The Waterwell Theater Company is presenting “The Courtroom” at the historic Great Hall at Cooper Union, on Monday, December 9, 2019, at 7:00pm.
The play/performance is about the deportation proceeding of an immigrant from the Philippines who was married to a U.S. Citizen and came to this country on a K3 Visa. After inadvertently registering to vote at the DMV in Bloomington, IL, receiving a voter registration card in the mail, and voting, her removal proceedings were set in motion. It began in Immigration Court and her case was eventually heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. The Courtroom is performed entirely verbatim from court transcripts.
Waterwell is presenting monthly performances of The Courtroom at civic venues around New York City, as part of an ongoing exploration of belonging, immigration, and what it means to be a U.S. Citizen today.
The NYC Family Justice Center, Manhattan (MFJC) is excited to announce its next round of CORE II trainings. The CORE training series is a learning opportunity for service providers, community leaders, and city agency staff who are working with populations directly or indirectly affected by intimate partner violence, sex trafficking, and/or elder abuse.
Contact Indhira Castro directly at [email protected] if you have any issues registering.
Criminal Justice Response to intimate Partner Violence Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 10:00am-12:30PM Facilitated by: New York District Attorney & New York Police Department
Intro to Immigration Law Monday, December 9, 2019 10:00AM – 12:00PM Facilitated by: NYLAG & Her Justice
Intro to Family & Matrimonial Law Monday, December 9th, 2019 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM Facilitated by: Sanctuary for Families
Affordable Housing Tuesday, December 10th2019 2:00PM – 4:00PM Facilitated by: New Destiny Housing
Shelter Options for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors Wednesday December 11th, 2019 11:00PM – 1:00PM Facilitated by: Safe Horizon
GivingTuesday is being held this year on December 3. It is a global movement that began in 2012, and the idea behind it is simple: Do good and help transform your community with your generosity. During this holiday season, we ask that you support our Pro Bono Legal Advice and Referral Clinic, a project of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY).
The Pro Bono Clinic began in December 2015 and has since served thousands of low-income clients facing various legal hardships. The Clinic has been held in Manhattan’s Chinatown on the second Wednesday of each month since that time. The success of our Clinics in Manhattan has led to an expansion into Brooklyn, which started this fall on a bimonthly basis. We work with local elected officials and community organizations to reach Brooklyn’s Asian American community and draw upon the expertise and language skills of AABANY’s active and diverse membership to serve them. Clients have been coming not only from the five boroughs but from as far as Yonkers, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Our Clinics provide high-quality legal services that are culturally sensitive and linguistically competent. Language and culture pose serious barriers for low-income Asian American community members to receive reliable legal advice. Our Clinics help community members overcome these barriers and seek to widen their access to justice. The Clinics now include mental health professionals and benefits counselors to help community members with their non-legal problems.
Hundreds of volunteers have dedicated thousands of hours for the Pro Bono Clinics. Month after month, they freely donate their time, expertise and legal knowledge to help community members who otherwise would not get the help they need.
Our Pro Bono Clinics can only continue to operate with the generosity of our donors. In September, we announced our goal to raise $25,000 to support the Clinic’s growing operations. We ask that you stand with us and support this vital project. Help us not only to reach our goal of raising $25,000 — through your donations on GivingTuesday – but exceed it! Your donations will support our ongoing expansion efforts and pay for much needed administrative support and supplies.
To make it easier for our members and our community to donate to the Pro Bono Clinic, you can text APAPROBONO to 44321 on your phone. That will send you to our Give Lively page, and you can follow the simple instructions there to make your contribution. You can also donate via the AALFNY website at https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/ (make sure to indicate that you are donating to the Clinic). Any amount, large or small, will go a long way towards helping us meet our $25,000 goal.
With our best wishes to you all during this holiday season,
Karen Kithan Yau Pauline Yeung-Ha Judy Ming Chu Lee Asako Aiba Co-Chairs, AABANY Pro Bono and Community Service Committee
A copy of AALFNY’s latest annual report may be obtained from AALFNY at [email protected] or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.
AABANY’s Pro Bono Committee held its second Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at A Plus Academy located at 6802 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The clinic brought out 27 volunteers who volunteered their time to help 13 clients.
The Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic has allowed AABANY’s Pro Bono Committee to service a new community in need of pro bono legal services and indicates our efforts to grow and expand these services to more New Yorkers in need.
We are asking every member to actively support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinics 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.
To make it easier for our members and our community to donate to the Pro Bono Clinic, we have set up a page on Give Lively where you can make a donation by texting APAPROBONO to 44321. It takes seconds to donate, and we hope you will take a moment today to support the Pro Bono Clinic and help it meet its fundraising goals. Please donate today!
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 November Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!
Lawyers:
Kenneth C. Louis May Kay Wong Thomas Hou Victoria Cheng Eric Ng Kevin Hsi Beatrice Leong Tina Y. Song Yifei He Ting Poon Michelle DeSousa-Fiore Francis Chin Andrew Mickler
Interpreters:
Tian Ma Lawrence Ho Erica Zou Chao-Yung Chiu Teri Chow Xinyi Shen Amy Zhou Shun-Hsiang (Steven) Chen Henry Man
Other Volunteers
Francisco Yau-Smith, Usher Runlan Hwang, Usher
Special thanks to Coordinator Xinyi Shen, Coordinator Amy Zhou, Coordinator Shun-Hsiang (Steven) Chen, Coordinator Henry Man, Vice Chair Kwok Kei Ng for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung-Ha, Karen Kithan Yau, and Asako Aiba for their leadership. The Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic will be a bi-monthly clinic occurring on the fourth Thursday of every other month. The next clinic will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2020, from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm. If you are interested in volunteering at future Pro Bono Clinics, please contact Asako Aiba at [email protected].
Here’s a recap of everything you might have missed!
Looking at social media posts from the Convention, we were pleased to see so many attendees share our feeling that NAPABA is a family, a group of friends and colleagues, and most importantly, a community. No matter the field, the level of experience, or geographic location, we are one NAPABA.
We’re excited to head into 2020 with you all, but first let’s look back at this year’s Convention!
New Year, New Leadership
Bonnie Lee Wolf was sworn in as NAPABA’s president. We are inspired by her vision for NAPABA and look forward to supporting her leadership!
Using History to Inform Our Future
Through a re-enactment and historical materials, we revisited the importance of Korematsu v. United States,
when Fred Korematsu challenged Executive Order 9066, which led to the
incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Individuals who
played key roles in the successful effort to overturn Korematsu’s
conviction in the 1983 case brought his story to life, connecting his
values of equity and human rights to the issues we face today.
During the Saturday plenary, an inspiring group of LGBTQ attorneys reflected on the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas that opened the door for inclusion for diverse communities and laid the groundwork for marriage equality to become a right across the country. However, true inclusion is still a work in progress. Panelists offered their look at the future of diversity and inclusion for the LGBTQ community.
Celebrating 31 Years
At our Anniversary Gala, we celebrated 31 years of NAPABA by looking to
the future with a swearing-in of the 2019-20 NAPABA Board of Governors.
Comedian, actor and writer Sheng Wang hosted the gala and Chef Kristen
Kish and food critic Soleil Ho had a great conversation about identity,
self-worth and success.
2019 Award Winners
We were honored to recognize this year’s award winners at the 2019
NAPABA Convention. We’re proud to have so many distinguished members,
who inspire our work every day.
Trailblazer Awards
The Honorable Richard J. Chin. To see the award video, click here. Julia Markley. To see the award video, click here. Byung “BJay” Pak. To see the award video, click here. Debbie Leilani Shon. To see the award video, click here.
Debbie Leilani Shon. To see the award video, click here.
Best Under 40
Vanessa E. Candelaria | Attorney, Law Offices of Vanessa Candelaria Christina Chan | Assistant Attorney General, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General Nooree Lee | Associate, Covington & Burling LLP Cindy Lin | Partner, King & Spalding LLP Laurie Rose Lubiano | IP & Product Counsel, The Climate Corporation Catherine Y. Lui | Partner, Orrick LLP Jessica Nguyen | General Counsel, PayScale, Inc. Marc A. Pilotin | General Counsel, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Sid Shenoy | Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP Christopher Thana Sukhaphadhana | Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property, Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. Jerry Vattamala | Democracy Program Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund Johnny Wang | Partner, Stinson LLP Jovita T. Wang | Partner, Richardson Wright LLP Bryant Y. Yang | Assistant U.S Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office Bilal Zaheer | Partner, Locke Lord LLP
Partners Network In-House Counsel Awards
Diversity Leadership Rising Star Award
Laurie Rose Lubiano
Diversity Leadership Award
Michael C. Wu
NAPABA Gives Back
Thanks to everyone who joined us at our Community Service Project and Farewell Breakfast! We assembled over 200 care packages for the Asian Family Support Services of Austin. AFSS Austin is a nonprofit that helps Asian, immigrant and refugee survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault & trafficking.
A Message from NAPABA Law Foundation
The NAPABA
Law Foundation thanks everyone who donated during convention to support
NLF’s fellowships, scholarships, and the Thomas Tang National Moot Court
Competition.
Whether by buying a Fred Korematsu or Judge Denny Chin bobblehead, wagering at Casino Night, bidding on silent auction items, or using text-to-give during the Gala, these proceeds will be used to advance access to justice for our communities.
Speaking of the text-to-give, congratulations on breaking the system! It appears that so many people were jumping on their smartphones to donate that our vendor’s system crashed!
If you were unable to make a gift at Convention, you may donate via NLF’s website by clicking here. Remember, Harry Gee, Jr., and his family are matching the first $150,000 raised! Every dollar you donate will have double the impact!
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Thank you to the amazing sponsors who supported the 2019 NAPABA Convention.
Premier Sponsor Walmart
Jade Sponsors Littler Microsoft Prudential
Platinum Sponsors Akin Gump Apple Baker Botts Comcast NBC Universal Goodwin Google McGuireWoods Nationwide Paul Weiss Seyfarth Shaw
On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, AABANY’s Membership Committee held its Monthly Membership Mixer at Stout NYC – Grand Central. Over thirty attendees filled a section of the second floor that was reserved for our group, including our President, Brian Song, and many of our board members, as well as recent New York transplant, Michael Wu, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Madewell, Inc. Our membership programs provide opportunities to network and to learn more about AABANY so keep an eye out for our future events including a lantern festival at Citi Field and a Lunar New Year celebration at a New York Knicks game. To learn more about the Membership Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/130 Thanks to Membership Committee Co-Chair Christopher Bae for the write-up and photos.
AABANY is proud to announce that last week James R. Cho, Immediate Past President and Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of NY, and Linda S. Lin, Past President 2011 and Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at QBE North America, were presented with the 2019 CUP Law Catalysts award at the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) 10th Annual Lawyers Forum and Law Catalyst Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony was held at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP on November 12, 2019.
The CUP Law Catalyst award honors and celebrates the accomplishments of diverse legal professionals who are achieving extraordinary professional success while making significant and impactful contributions to their community.
James and Linda’s dedication to promoting diversity in the legal profession, their leadership as Past Presidents at AABANY, and service to the overall Asian American community make them highly deserving and outstanding recipients of this recognition.
This is not the first time that AABANY members have been honored with the CUP Law Catalysts award. Below is a list of ABBANY members previously recognized by the Council of Urban Professionals:
November 2018 Alice Hsu, AABANY Member
November 2016 Steve Chung, Past AABANY Board Member Sonia Low, Past AABANY Board Member
October 2015 Austin So, Past In-House Counsel Committee Co-Chair
October 2014 Jean Lee, Past AABANY President 2012
October 2013 Dwight Yoo, Past AABANY President 2017
October 2012 Vincent Chang, Past AABANY President 2007
Please join us in congratulating James, Linda, and all the
other AABANY members that have received this tremendous honor.
Also, please join us in congratulating the other 2019 CUP Catalysts in Law:
Adam Banks, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP Tia Breakley, Managing Director & Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Compliance Officer – The Infrastructure Group, The Blackstone Group Sarah Dodds-Brown, EVP & Managing Counsel, American Express Stuart Downing, Partner, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP Chinyere Ezie, Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights George Fatheree III, Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Karen Hsu Kelley, Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Jessica Lee, Partner, Loeb & Loeb LLP Clarence A. Nesbitt, General Counsel, National Basketball Players Association Marianela Peralta, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Allegis Global Solutions, Inc. Pamela Rosado, Senior VP and Chief Counsel-Litigation, MetLife Kimberly Spoerri, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Camelia Valdes, Prosecutor, Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office
On Nov. 14, the Membership Committee together with the Asia Practice, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate Committees hosted a Night at the Opera, gathering about 30 AABANY members with friends and family to see a performance of “La Bohème” at the Met in Lincoln Center.
Before the performance a group of attendees mingled and enjoyed drinks and quick bites at the bar outside the Family Circle. Then, at 7:30, everyone went inside to take their seats. The AABANY contingent took up nearly three rows of seats.
For some it was a first-time experience that was greatly enhanced upon the discovery of subtitles that appeared on a thin bar that stretched across the row. Each person could see the subtitles displayed directly in front of them.
The sets were breathtaking and the score by Puccini was classic and timeless. The performances were excellent, and the main cast included two Asian Americans, with Hei-Kyung Hong playing the tragic character Mimi.
By all accounts, this event was a hit among those who attended. Talk is already brewing about another Night at the Opera. Stay tuned!
Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks especially to Membership Director Beatrice Leong for organizing the event.
On Tuesday, November 19, 2019, AABANY’s Career Placement Committee presented its inaugural Dress for Success event. The event took place at J.Crew Fifth Avenue. Over 20 people attended the event. The event provided attendees with personal styling advice, an opportunity to shop, and wardrobe demonstrations that would allow each attendee to put their best foot forward in dressing. Special thanks to the Government Service & Public Interest Committee, Litigation Committee, Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, Student Outreach Committee, and Women’s Committee for co-sponsoring the event. Special thanks to Flavor Fuzion Catering and Ashvini Persaud, Sr. Business Banker at Capital One, for her generous donation.
If you have been taken to housing court by your landlord and need assistance, contact the Manhattan Legal Services’ Housing Unit. Manhattan Legal Services’ Housing Unit conducts monthly intake in Chinatown for Chinese-speaking clients.
They provide free legal services to eligible clients every Wednesday of the month at either the Chinese-American Planning Council or the Visiting Nurse Service of New York at the Chinatown Community Center.
Please note you MUST make an appointment in advance for
services by calling (646) 442-3119.
For more information, please see the flyers below.
