AABANY Goes to the Theater: “Cambodian Rock Band”

On Sunday, February 16, a group of AABANY members and friends, including AABANY Co-Founder Rocky Chin, Executive Director Yang Chen, Board Director Chris Kwok, Director of Technology Francis Chin, GSPI Committee Co-Chair Kevin Hsi, and Women’s Committee Co-Chair Yan Sin, went to see “Cambodian Rock Band.” The play is written by Lauren Yee, currently in residence at Signature Theater off-Broadway, steps away from the bright lights of Times Square. The all-Asian cast features six talented performers who play multiple roles, including as band members of a fictional band, the Cyclos. While the band is made up, the music they play is not, featuring Cambodian pop songs from the ’60s and ’70s. The story flashes back and forth between Cambodia in the 1970s, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, and modern day Cambodia, as a father and daughter come to grips with the legacy of a country torn apart by trauma, tragedy and war crimes.

Before the play started, the AABANY group got to meet and chat with Lauren Yee, who was busily greeting audience members as they gathered in the spacious lobby on the second floor, right outside the theater. She handed out “Cambodian Rock Band” buttons and happily spoke with us about her play and its journey to the New York stage. The play itself was gripping and powerful, and the talented cast not only sang and performed numerous songs, many in Cambodian, they also told a touching and compelling story about the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge’s reign in Cambodia. After the show, our group also got to meet members of the cast, who engaged with audience members that were hanging out in the lobby after the show, talking to them about the play and also taking photos with them.

“Cambodian Rock Band” was a worthwhile and moving theatrical experience, and we highly recommend that you go and see it. The play opened on February 4 and runs through March 15. Catch it before it closes! More details here.

Allen & Overy Hosts AABANY’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Members

On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at Allen & Overy. President Brian Song called the meeting to order and established quorum. Elections were held for the 2020 Board of Officers and Directors, along with a vote on bylaw revisions to clarify and extend term limits.

President Brian Song presented the Year in Review while Executive Director, Yang Chen, presented the report of the Committees. After the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY over the past year. While these presentations were occuring, Immediate Past President James R. Cho and President-Elect Sapna Palla tallied the votes.

The following officers were elected and will begin their term on April 1, 2020:

Terrence L. Shen
President-Elect

Tiffany Miao
Vice President, Programs and Operations

David Sohn
Vice President, Programs and Operations

Margaret Ling
Development Director

William Hao
Treasurer

Christopher Bae
Secretary

Beatrice Leong
Membership Director

The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms starting on April 1, 2020:

Jasmine Ball
Una A. Dean
Edward Y. Kim
Naf Kwun
Won Shin
Kazuko Wachter

Congratulations to all the Officers and Directors who were elected to the Board.

The bylaw revisions were passed.

The following awards were presented:

Committee of the Year: The Young Lawyers Committee

For their outstanding contributions in promoting AABANY’s mission and their service to our members and the community at large.

Program of the Year: The AABANY Trial Reenactments Project under the auspices of the Professional Development Committee 

For enhancing and contributing to public understanding and awareness of major contributions by Asian Americans to the social, political and legal history of the United States.

Member of the Year: Beatrice Leong

For her contributions to the growth of AABANY’s membership under her leadership as Membership Director.

Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2019 fiscal year.

We would like to thank our members for attending and participating in the annual meeting, and we also thank John Hwang and Allen & Overy for hosting the meeting in a beautiful space, treating us to a delectable selection of food and drinks.

Apply for NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program

NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program is a year-long experiential program targeted at building leadership skills by allowing rising attorneys to step into their own leadership style, while providing an opportunity to foster genuine relationships with peers within the profession, especially between in-house counsel (IHC) and law firm attorneys. 

Here are just a few accomplishments from our last cohort since they completed the program:

Visit our website to learn more about the program’s requirements and see how you’ll benefit from being part of this opportunity.

Apply here. The application deadline is Thursday, March 12.

LA NAPABA CONVENTION, Nov. 5-8, 2020: Call for Programs

Have you submitted your program idea? The March 16 deadline is just around the corner so visit our Call for Programs page to send us your presentation idea!

Here are just a few of the program topics featured at our 2019 Convention:

  • Presenting Yourself with Power and Projecting Authority: Using Improv to Elevate Your Presence
  • Using the NFL to Tackle Law’s Diversity Problem? How the Mansfield Rule Levels the Playing Field
  • Healthcare Fraud Enforcement and Corporate Compliance
  • Emoji Law: Are You Prepared for Emojis, Emoticons, and Hashtags in Litigation?

The submission process will close on March 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Speaker Database | Rolling Basis

Interested in speaking at the NAPABA Convention without submitting a program submission? Join our speaker database

Programs seeking additional speakers may contact [email protected].