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AABANY Co-Sponsors: Information Session on Going In-House at AmEx

On October 16, AABANY co-sponsored an information session on going in-house at AmEx. The event began with a panel discussion moderated by In-House Counsel Committee Co-Chair Grace Fu that engaged in a lighthearted and candid discussion about what it is like to work in-house at AmEx. The panelists, which included AmEx General Counsel Laureen Seeger and Senior Counsel Ming-Hsuan Elders, discussed the various types of matters handled by the company’s legal department and shared their personal experiences to shed light on the company’s culture. The panelists also discussed issues like diversity and steps the company is taking to make the legal field more inclusive for minorities. After the panel concluded, attorneys in attendance were matched with Hiring Leaders at AmEx and given the opportunity to mingle and engage in a more personalized one-to-one discussion.

We thank AmEx’s General Counsel Organization’s Diversity Committee and in particular Cindy Huang, IP Counsel at AmEx, and John Parauda, Managing Counsel at AmEx, for working with AABANY to make this event possible. We thank all the attendees who came and hope that many good and helpful connections were made during the event.

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NAPABA Call for Nominations

The NAPABA Nominating and Elections Committee is accepting nominations for election as the Vice President for Finance and Development of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 term, in light of Courtney Fong’s withdrawal. Read his full statement here. The NAPABA Board of Governors makes the organization’s policies for the given year, and consists of nine officers, ten regional governors, and four appointed At-Large Board Members. The responsibilities of board members include, but are not limited to, supporting NAPABA’s mission statement, endorsing NAPABA events and programs, securing financial supporters, and demonstrating the highest standards of integrity and decorum. For a full list of governor responsibilities, click here. 

AABANY members who joined or renewed their NAPABA membership by July 1, 2018, are eligible to vote. Ballots have been delivered by email, and must be cast on or before Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. If you have any questions, you may contact the NAPABA Nominating & Elections Committee Chair George Chen, [email protected], or NAPABA Executive Director Tina Matsuoka, [email protected]. For general inquiries, please contact [email protected]. 

To submit an nomination and for more information regarding this position, click here. The deadline to submit is October 22 at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT.

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AABANY Group Membership for Law Students

AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee is excited to launch a group membership rate for law students at local Asian Pacific American Law Student Associations (APALSAs). For a group rate of $150, AABANY will offer up to 20 APALSA members free one-year memberships. This group rate covers all AABANY events, including  CLE and non-CLE programs, networking events, AABANY’s Mentorship Program and AABANY’s Annual Fall Conference.

Please note that the current group rate covers up to 20 law students per law school. If the APALSA will have more than 20 participants, please reach out to Student Outreach Committee Co-Chair Edwin Kim ([email protected]) to discuss pricing options for groups larger than 20.

This group rate represents a huge discount given that the regular rate for law students is $15 per person. For APALSA members who are already dues-paying members, participation in this group rate will extend current memberships by another year. If you are a member of an APALSA at a New York area law school and interested in participating, please have one representative from your APALSA reach out to Edwin Kim ([email protected]) for further instructions.

This law student group rate offer will remain in effect until Monday, Dec. 3.

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Brooklyn Junior Lawyer Initiative – Workshop Registration Form [ November 27, 2018 6:00 – 7:30 PM ] Survey

Brooklyn Junior Lawyer Initiative – Workshop Registration Form [ November 27, 2018 6:00 – 7:30 PM ] Survey

AABANY President James Cho alerted us to this wonderful training opportunity for junior lawyers:

EDNY Bankruptcy Court Announces Junior Lawyer Workshop at the Brooklyn Courthouse on November 27,2018, 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Register Today! [Follow the link in the title]

The EDNY Bankruptcy Court will conduct a workshop for junior lawyers at the Brooklyn Courthouse on November 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. The workshop will give junior and less experienced lawyers the opportunity to gain experience and training in courtroom skills by arguing motions that were filed in chapter 7,11 and 13 cases. The motions will be argued without opposition. They will be on a teaching calendar called and argued in Court with an EDNY Bankruptcy Judge presiding. Participating lawyers will each be assigned a motion in advance, will argue it and receive feedback from the Bankruptcy Judge and more experienced bankruptcy lawyers present who are members of the EDNY Chapter 11 Lawyers’ Advisory Committee. Approximately ten minutes will be set aside for each participant to present argument and receive individual feedback. After the motions on the calendar have been argued, there will be time for questions and discussion.

The workshop will not be a competition or moot court exercise. It is designed to provide a “safe” environment for junior and less experienced lawyers to practice argument and improve their courtroom skills.

The workshop is offered to help implement the policy recently adopted by the Court that, “where junior lawyers are familiar with the matter under consideration, but are not experienced in arguing before a court, they should be encouraged to participate.” In these circumstances, “where it creates an opportunity for a junior lawyer to argue, this Court is amenable to permitting more than one lawyer to argue for a party.” The new policy is highlighted on the Court’s web site:    http://www.nyeb.uscourts.gov/news/edny-bankruptcy-court-policy-provide-opportunities-courtroom-skills-development

There will be a limited number of lawyers in the workshop. The Bankruptcy Judges are volunteering their time to prepare for and preside at the workshop. Please register only if you are able to commit to participate. The deadline to register is November 9, 2018.

Junior lawyers, including first year associates who have taken the Bar exam as well as lawyers who have practiced for a number of years but have limited or no courtroom experience, may register for the workshop by following the link posted in the “News & Announcements” section of the Court’s web site home page. The participants will receive detailed instructions for the workshop and their assigned motion a few weeks in advance of the workshop.

Participants will receive by November 16 the assignments of the motions they will argue and will be contacted one week before the workshop to answer any questions they may have and confirm their appearance. If you must cancel your appearance, give at least 48 hours advance notice to the EDNY Chapter 11 Lawyers’ Advisory Committee by sending an e-mail to [email protected] and [email protected].

In addition to junior and less experienced lawyers, all members of the Bar are invited to register attend the workshop as an observer by following the link posted in the “News & Announcements” section of the Court’s home page.

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NAPABA 2018 Officer Election Results and New Call for Nominations

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NAPABA congratulates the newly-elected officers of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 board year. They will be sworn into office at the 30th Anniversary Gala during the 2018 NAPABA Convention in Chicago, IL.
The following individuals were elected by the NAPABA membership:

  • President-Elect | Bonnie Lee Wolf
  • Vice President for Finance and Development | Courtney Fong*
  • Vice President for Membership | Alen Hsu
  • Vice President for Programs and Operations | Charles Jung
  • Vice President for Communications | Avanti Bakane
  • Treasurer | Gary Zhao
  • Secretary | Jeffrey Javinar

*Courtney Fong has withdrawn his candidacy to be Vice President for Finance and Development. You can read a statement from him here. As a result, the Nominating and Elections Committee is accepting nominations for election as the Vice President for Finance and Development of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 term. Submit a nomination here by October 22 at 5 PM. The updated Elections Timeline for this position is included below.

– Oct. 22, 2018: Nominations may be submitted until 5pm ET/2pm PT
– Oct. 24, 2018: Vice President for Finance and Development candidates announced and endorsements accepted
– Oct. 25, 2018: Election ballot will be distributed to eligible voters by email on this date (Members must have joined or renewed by July 1, 2018, to be eligible to vote.)
– Nov. 1, 2018: Candidate endorsements may continue to be submitted until 12pm ET/9am PT on this date. Votes must be cast by 9pm ET/6pm PT on this date in order to be counted
– Nov. 2, 2018: Election results will be announced.

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Congratulations to Jennifer Wu, AABANY Women’s Committee Co-Chair, on Rising Stars Award

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The New York Law Journal recognized Jennifer H. Wu on October 10, 2018 with a Rising Stars Award, given to 29 of the region’s most promising lawyers under 40.  Awardees are acknowledged for their influence in their practice areas in New York and beyond, developing unique practice niches, employing creative uses of technology, amassing robust books of business, demonstrating strong leadership qualities, showing expertise in litigation or transactional work, contributing to the improvement of their institutions, and committing themselves to pro bono, charitable and professional volunteer work.

Jennifer is a partner in Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP’s Litigation Department and focuses her practice on patent litigation matters. Jennifer frequently goes to jury and bench trials in federal district courts and trials before the International Trade Commission. She also represents clients in appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. She has litigated patents in a wide variety of technical areas, with a particular emphasis on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Jennifer’s work on biologics includes litigating issues of first impression as to the BPCIA, and her patent litigation experience also extends to GPS devices, DNA sequencing technology, and medical devices.

Jennifer directs Paul, Weiss’s first pro bono project expressly for Asian Americans, helping parents of special-needs children obtain services from the New York City Department of Education. Jennifer has also worked with the Innocence Project for over a decade, including on eyewitness misidentification, death penalty, and Shaken Baby Syndrome issues. She is a Board member of the Federal Circuit Bar Association; co-chair of the Women’s Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York; a Board member of Friends of UNFPA, which supports the work of the United Nations reproductive health and rights agency; and an Advisory Board member of the NYU Law Alumni of Color Association.

For more information on this award, please click here (subscription required).

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer Wu on this well-deserved honor and recognition.

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Thank you to our October Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

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October’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic, held on Wednesday, October 10 at 3 Bowery Street in Confucius Plaza, brought out 17 lawyers and 6 interpreters who volunteered their time to help 51 clients:

Lawyers:

  • Zhixian Liu
  • Wei Li
  • Sylvia Chin
  • Sonya Chung
  • Rachel Yoo
  • May Kay Wong
  • Lord Chester So
  • Kwok Kei Ng
  • Kevin Hsi
  • Kelly Diep
  • Francis Chin 
  • David Lu
  • Conlyn Chan
  • Christopher Chin
  • Chris M. Kwok 
  • Annie Tsao
  • Jiayun Zhang 

Interpreters:

  • Alva Lin
  • Xianxiao (Emily) Li
  • Wen Zhang
  • Wei Ling Huang 
  • Rachel Chen 
  • Emily Li 

Special thanks to Roger Chen and Johnny Thach for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung, Karen Kithan Yau, Ming Chu Lee, and Asako Aiba for their leadership. 

If you are interested in volunteering at next month’s Pro Bono Clinic on November 14, please contact Asako Aiba at [email protected]. AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic occurs every second Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.