AABANY Holds its 2024 Annual Meeting of Members at King & Spalding on February 13

On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at King & Spalding. President Karen Kim called the meeting to order and established quorum. The main order of business was conducting the election for the 2025 Board of Directors and Officers and voting on a proposed revision to the bylaws to set term limits for certain Committee Chairs.

Treasurer Jasmine Ball gave the Treasurer’s Report, sharing information about AABANY’s financial performance through September 30, 2023. Membership Committee Co-Chair Ashley Shan presented the Membership Director’s Report in place of Membership Director Christopher Bae, who was not able to attend.

President Karen Kim presented the Annual Report of the Board, summarizing the major activities of AABANY during the past year, and thanked the Board members for their service during the past year.

Executive Director Yang Chen presented highlights of Committee activities. Following the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY during the 2024 fiscal year.

The following awards were presented:

Committee of the Year: Student Outreach Committee

The Committee of the Year Award was given to the Student Outreach Committee for their dedication and commitment to advancing the mission of AABANY and providing enriching programming and activities that benefits not only law students but AABANY’s membership and community as a whole.

Program of the Year: Winter Soiree 2024

The Program of the Year Award was given to the Winter Soiree. Held on January 25th, 2024, the In-House and Corporate Law Committees led the biggest and best Soiree to date for AABANY, successfully bringing together in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, AABANY Board members, Committee Chairs, and a record number of sponsors for this marquee event.

Member of the Year: William Lee

The Member of the Year Award was presented to William Lee for his commitment to serving the AABANY Student Outreach Committee, his steadfast leadership and mentorship, and his contribution to the advancement of AABANY’s mission, programs, and activities over the years.

Student of the Year: Joon Choe

The Student of the Year Award is new and was presented for the first time to Joon Choe, Fordham Law School, class of 2024, for giving his time to advancing AABANY’s mission, programs, and activities through his constant and trustworthy volunteer service.

Honorable Mentions: Pro Bono & Community Service Committee and Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee

An honorable mention was presented to the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee for their pro bono clinics in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn that continue to serve an under-represented and under-resourced population, and for providing AABANY’s members with the opportunity to volunteer and support New York’s AAPI and immigrant communities.

An honorable mention was also presented to the Solo and Small Firm Committee for their unique and innovative programs and events that have benefited and enhanced the lives and experiences of AABANY members in solo and small firm practice.

Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2024 fiscal year.

After the presentation of awards, Karen announced the election results. The following officers were elected to serve a one-year term for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2024 and ending March 31, 2025 (the “2025 Fiscal Year”):

Benjamin Hsing

President-Elect

Jeffrey Mok

Vice President, Programs and Operations

Ashley Shan

Vice President, Programs and Operations

Jasmine Ball

Treasurer

David Mou

Secretary

Alysha Naik

Membership Director

Varuna Bhattacharyya

Development Director

The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms beginning on the first day of the 2025 Fiscal Year:

Christopher Bae
Vishal Chander
Grace Fu
William Hao
Gigio Ninan
Lawrence Wee
Jennifer Wu
Kevin Yam
Dwight Yoo

At the meeting, the following proposal was voted on: To amend AABANY’s by-laws to establish term limits for certain Committee Chairs by setting a four (4) year term limit for Committee Chairs, excluding Chairs of any Standing Committees, taking effect on the first day of the 2025 Fiscal Year.

This amendment was passed.

We thank everyone who attended the Annual Meeting and everyone who voted, whether by proxy or in person. Congratulations to all the newly-elected Officers and Directors.

Special thank you goes out to AABANY President-Elect Joseph Eng and the wonderful staff at King & Spalding for hosting AABANY’s 2024 Annual Meeting.

Thank You for Your Help at the Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on February 21!

The AABANY Pro Bono & Community Service Committee thanks all the volunteers who helped out at the Manhattan pro bono clinic on February 21, 2024! We thank AABANY, PBCS volunteers, and AAFE staff (Elton Ye, Jiwon Youn, and Joy Ng) for this collaboration. We met with 9 clients and discussed housing, real estate, and civil procedure.

One client shared that she had been afraid to speak with her own attorney. In her comments, she wrote, “The lawyers [at the clinic] were very knowledgeable and clear in communicating the steps to be taken and what I could expect about the case updates. They were also professional and trustworthy.”

Another client wrote, “I had many questions and the attorney(s) were very nice and explained well. As a senior, I hope to live at home and maintain peace every day. Thank you for your explanation.”

Great work, everyone!

Volunteer AttorneysInterpreters & Shadowers
Beatrice LeongAngela Zhao
Eve Hongye MaoChristine Seid
Francis ChinDaniel Kang
Judy LuEric Duan
Justin LeeJialin Zhu
Kevin HsiNandar Win Kerr
Kwok NgRuo Yang
May WongTiancheng “Tim” Lyu
Tiange (Tim) ChenXue Zhang
Yan SinYiming (Roselyn) Chen
Jiwon Youn (AAFE)
Elton Ye (AAFE)
Joy Ng (AAFE)

Please join our upcoming legal clinics:

Brooklyn Pro Bono Clinic – March 9th, 2024, 12:30pm – 3:30pm

Location – CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/H3Lyia9zRiV8tPL69

Manhattan – March 20, 2024, 6:30 – 8:30pm

Location – AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002, USA

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/SD2VMY8X6yE4vsxW9

Save the date for 3/21 for our Volunteer Appreciation Party!

Have a great week!