Month: August 2020

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Thank You to Our AABANY Student Leaders

AABANY recognizes and thanks its Student Leaders for all their assistance this summer in fighting COVID-19 and giving back to the Asian American community in New York. Our AABANY student leaders are:

Taiyee Chien, UChicago Law

Long Dang, Columbia Law

Alex Hwang, Cardozo Law

Dianna Lam, Fordham Law

Connie J. Lee, Columbia Law

H. Anthony Park, Ottawa Law

Jenny Park, Columbia Law

Xinyi Shen, Cardozo Law

Sejal Waghray, Emory University

Meng Zhang, Fordham Law

The flyer above contains short descriptions about why each AABANY Student Leader wants to give back and how they have been doing it, such as by volunteering at AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinic or participating in various COVID-19 relief activities and programs over the summer.

Please join us in thanking all our AABANY Student Leaders. We also recognize and thank Will Lee, Vice Chair of the Student Outreach Committee, for his leadership in bringing together our Student Leaders and helping AABANY channel their talents and energy to benefit the New York Asian American community.

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AABANY Hosts Weekly Membership Mixer on August 28

On August 28, 2020, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly Zoom Membership Mixer, with 19 participants in attendance. The icebreaker question this week asked participants “What were your favorite moments as a Member of AABANY?” Members mentioned attending Fall Conference, Annual Dinner, and AABANY after parties. 
On Friday we said thank you to our Student Leader volunteers for their work during the pandemic. We were all impressed with these talented law students who found time to give back to New York’s Asian American community with COVID-19 relief assistance and rent relief applications, along with many other activities, led by Will Lee, Vice Chair of the Student Outreach Committee.

Congratulations to Long Dang, one of our illustrious Student Leaders, for winning a $50 VISA gift card!

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID, we have moved online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but people have stayed on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

Membership Committee will continue to host weekly Zoom mixers until it is safe to gather together again in person. 

We are giving away door prizes in some weeks. In order to win, you must be a member and must RSVP on the aabany.org calendar entry to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the Zoom mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize. 

Mixers are not recorded, and are LIVE, so don’t miss out.

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AABANY Congratulates Chris Kwok on Getting Published in the Berkeley Law Asian American Law Journal

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Issues Committee Chair, Asia Practice Committee Co-Chair and Board Director Chris Kwok on his recent law review article about the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (“SHSAT”) in the Berkeley Law Asian American Law Journal. The article, “The Inscrutable SHSAT,” can be found in Volume 27, at page 32. Click here to read the full text.

The article begins with a detailed discussion regarding Mayor Bill de Blasio’s exclusion of the Asian American community in attempting to eliminate the SHSAT and the ensuing backlash that derailed the proposed plan. The discussion then shifts toward alternative explanations for the racial composition of the specialized high schools and how the rise of Prep for Prep, Charter Schools, and School Choice have contributed to the decline of African American and Latinx students in those schools. Finally, the article concludes with an overall commentary on the current position of Asian Americans within America’s “racial matrix” and stresses the need to shift away from antiquated frameworks of social justice toward a more current and nuanced understanding of Asian Americans in politics today.

Aside from his recent publication, Chris has organized numerous panels and discussions regarding Asian American rights in the corporate sphere and beyond. AABANY applauds Chris for his insights on the shifting nature of race relations today and his commitment toward advancing the rights and interests of the Asian American community. Click here to read AABANY’s previous profile on Chris.

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AABANY Comments on Formation of NYPD Asian Hate Crimes Task Force

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) welcomed NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison’s announcement on August 18 of the formation of an Asian Hate Crimes Task Force in the wake of a string of recent anti-Asian attacks and harassment. Incidents include an 89-year-old woman who was set on fire on July 17 and a woman who was the victim of anti-Asian verbal assault. Overall, there have been more than 2,300 separate racist incidents reported throughout the United States with 317 reported in New York alone.

The task force is reported to comprise 25 officers of Asian descent selected from throughout New York. The officers will be proficient in Mandarin, Cantonese, Fuzhounese, Korean, and Japanese. The task force will also rely on a team of certified translators if needed. Reports of potential hate crimes will be handled by officers of similar cultural and language background.

In conjunction with announcing the formation of the Asian Hate Crimes Task Force, The World Journal and WNBC among others have provided links to AABANY’s Anti-Asian Harassment and Violence guide and other resources to help victims report hate crimes to the prior authorities. With regard to AABANY’s efforts to combat anti-Asian violence, Executive Director Yang Chen was quoted by NBC on AABANY’s commitment “to seek justice, and to educate the broader community about eradicating racism and xenophobia in our society.” 

AABANY welcomes the formation of the NYPD Asian Hate Crimes Task Force and will continue to fight against anti-Asian violence and racial prejudice in all its forms. Click here to read more regarding AABANY’s COVID-19 Anti-Asian Harassment and Violence guide in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

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AABANY Hosts Weekly Membership Mixer on August 21

On August 21, the Membership Committee hosted its weekly mixer. At the mixer, AABANY spotlighted our legal interns, current and former, to recognize and thank them for all their hard work on behalf of AABANY. Joining us were current interns Annie Tan, Andersen Gu, and Ephany Wang. Also on the call were past interns David Jung, Emily Arakawa, and Mai Fukata. Each intern introduced themselves and shared what they were most concerned about as they head back to school or work during COVID-19. Those going back to school in the fall worried about the challenges of learning remotely or in hybrid settings. Those taking a gap semester or already working expressed concerns about employment opportunities and prospects when the economy is in shambles. Some also voiced concern about what the world would look like once we emerged from COVID-19.

After the interns spoke, we asked each of the attendees what advice they could offer to them. Our attendees covered the spectrum from current law students to attorneys practicing in various settings, both private and public at different stages of their careers, and the most common advice was to stay persistent and optimistic. Many remarked on the talented and intelligent interns AABANY has been fortunate to have and they were all encouraged to rise to the challenges they would face, and we were uniformly confident that they would do so. We reminded them that they are part of the AABANY family and they should all stay in touch with us and feel free to reach out if they need assistance or guidance in the future.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID, we have moved online to offer members an weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but many often stay on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

Membership Committee will continue to host weekly Zoom mixers until it is safe to gather together again in person.

We are giving away door prizes in some weeks. In order to win, you must be a member and must RSVP on the aabany.org calendar entry to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the Zoom mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize.

Mixers are not recorded, and are LIVE, so don’t miss out.

Please join us for this week’s mixer on Friday, August 28, and register by Thursday, at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1366650

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NAPABA Applauds Nomination of Senator Kamala Harris

For Immediate Release:
Date: August 19, 2020

Contact: Priya Purandare, Executive Director

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) recognizes the historic significance of Sen. Kamala Harris’ nomination as vice president on the Democratic ticket. Harris is the first woman of color to be nominated on a presidential ticket for a major party. If elected, she would become the highest ranking Asian Pacific American ever in line for presidential succession.

“Sen. Harris has defined herself as a leader and legislator in the U.S. Senate,” said Bonnie Lee Wolf, president of NAPABA. “Her nomination is not only historic, but deeply meaningful to the Asian Pacific American community. Sen. Harris is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, and she understands the priorities and concerns of Asian Pacific American and Black communities, which have been underrepresented at all levels of government. Since her tenure in the Senate, Sen. Harris has shown a strong commitment to diversity—including having one of the most diverse staff in the Senate and elevating people of color to leadership positions.”

“As a non-partisan organization, NAPABA works with presidential administrations and members of Congress from both parties to advance the interests of the Asian Pacific American community. NAPABA applauds Sen. Harris’ nomination and looks forward to greater representation and diversity of political candidates, executive branch appointees, and judges.”

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Thank You to AABANY’s Remote Clinic Volunteer Attorneys and Students

To meet the continuing need of the AAPI community for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee launched its Remote Legal Assistance Clinic this summer. Since June, Clinic attorney volunteers have received 138 calls from individuals with limited English proficiency and have assisted 116 callers from the AAPI community with their legal matters involving housing, immigration, criminal law, small business, matrimonial and family law, elder law, and trusts and estates. This would not have been possible without the dedicated volunteer attorneys, generously giving of their expertise and time, and the law students, whose multilingual assistance have been indispensable in facilitating access for our LEP community members. A special note of recognition to May Wong and Judy Lee, for spearheading the operation of the Remote Clinic, and to William Lee, for leading and mentoring the highly prolific AABANY COVID Student Task Force whose volunteers have been instrumental in publicizing the Remote Clinic and other AABANY COVID-19 Related Resources through social media platforms and door-to-door campaigns in local New York City neighborhoods.

AABANY deeply expresses its appreciation to the following volunteer attorneys:

Asako Aiba
Youngjin Choi
Rina Gurung
Thomas Hou
Eugene Kim
Karen King
Ming Chu (Judy) Lee
William Lee
Beatrice Leong
Zhixian Jessie Liu
Yan Sin
Samantha Sumilang
Ada Wang
Edmond Wong
May Wong
Siyan Joane Wong
Angela Wu
Shengyang Wu
Karen Kithan Yau

AABANY deeply expresses its appreciation to the following law student volunteers and active APALSAs:

Jenna Agatep
Nanako Arai
Justina Chen
Chao-Yung (Kloe) Chiu
Esther Choi
Jing Chu
Jeremy Chu
Long Dang
Andersen Gu
Alex Hwang
Dianna Lam
Connie Lee
Olympia Moy
Yang Ni
Anthony Park
Jenny Park
Annalee Patel
Xinyi Shen
Annie Tan
Meng Zhang

Asian Pacific American Law Student Associations at Brooklyn Law, Cardozo, Columbia, Cornell, CUNY, Fordham, Harvard, Hofstra, New York Law School, New York University, Seton Hall, St. John’s.

Additional thanks to Jenna Agatep, AALFNY Pro Bono Scholar, Kwok Ng, and Karen Lin, for ongoing administrative assistance with the Remote Clinic.

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NAPABA Presents: Board of Governors Election President-Elect Candidates Forum


On Tuesday, August 18 at 1 PM PDT/4 PM EDT, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) will be hosting a virtual Meet the President-Elect Candidates Forum.

Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to learn more about the President-Elect candidates! Submit your questions for the candidates to [email protected] prior to the forum.

Candidates for President-Elect

Headshot - Sid Kanazawa
Sid Kanazawa
Headshot - Gary Zhao
Gary Zhao

Moderator

Headshot - Christine Chen
Christine Chen
Executive Director,
APIAVote

Take the time to consider the vision each candidate has for NAPABA and the diverse perspectives across the Board as a whole.

Register here.

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AABANY Hosts Weekly Membership Mixer on August 14

On August 14, 2020, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly Zoom Membership Mixer, with 19 participants in attendance. The icebreaker question this week asked participants “What were the worst fashion trends you participated in?” Some answers included fanny packs, turtlenecks, mini skirts, flood pants, Jnco Pants, Success Curls, baggy clothes, cargo pants, Structure zippered clothes, Hawaiian puka shell necklace, and sweater vests. 

At the mixer, AABANY Board Member and Assistant United States Attorney Won Shin, Chief of Appeals, Criminal Division, SDNY, was our featured guest. He gave advice to young lawyers on legal writing and talked about how he went from Big Law to the US Attorney’s Office in SDNY.  The mixer was co-hosted by the Government Service & Public Interest Committee and Prosecutors’ Committee, and many members from both committees were in attendance.

Congratulations to GSPI Co- Chair Jonathan Hernandez for winning this week’s prize: a year long subscription to the podcast CAFE Insider, hosted by former SDNY United States Attorney Preet Bharara.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc. but due to COVID, we have moved online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but people usually stay on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

Membership Committee will continue to host weekly Zoom mixers until it is safe to gather together again in person. 

We are giving away door prizes during some weeks. In order to win, you must be a member and must RSVP on the aabany.org calendar entry to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the Zoom mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize. 

Mixers are not recorded and are LIVE, so don’t miss out. Register for this week’s mixer by Thursday, August 20 at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1366649

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NYC Bar Offers Scholarship Opportunity for Surrogate’s Court Mediation Training

The City Bar and Community Mediation Services is now offering a limited number of scholarships to the upcoming Surrogate’s Court Mediation Training – 16-Hour Online Training. The scholarships are intended to encourage a more diverse group of attorneys to consider adding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to their practices. This program is approved under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge and satisfies the training requirements of many local court ADR panels. 

Attorneys are required to attend at all four days of the program, which will run virtually on the following dates: September 15, 17, 22 & 24, 2020 from 9 am – 1 pm on each day.

Interested candidates should send their résumé and an optional statement of interest, to Paula Mukwaya at [email protected] by the evening of Monday, August 31st.  

For more information about this Surrogate’s Court Mediation Training, please click here.