WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association applauds the confirmations of Judge Mia Roberts Perez to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Alamdar S. Hamdani to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. Judge Perez will be the first Asian American and second Latina judge to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Hamdani will be the first Asian American to serve as a United States Attorney in Texas.
“NAPABA applauds the historic confirmations of Judge Perez and Alamdar Hamdani,” said Sandra Leung, president of NAPABA. “Both individuals are well-qualified for their respective roles. We are thrilled to finally have representation for our community in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Southern District of Texas.”
“NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating them and Senators Casey and Toomey for supporting Judge Perez, and Senators Cornyn and Cruz for supporting Mr. Hamdani.”
Judge Mia Roberts Perez served as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and as an Assistant Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Judge Perez received her J.D. from Temple University, Beasley School of Law in 2006 and her B.A. from Tufts University in 2003.
Alamdar Hamdani served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, as deputy chief of the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division at the Department of Justice, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Houston Law Center and the University of Texas at Austin.
“The successful confirmations of Judge Perez and Mr. Hamdani are steps in the right direction for our country,” said Priya Purandare, executive director of NAPABA. “The AAPI community continues to be underrepresented in our courts and chief law enforcement positions—even in areas with significant AAPI populations. We thank President Biden and Senators for supporting, nominating, and confirming qualified AAPI attorneys for these positions.”
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), in collaboration with the American Bar Foundation, is proud to announce the release of A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0: Identity and Action in Challenging Times (Portrait Project 2.0). Building on the results of the original Portrait Project report published in 2017, this five-year follow-up study provides comprehensive data and analysis on the progress and experiences of Asian Americans in the legal profession.
“Portrait Project 2.0 is a crucial resource for lawyers, policymakers, researchers, and advocates seeking to advance diversity in the legal profession,” said Sandra Leung, president of NAPABA. “By spotlighting the experiences of Asian American attorneys, this new report calls attention to our community’s successes and challenges, and provides troves of data that will inform efforts to promote equity and inclusion in a variety of sectors and organizations. We are proud that this report quantifies the advances we have made on the bench and in the C-Suite. However, we recognize that Asian Americans remain underrepresented in the highest ranks of law firms, education, and in public service and commit to investing in career development in those sectors.”
“The findings of Portrait Project 2.0 highlight the importance of NAPABA’s ongoing work to develop innovate programs to help attorneys at all stages of their career lifecycle, from law school to retirement, to advance and find personal fulfillment in their profession,” said Priya Purandare, executive director of NAPABA. “As we learned five years ago, legal employers and legal networks must make more strategic investments in supporting Asian American attorneys by facilitating relationship-building, helping young lawyers develop soft skills, and providing leadership opportunities. Further, they must invest in meaningful interventions that combat institutional bias and stereotypes. This report underscores the opportunity top organizations across sectors have to attract and retain top-talent by creating supportive and value driven cultures.”
The 77-page report — authored by Tyler Dang, Katherine Fang, Benji Lu, Michael Tayag, and California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu — combines detailed analysis of employment data in various legal sectors with qualitative insights from focus groups and results of a wide-ranging national survey completed by over 700 Asian American lawyers.
This five-year update offers fresh insights into Asian American career advancement and political participation against the backdrop of a rise in anti-Asian hate. Among the key findings:
Asian American attorneys indicated greater engagement with social and political issues. Those seeking to change practice settings ranked a desire to advance issues important to them among their most significant reasons for doing so. This was ranked among the least significant reasons in 2016.
47% of survey respondents reported having become more involved in community organizations, protests, or other forms of advocacy on behalf of Asian Americans since March 2020, suggesting recent societal events may be influenced this behavior.
There has been progress in the appointment of federal judges and in the ranks of general counsel. The number of Asian American federal judges has increased over the past five years, comprising 6% of active federal judges compared to 3.4% in 2016.
Underrepresentation of Asian Americans in the top ranks of the legal profession persists. Asian Americans are the largest minority group at major law firms, but they have the lowest ratio of partners to associates — and the highest attrition rate. Further, they remain underrepresented among law clerks, law professors, state court judges, and state and federal prosecutors.
Asian American attorneys would likely benefit from greater institutional supports that counteract stereotypes and facilitate relationship-building and leadership opportunities.
NAPABA thanks Justice Goodwin Liu and the American Bar Foundation for their continued partnership, support, and investment in our vision of a community where Asian Pacific Americans achieve representation, success, and influence within the legal profession and beyond. #
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.
NAPABA | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 300 | Washington, DC 20006 | www.napaba.org
On November 30, 2022, the Labor & Employment Law Committee and the IP Committee partnered up to host a dinner event at Nonono. Twenty-five attendees filled the upper level of this Japanese restaurant to enjoy dinner family-style, starting with Nonono’s signature skewer pieces like short rib and chicken oyster, and moving on to a variety of scrumptious rice and noodle dishes.
Registration for this dinner event reached maximum capacity in just a few days, due to high interest. The two Committees welcomed a wide range of attendees, including members, non-members and first-time comers who gathered to make connections with and learn about the various experiences of the attendees representing practitioners in both IP and Labor & Employment Law.
To learn more about the two host Committees and to sign up for their listservs, go to:
Thanks to the Co-Chairs and Vice Chairs of both Committees for organizing this enjoyable event and to everyone who came. We look forward to future events from these Committees and hope you can join them!
Proskauer LLP is now accepting applications for its Silver Scholar Program. The scholarship program grants recipients a summer associate position at Proskauer and a $30,000 cash award. The award is named after Edward Silver, the first elected Chairman of Proskauer, and a trailblazing labor lawyer. Silver’s storied commitment to diversity and equal opportunity is memorialized through this program.
Proskauer is now accepting applications for this program from 1Ls. Applicants will need to submit the following materials: a resume, undergraduate and law school transcripts, a legal writing sample, a personal statement and three references. For more details, including a link to the online application, please click here.
The application deadline is January 16, 2023. Any additional questions can be directed to [email protected].
On November 14th, the IP Committee presented their first concert event, a group outing to see the ARKAI Duo play their award-winning music at the historical Kosciuszko Foundation House. New connections were made among the attendees, which included law firm attorneys, in-house counsel, and students!
The performance started with ARKAI’s own musical piece, “Womp‘n Stomp,” followed by their own cover versions of “Moon River” and “Blackbird.” They ended with “Muziqawi Silt,” an original work from their electronic debut composition “Letters from COVID.” The piece is unique in that it merges together electronic and classical music, creating an unorthodox melody that aims to reflect the confusion and uncertainty of the early days of the pandemic.
The performance was followed by a reception where the IP Committee had the opportunity to meet the ARKAI Duo and have lively discussions about how the duo prepared for the concert, the challenges they faced, and also the IP Committee’s own interest in music, all while enjoying glasses of wine and hors d’oeuvres!
Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list and look out for the Committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please click here.
On November 21, City & State New York, a leading multimedia news organization that covers New York City and State politics and policy, released its 2022 Economic Development Power 100. As stated in the article:
City & State’s Economic Development Power 100 identifies the top government officials, CEOs, heads of business groups and trade associations, advocates of small businesses and minority- and women-owned enterprises, and many other individuals who are aiming to answer these questions [on how to grow the economy] as they seek to drive job creation all across New York.
AABANY is proud to announce that Kevin Kim, the current Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services in the Mayor’s Office, is listed as number 9 on the Power 100 list:
Kevin D. Kim is a former small-business entrepreneur and the son of immigrant small-business owners. Today he helps other New York City entrepreneurs get connected to needed resources as commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. Kim played a key role launching a new initiative to help New Yorkers access cannabis retail licenses. The first phase of the initiative involves making sure that people who have been convicted of marijuana-related offenses receive guidance in applying for those licenses.
To read the full article with the complete list, click here.
Kevin was honored by AABANY with the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the 2022 Fall Conference held at Fordham University School of Law on Oct. 8. Kevin was also a former Director on AABANY’s Board, in addition to numerous accolades earned over the course of his storied career in public service.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Kevin on this noteworthy achievement and well-deserved recognition.
On November 17, AABANY together with several other bar associations co-sponsored a program on “Becoming an AUSA,” hosted by Cleary Gottlieb at their New York office.
Joon Kim, former Acting United States Attorney of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) (and longtime AABANY member) gave opening remarks to welcome the standing room only crowd of more than 100 attendees. He reflected on his years serving with Preet Bharara and then succeeding him after his much-publicized termination during the prior Presidential administration. To this day, Joon remembers the gravity and weight of the words, “My name is Joon Kim, and I represent the United States” whenever he appeared before a judge or jury. The seriousness of representing the United States in numerous cases of public importance has never been lost on Joon. Now a Partner at Cleary, Joon was the first Asian American Acting United States Attorney in the Southern District, following Preet Bharara, who was the first Asian American United States Attorney in the Southern District.
Una Dean, former Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and now in-house counsel at IBM, helped organize the program and moderated the opening panel with current United States Attorneys Damian Williams (SDNY) and Breon Peace (EDNY). Una was also a past AABANY Board member.
Both Breon and Damian spoke about their paths to the US Attorney’s office and their desire to work on matters that would have positive community impact. Both expressed the belief that the US Attorney’s office provides a unique opportunity to do just that. Breon talked about criminal investigations and prosecutions his office has been doing, including a case that helped prevent a potential terrorist attack at the US Open. His office prosecuted R. Kelly for human trafficking. They fight hate crimes and also work on affinity fraud cases which target vulnerable members from diverse ethnic and religious communities in New York. In criminal cases, his office actively seeks out alternatives to incarceration and diversion programs as ways to resolve criminal complaints, and also supports programs that facilitate re-entry into society for formerly incarcerated persons. On the civil side, EDNY pursues civil rights cases, fights housing discrimination and brings cases to protect the environment. His civil rights division has also been addressing claims about NYPD’s handling of sexual assault complaints from survivors.
Damian, after being trained at a prominent law firm, believed that, for his further development as a litigator and trial lawyer, the US Attorney’s office was the next logical step. Damian has served in the SDNY for a decade and spoke about his time at the SDNY with great passion and fondness, and his love for the work is palpable. “It is the best job in the world, and the best job I can ever hope to have,” he declared. Assistant US Attorneys fight bullies, he noted, and he relishes working in an environment where everyone is dedicated to doing the right thing, serving the public interest.
Una asked both Damian and Breon what qualities they look for in candidates for their offices. Damian answered that they are looking for good, decent, human beings – “no sharp elbows” – who are team oriented. In other words, they don’t want any jerks. (He used a stronger word, but you know what he means.) Candidates should be good writers who are smart, can think on their feet and exercise good judgment. They must have a strong moral compass, a sense of right and wrong, because so much authority is delegated to junior attorneys at his office, and they must be “doing the right thing, the right way – always.” Candidates need to have a tremendous amount of energy, because they will be working hard. If you are looking for a lifestyle change or money, Damian advised, working at the US Attorney’s Office may not be right for you.
Breon agreed with Damian and added that for him, any candidate that has a win-at-all-costs mentality raises a major red flag. He believes in doing justice, and that means at times, his office may have to decline cases or admit error. A candidate that rushes to judgment would not work out. He also looks for attorneys with the courage to tell investigators or judges that the evidence is not there to bring a case or to prosecute a defendant.
Una then talked about the reason why she put this program together, noting that during her time at EDNY, the composition of the office did not reflect the makeup of the community they served. Breon responded that “it is incredibly important that the [EDNY] is a reflection of the community.” He wants people of diverse backgrounds and experiences in his office to help solve problems, because “diversity is critical to getting the work done.” To promote diversity, EDNY has made changes to make hiring more diverse and inclusive, such as by making the process more transparent, has implemented a mentoring program for all new AUSAs and has sponsored trainings through the Diversity Committee.
Damian pointed out that he is the first African American US Attorney at SDNY and acknowledged that diversity is a challenge that needs to be addressed. He believes that outcomes are better when there are diverse views on the team. He also offered that the jury box will look like New York, so the government table should try to look like New York as well. Damian emphasized that politics has no role to play in the US Attorney’s office, no matter who the sitting President happens to be. He shared that Justice Sotomayor, at the start of her career was an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, and in a recent speech, she stated that she became a prosecutor because “it gave her the broadest option to do justice.” Damian agrees with that view.
Breon and Damian both closed by extolling the virtues of public service, particularly at the US Attorney’s office. Damian finds it hard to leave his desk each night because of all the great cases he gets to work on. “When I go home at night,” Breon declared, “I feel like I’ve done something good for the community.”
After Damian and Breon spoke, the program shifted to a panel of attorneys of color from both SDNY and EDNY, in both criminal and civil divisions, moderated by former AUSA Maria Cruz Melendez, now a Partner at Skadden. The panel included:
·Sagar Ravi, Assistant U.S. Attorney & Co-Chief, Complex Frauds & Cybercrime Unit, SDNY
·Rebecca Tinio, Assistant U.S. Attorney & Co-Chief, Civil Frauds Unit, SDNY
·Hiral Mehta, Assistant U.S. Attorney & Deputy Chief, Business and Securities Fraud Section, EDNY
·Marietou Diouf, Assistant U.S. Attorney, International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, EDNY
·Camille Fletcher, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Narcotics Unit, SDNY
·Dara Olds, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Civil Division, EDNY
·Ivory Bishop, Assistant U.S. Attorney, General Crimes, EDNY
All the panelists echoed the passion of Damian and Breon in their love of their work and the weight accorded to representing the United States in court on important cases of great public interest, in both criminal and civil matters.
Hiral Mehta (EDNY) spoke about the proactive nature of the office and the flat structure. There is no hierarchy, and everyone’s input is sought. Ivory Bishop (SDNY) talked about getting to work on all types of cases, from street crimes to public corruption.
Rebecca Tinio (SDNY) mentioned that her cases were great for training, because they go to trial. Her unit works on high stakes cases, such as the tax and bankruptcy case involving Purdue Pharma, the anti-kickback cases involving Novartis, and groundbreaking cases involving the Clean Air Act.
Maria asked the panel what role diversity plays in the cases that the offices see. The panelists gave examples from cases they worked on, in which their own diverse backgrounds and experiences allowed them to connect with and relate to the witnesses in the case, ultimately leading to successful outcomes.
Maria asked the panel to address the hiring process. Dara Olds (EDNY) stated that her office has separate criminal and civil tracks. Rebecca (SDNY) explained that her office has one unified process for all applicants. Both offices have initial interviews, some conducted by those on the panel. Both offices request writing samples, which are reviewed to determine whether a candidate will advance. If the candidate gets through the first round, they are interviewed by more senior AUSAs, including section chiefs. The final round would involve the US Attorney and their executive staff.
Sagar Ravi (SDNY) stated that they are always accepting applications, and Hiral (EDNY) confirmed the same for his office, except during times when a hiring freeze is in place. Currently, there is none so right now “the doors are open.”
What if an applicant thinks that they do not have the right credentials to apply? Dara (EDNY) noted that the US Attorney’s office does not accept applicants straight from law school and encouraged everyone who has obtained several years of experience to apply, regardless of whether they are applying from a large firm or if they had clerked for a judge. Camille Fletcher (SDNY) advised that even if you don’t get called for an interview the first time, you should try again.
After the panels were done, all the attendees stayed for a reception with food and drinks generously provided by Cleary. Many of the panelists stayed to speak directly with the panelists and ask the questions they were not able to during the main program. The room was buzzing with lively conversations among prosecutors, attorneys, and law students in attendance.
Much thanks and appreciation go to all the speakers and moderators for the evening. Thanks to Una Dean for spearheading the event, to Cleary for being such a gracious host, and to all the co-sponsors:
·Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association
·Caribbean Attorneys Network
·Dominican Bar Association
·Hispanic National Bar Association – Region II
·Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
From Nov. 3 through 6, NAPABA held its National Convention in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan, for three days of programming, meetings, plenary sessions and the 34th anniversary Gala capping things off on Saturday night.
AABANY members and friends once again came out in large numbers, with nearly 100 people signed up for AABANY’s WhatsApp group, organized by Co-VP of Programs and Operations Beatrice Leong. The group’s members updated each other on programs they planned to attend, made lunch and dinner plans, and connected with each other about various receptions, parties and events around Las Vegas.
Many bonds were made and strengthened among AABANY attendees over the course of the Convention, and many new connections were made with the approximately 2800 registered attendees from around the country.
We congratulate all the awardees and honorees recognized at the Convention, with special shout-outs to the following AABANY honorees:
Kathy Hirata Chin, Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award
Jeffrey Mok, Best Under 40
Christina Lee, Partners Network In-House Counsel Network Diversity Leadership Award
We also congratulate AABANY Platinum Sponsor Allen & Overy on receiving the Law Firm Diversity Award.
The AABANY Trial Reenactment Team presented its latest production, “From ‘Tokyo Rose’ to the ‘China Initiative’: Espionage and AAPIs” on Friday afternoon, Nov. 4, to a capacity audience. We were privileged to be joined by Brian Sun, attorney for Wen Ho Lee, who shared his personal recollections from that landmark case in which a Chinese-American scientist was wrongly accused by the US government of divulging US nuclear secrets to China.
Many AABANY members and leaders spoke on several programs throughout the Convention. If you are among them, thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Please send us your photos and, if possible, a short recap about your program. You can send it to [email protected].
Congratulations to Sandra Leung, NAPABA’s new President, and Anna Mercado Clark, NAPABA’s new President-Elect. Both were sworn in by the Hon. Denny Chin, together with the entire NAPABA Board, during Saturday night’s Gala.
Thanks to NAPABA for putting on a great Convention, which included many first-time attendees. By all accounts, everyone had a wonderful time, learned a lot, forged new connections and renewed existing ones. We look forward to more great things to come in the next year!
WASHINGTON – October 4, 2022. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to announce that the 2022 NAPABA President’s Award will be presented to two groundbreaking organizations that have made a true impact toward the betterment of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA & NH/PIs) during a period of great upheaval for these communities. This year’s recipients are: The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF).
The NAPABA President’s Award is given annually to individuals or entities who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the Asian Pacific American community.
“NAPABA is proud of our partnerships with these two remarkable organizations,” said Acting NAPABA President A.B. Cruz III. “The twin pandemics of COVID-19 and the resulting wave of anti-Asian hate have created unprecedented challenges for AA & NH/PIs. Both TAAF and APIAHF have responded by creating the desperately needed infrastructure to empower communities to meet these challenges head-on.”
TAAF was established to close the vast AA & NH/PI philanthropic and influence gap in the United States—despite being the fastest growing population in the country, only 0.20% of foundation grantmaking and less than 1% of corporate giving is directly targeted toward AA & NH/PI communities. Founded at the height of the pandemic and anti-Asian hate wave, TAAF has made the largest philanthropic commitment in history focused specifically on AA & NH/PI communities, with particular emphasis on combating anti-Asian hate, education, and narrative change, all areas of priority for NAPABA. Since its launch, TAAF has committed millions in order to develop a strategic response to anti-Asian hate, producing critical resources such as its Rapid Response Toolkit, and building infrastructure through AAPI Action Centers across the country. NAPABA serves as one of TAAF’s National Network partners in the ongoing effort to combat anti-Asian hate.
APIAHF is the oldest and largest health policy advocacy organization working with AA & NH/PI communities across the nation, in the US Territories, and with the US-affiliated Pacific jurisdictions. In partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and over 30 national and community AA & NH/PI organizations—including NAPABA—APIAHF launched the National AA & NH/PI Health Response Partnership, a community-centered model that provides on-the-ground public health resources and assistance across the nation. The largest outreach and educational campaign ever conducted for the AA & NH/PI community, APIAHF and its partners provided linguistically tailored and culturally sensitive outreach and educational materials to increase COVID-19 vaccinations. In addressing the “dual pandemic,” NAPABA and APIAHF partnered together to develop a ground-breaking collection of Combat Hate Crimes Toolkits translated into 25 different Asian and NH/PI languages—the largest compilation of its kind. The two organizations also co-developed fact cards for those who may be unsure of their rights to a COVID-19 vaccination. Translated into 26 different Asian and NH/PI languages, this resource educates community members on the benefits of getting vaccinated and encourages them to receive their free COVID-19 vaccinations regardless of immigration status, health insurance coverage, and/or Social Security identification.
NAPABA congratulates TAAF and the APIAHF as this year’s honorees and will bestow the prestigious award on Friday, November 5 at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas during the 2022 NAPABA Convention.
The AABANY IP Committee gathered once again for a night of authentic Cantonese Chinese soul food at Dim Sum Palace on Wednesday, September 14. We started off with the traditional and all-favorite Peking Duck, which was served in small pieces wrapped in pillow-soft buns with cucumber and scallion, moved on to Deep-Fried Shrimp and Scallop, Beef Chow Fun and Shanghai Fried Rice, among other dishes, and finished off with the perfect dessert: Sweet Egg Yolk Creamy Bun.
With the seemingly endless stream of soul food spinning around on the Lazy Susans, the IP Committee welcomed a wide range of folks in the legal community: law students with a background in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, law firm associates with an expertise in IP litigation and in-house counsel practicing entertainment and media law, to name a few. As always, long-time members and familiar faces of the IP Committee gave a warm welcome to first-time attendees to discuss career trajectories, different environments of law firms and in-house roles and more. This event was the first dinner held since late July, and it was certainly worth the wait!
The AABANY IP Committee always welcomes first-time attendees and familiar faces alike. If you are interested in joining us for our next event, whether it be a movie showing, musical performance or dinner gathering, please join the IP Committee’s mailing list by contacting [email protected], and also keep an eye out for IP Committee events on AABANY’s Calendar page. To learn more about the AABANY IP Committee, take a couple minutes to look over our committee’s subpage on AABANY’s website.
