, one in Cantonese Chinese, one in Mandarin Chinese, and one in English. The trainings took place in late September and early October. The training participants included kitchen and housekeeping staff, part-time teachers, museum staff, policy advocates, and an executive director. The discussion was rich, lively, and illuminating.
Every New York State employer is now required to provide sexual harassment training o their employees annually. That means that, as of October 9, 2019, every employer should have provided their first such training. Moreover, the New York State and City laws now protect virtually all employees, including contractors, subcontractors, vendors, consultants or others providing services from sexual harassment in the workplace. Thus the need to provide linguistically and culturally competent instruction is acute. The New York City Human Rights Commission has provided impressive training materials, including online trainings in 11 languages. However, there remain employees who will need training in their native languages. Experienced employment attorneys or skilled trainers of human resources areas who are linguistically and culturally competent will continue to be needed.
Learn more about AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee here. Learn more about AABANY’s Labor and Employment Law Committee here. Thanks to Karen and Eric for providing these trainings to organizations serving the Asian American community.
On October 2, 2019, the AABANY Real Estate Committee presented the CLE entitled: “Understanding Diversity and Inclusion in Our Everyday World.” The CLE was co sponsored by Flushing Bank, Big Apple Abstract Corp, KALAGNY, and Littler. It took place at Flushing Bank in New Hyde Park, New York and was attended by 40 attorneys. The panelists were AABANY’s very own William Ng, Shareholder at Littler; Samitha Lukose-Khan of Flushing Bank; and Sanjay Nair, Associate at Littler. The CLE was moderated by Margaret Ling, Co-Chair of the AABANY Real Estate Committee. The presentation invoked some powerful and informative discussion specifically on diversity, inclusion and bias in the legal profession.
Pictured above from left to right: Riyaad Khan of Allstate Insurance; Maria Silva of Flushing Bank; Margaret Ling of Big Apple Abstract and AABANY; Thomas Kane of Flushing Bank; Mohammad Yusuf of Flushing Bank; William Ng of Littler; Sanjay Nair of Littler.
Mannada, the producer of the Cannabis Law Summit and The Maze , is hosting its second annual Cannabis Media Summit (CMS), a conference for journalists, media professionals, newsrooms and cannabis companies.
On Saturday, September 21, 2019, AABANY held its 10th annual Fall Conference together with NAPABA for the 2019 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference, “United in Action and Vision: Towards 2020 Together.” For the third year in a row, the conference took place in Fordham University School of Law. This year marked our biggest yet, with about 450 attendees throughout the day. On Friday evening, September 20, we held a Welcome Reception at Supernova, a rooftop bar in the Novotel Hotel on West 52nd Street, to kick off the Conference, open to all attendees from New York and the Northeast region.
This year, many programs throughout the morning and afternoon offered CLE credits to attending attorneys. Twenty CLE programs were available, covering many different topics ranging from Asian American Voter Protection to Pro Bono Clinics. Also available were non-CLE programs such as the In-House Counsel Forum and “Asian American Women Corporate Counsel in Television.” In addition to all the programs offered at the Fall Conference, we had Pitch Sessions, Trial Advocacy Program (TAP), Professional Development Coaching sessions, and a Diversity Career Fair and Expo. Numerous employers from all over New York City and State set up informational tables at the Diversity Career Fair to speak with prospective candidates. This was a great way for law students, recent graduates, and practicing attorneys to learn more about the employers and their different areas of practice. Some of the employers set up onsite interviews to speak with Fall Conference attendees who submitted resumes in advance.
In one of our morning programs, the Pro Bono Committee hosted “The Art and Science of Interviewing Pro Bono Clients.” The program addressed how to communicate with and educate the clients, collect information, and manage clients’ frustrations. This included a necessary discussion regarding proper translation issues that would arise as well as establishing a reliable relationship with an interpreter. Beatrice Leong and Jonathan D. Hernandez simulated an effective and ineffective client intake meeting to demonstrate the important takeaways of this program.
Another program that took place was “State and Federal Clerkships: A Primer on Seeking, Landing, and Succeeding in the Right Clerkship for You,” organized by AABANY’s Judiciary Committee, which discussed the benefits of a clerkship, steps to landing a clerkship, and some tips on how to be successful at a clerkship. The panelists highlighted how a clerkship can help with professional development, legal writing and research skills, and building a network. The panelists were also able to give some insight into the differences between state and federal court clerkships, the application process, and how to approach interviews.
The Plenary Lunch Session featured a Special Screening of
the award-winning documentary “And Then They Came for Us.” This documentary reflects
on the story of Executive Order 9066 and the internment of 120,000
Japanese-Americans during World War II. It also highlighted the landmark Korematsu v. United States case and its
relation to the civil rights issues people of color and under-represented
communities face today. The screening was followed by a discussion with NAPABA
Trailblazer Dale Minami, who was Fred Korematsu’s lawyer, and the filmmaker,
Abby Ginzberg.
More programs continued in the afternoon including the
Connecticut Asian Pacific Bar Association’s “Opioids and the Courts” program.
This program discussed the national opioid epidemic created by certain
pharmaceutical companies and how states and individuals are bringing lawsuits
against those companies. We heard directly from William Tong, Attorney General
of the State of Connecticut, and his approach to the multi-district litigation
in Ohio that is scheduled for trial in October 2019.
Our afternoon included additional insightful programs such as “Cybersecurity: 20/20 Hindsight Not Good Enough in 2020,” organized by AABANY’s Commercial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Committee, which discussed the cybersecurity industry today, and how lawyers can help prevent data breaches and safeguard against bad actors. The panelists gave advice on how attorneys can stay ahead of data breaches and protect their clients – mainly through diligent pre-breach planning, training staff on signs of a breach, and preparing a response plan in case of a breach. The panelists also offered some advice on the ethical concerns that arise when a breach occurs, and how to best handle them.
After the programs concluded, a Cocktail Reception was held
in the Bateman Room and the terrace outside the Soden Lounge. Attorneys and
participants connected and reconnected with peers, friends and colleagues from
AABANY and NAPABA. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong offered opening
remarks to all in attendance, followed by President Brian Song presenting
AABANY’s Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award to Parkin Lee, Chief Legal Officer of
the Rockefeller Group. Parkin Lee is a pillar of the Asian American legal
community who has paved the way for generations of Asian American attorneys in
New York and across the country.
The night didn’t stop there as we continued the festivities
in the heart of New York City at the Ascent Lounge to enjoy a Post-Conference
Dinner. Located in Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, the lounge was the
celebratory finale to the Conference, and participants got to mix and mingle
over a dinner buffet, drinks and dessert, with views of Central Park at night.
Many thanks to all the participants including the speakers, moderators, program coordinators, and volunteers. Thanks to our sponsors for their support which made this successful Conference possible. We also thank Fordham Law School for hosting us at their exquisite facility.
For some photos from the Conference visit AABANY’s Facebook page. The albums are organized according to the volunteers who took them: Laura Tsang, Guanlan Shen, Katherine Shen and Ziqi Guan.
Thanks to Justin Chan, Tiffany Cheung, Dasheng Lin, Wai Wong, and Lia Kim, our law student volunteers from Cardozo Law School, for their help in drafting this blog post.
On Thursday, October 17, 2019, come out to the Daedong Manor, in Flushing, to meet and greet more than 50 Korean exhibitors visiting the Queens Business Expo 2019.
This event is an excellent networking opportunity for international attorneys.
NAPABA congratulates the newly-elected officers, regional governors, and at-large members of the 2019-20 NAPABA Board of Governors. They will be sworn into office during the 2019 NAPABA Convention in Austin, TX.
Officers:
President I Bonnie Lee Wolf, Nationwide
President-Elect I A.B. Cruz III, U.S. Navy, Retired
Vice President for Finance and Development I Bruce Ishimatsu, Ishimatsu Law Group
Vice President for Membership I Bridgette Ahn, Law Office of Bridgette Ahn
Vice President for Programs and Operations I Charles Jung, Nassiri & Jung LLP
Vice President for Communications I Avanti Bakane, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP
Treasurer I Gary Zhao, SmithAmundsen
Secretary I Jeffrey Javinar, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Immediate Past President I Daniel Sakaguchi, Alto Litigation
Regional Governors:
NE Regional Governor I Brendan Wong, Bordner Ladner Gervais LLP
NE Regional Governor I David Sohn, Kings County District Attorney’s Office
Central Regional Governor I Gregory Schwartz, Billion Armitage
SE Regional Governor I Christine Han, U.S. Department of Labor
SW Regional Governor I Lance Ream, Xcel Energy
NW Regional Governor I Craig I. Nakanishi, Cades Schutte LLP
Central California Regional Governor I Christopher Sukhaphadhana, Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
Southern California Regional Governor I Thy Bui, Constangy Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP
Eastern California/Nevada Regional Governor I Gino Barrica, Barrica Law LLP
Northern California Regional Governor I Hogene Choi, Baker Botts LLP
At-Large Board Members:
Kristy Gonowon, Allstate
Kristin Haugen, KC Haugen Law LLC
Peter Sabido, Chernoff Vilhauer LLP
Jen Won, Larson O’Brien LLP
Register for the 2019 NAPABA Convention
The advance rate deadline is just around the corner! Save up to $150 when you register in advance. Advance rates will only be available until Oct. 28 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
