Day: June 28, 2021

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Prosecutors’ Committee Meets Up at Leaf Rooftop Lounge in Flushing on June 24

After a long year and a half, the Prosecutors’ Committee, headed up by Joseb Gim and David Chiang, finally hosted an in-person gathering at the Leaf Rooftop Lounge in Flushing. We had a perfect location with a great view and amazing weather.

Members of the Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Nassau DA’s offices were joined by a member of the Family Court Division of the NYC Law Department.

We got together to discuss our group and individual efforts to combat Anti-Asian Hate and increase our voice in our communities.

We also welcomed two law school interns, a recent college graduate, and a former ADA who now works at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

It was a great opportunity for old friends to reconnect and introduce some new people to the group. We’ve faced a really tough year and a half since 2020, but together we recharged each other to keep fighting the good fight. We’re looking forward to the next gathering later this summer!!!

To learn more about the Prosecutors’ Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/73. If you would like to be added to their listserv send an email to [email protected].

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AABANY’s Membership Committee Holds its 56th and Final Online Weekly Mixer

After a year of online mixers due to the pandemic, the Membership Committee held its 56th and final Online Weekly Mixer on Zoom, on Friday, June 25, 2021.

The beginning of the mixer featured a celebration of the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY) Public Interest Scholarship Recipients, hosted by Sylvia Chin, President of AALFNY. The awardees were: Amanda Jimenez (CUNY School of Law, Class of 2022), Evelyn (Meng) Lin (Syracuse University College of Law, Class of 2022), and Shelley Wu (Cardozo School of Law, Class of 2023). AALFNY also honored the recipient of the AALFNY-SABANY Public Interest Fellowship: Dawa Lhamo (CUNY School of Law, Class of 2023), who will be interning with Catholic Migration Services. AALFNY awards Public Interest Scholarships each year to law students with a demonstrated commitment to the Asian American community. Congratulations to the recipients for their good work!

During the mixer, AALFNY held a Give Lively text to pledge fundraiser to support the Turning the Tide Project and nearly raised $1000. Thank you to everyone who donated! We are continuing to take donations via Give Lively and if you would like to donate, text “TIDE3” to 44-321. (A copy of AALFNY’s latest annual report may be obtained from P.O. Box, 161, 41 Purdy Ave, Rye NY 10580  or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from us at [email protected] or the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.)

After the AALFNY presentation, AABANY members went around the Zoom Room for the mixer portion. The participants introduced themselves, and answered the icebreaker question: “How will you change your lifestyle now that the city has reopened?” Participants told the group their various plans, including “adjusting their commute to work from home on most days,” “going back to travel internationally” and “going back to attend large gatherings.”

The weekly mixers had a core group of attendees, including Barry Kazan, Sylvia Chin, William Lim, Francis Chin, and Kevin Hsi, all of whom regularly attended the weekly mixers. In particular, Barry Kazan, a Partner at Mintz & Gold LLP, was awarded “MVP” (Most Valuable Participant) of AABANY’s Online Membership Mixers.

Membership Committee Mixers held various theme nights, including a trivia night, a Show & Tell night, a Talent show with dancing, guitar playing and Comedian, a Halloween Costume Contest, a Virtual Tour through Japanese Mountains, and Founder’s Night.

The participants expressed gratitude that there was a weekly outlet to connect, talk and share their thoughts every week, and appreciated that the mixers allowed people to form friendships through video. A few members requested that the mixers continue. 

Membership Committee plans on meeting in person beginning in July; please stay tuned for the announcements. The Committee is looking to host a cruise later this summer. Be on the lookout for the survey!

Thanks to everyone who attended the final mixer and to our members and friends who joined us for one or more mixers over the past year! Thanks to Beatrice Leong, Membership Director, for being such a gracious host.

We look forward to seeing everyone in person for future Membership Committee events. 

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In the News: Litigation Committee Co-Chair Luna Barrington Named Top Lawyer under 40 by Law360 Rising Stars

Out of over 1,400 submissions, AABANY Litigation Committee Co-Chair Luna Barrington has been recognized by Law360 as one of this year’s Rising Stars under 40, as she has secured defense trial verdicts in major class action suits against companies like C&S Wholesale Grocers and Johnson & Johnson. On June 4, Law360 published an article highlighting her recent accomplishments as a trial attorney, underscoring the massive damages she saved her clients by skillfully preparing for and conducting the trial with her trial team. Now a partner at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, she recalls successfully advocating for a group of Mexican-American students in Tucson, AZ, pro bono, as among the proudest moments of her career: in federal court, Barrington fought a state statute banning a Mexican-American studies program in Tucson’s schools, denouncing it as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments. She is also a first-generation lawyer and the first in her family to earn a graduate degree. Please join AABANY in congratulating Luna on being selected by Law360 as one of this year’s Rising Stars under 40, a well-deserved recognition of her achievements and trial skills.

To read the full article, click here (subscription required).

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Asian American Law Journal – Call for Submissions

The Asian American Law Journal (AALJ) at Berkeley Law is now accepting submissions for its 2021-2022 volume!

What is the Asian American Law Journal (AALJ)? AALJ is one of only two law journals focused on Asian American communities. Since 1993, they have provided a scholarly forum for the exploration of unique legal concerns of Asian Americans, including but not limited to the East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Asian Pacific American communities. Each annual volume typically contains articles, book reviews, essays, and other contributions from scholars, practitioners, and students.

What topics and issues does AALJ feature? They welcome commentary, analysis, and research on the experiences and concerns of Asian Americans, including the intersections of gender, class, sexual orientation, religion and race. This year, they are particularly interested in scholarship reflecting on the issues and events from the last two years: xenophobia and the general rise in anti-Asian hate crime; COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on poor communities of color; George Floyd’s murder, the Movement for Black Lives, and Asian American communities’ roles in advocating for racial justice; the election; the insurrection; the Atlanta spa shootings and the continued marginalization of Asian sex workers, among others. 

Is there a specific format or word limit? AALJ recognizes that the law article format may limit the expression of important ways in which the law intersects with lived experience, beyond doctrine and formal analysis. AALJ also welcomes essays and other written formats that explore the unique legal concerns of Asian American communities. Consider their archives for references. (Recently they have enjoyed Professor Carlos Hiraldo’s Arroz Frito with Salsa: Asian Latinos and the Future of the United States, Professor Mari Matsuda’s Planet Asian America, and Professor Robert Chang’s article, AALJ’s inaugural piece, Toward an Asian American Legal Scholarship.)

Is there a deadline? Yes, all submissions are due Aug. 20, though AALJ makes publication offers on a rolling basis. Please send your submissions to [email protected] or through Scholastica.

What if I have more questions? Please send them a note, they would love to connect.

I don’t have anything to submit, but I know someone who might. What can I do? For those in the position to do so, they would appreciate you forwarding this note to your departments, teams, and friends or colleagues who may be interested in publishing with AALJ.

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NAPABA Congratulates Kiran Ahuja on her Confirmation to Become the First Asian American Woman to Lead OPM

For Immediate Release: Date: June 22, 2021

Contact: Edgar Chen, Policy Director

WASHINGTON – NAPABA congratulates Kiran Ahuja on her confirmation to become Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).  In this role, Ms. Ahuja will be the first Asian American woman to lead the federal government’s principal human resources agency. 

“Kiran Ahuja’s prior governmental experience as OPM’s Chief of Staff, as a career government lawyer at DOJ, and as Executive Director of the White House’s Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI, now the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders) make her ready to lead OPM and its diverse and talented workforce at a critical time,” said A.B. Cruz III, the President of NAPABA. “NAPABA congratulates Kiran Ahuja on her well-earned confirmation.”

In 2011, NAPABA honored Ms. Ahuja with its Women’s Leadership Award for her decades long efforts towards improving the lives of women of color in the United States and the advancement of AAPI women both as founding Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific Women’s Forum and as Executive Director of WHIAAPI.

Ms. Ahuja earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Spelman College and a law degree from the University of Georgia.  NAPABA applauded the nomination of Ms. Ahuja and had written to all Senators voicing support for her confirmation.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the largest Asian Pacific American membership organization representing the interests of approximately 60,000 legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.