Author: Jackie Lee

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Congratulations to Francis Chin and Team Triscribe on their Best Screenplay Award at the 2021 72 Hour Shootout

https://youtu.be/vAVp0xGEtbA

AABANY congratulates Director of Technology Francis Chin, Ben Chan, past Student Outreach Committee Co-Chair and former AABANY member, and Sally Woo, Administrative Law Judge and current AABANY member, for winning best screenplay in this year’s 72 Hour Shootout Competition organized by the Asian American Film Lab (“AAFL”). The 72 Hour Shootout Competition is held annually, accepting submissions from across the globe. The AAFL states:

The competition creates a valuable opportunity for filmmakers of color – focusing on Asian American filmmakers – and women, as well as other underrepresented groups, to demonstrate their talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry and impact the visibility of diverse stories and characters in film. One of the Shootout requirements is that at least one key production member (e.g., director, producer or writer) and a principal actor from each team must be of Asian descent.

Participating teams have 72 hours to write, shoot, and edit a short film of up to 5 minutes long. This year’s competition theme was “BE A HERO.” Francis, Ben and Sally formed Team Triscribe to produce Better than Sliced Bread, a short film which takes a close look at a young father-daughter relationship following the height of the pandemic. Gifted with free bus tickets to venture beyond the confines of their home, the father-daughter duo rediscovers the pleasure of enjoying a sandwich, a simple meal with endless possibilities, as well as a fantastic upgrade from the plain sliced bread one reliably finds at home. The featured sandwich, a bánh mì, made of “pickled vegetables, pâté, Asian luncheon meat, mayo, and peppers on a crusty roll” is distinguished by its bright colors, flavors, and textures, encapsulating the simple way sliced bread can be revitalized and made exciting with a little extra care, much like our post-pandemic relationships with family.

Team Triscribe dedicated their film to the memory of Corky Lee, one of the most significant contributors to the photographic documentation of Asian American history; his work spanned momentous events in Asian American history like the protests following the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin to everyday life in New York City’s Chinatown.

Ben helped write Better than Sliced Bread and played Dr. Apollo. Sally also helped write the short film and was a narrator. Francis played the father, Harry Ong, in addition to producing and directing the film.

Congratulations to the Better than Sliced Bread team! Watch the short film here.

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AABANY Board Director Chris Kwok Interviews Randall T. Eng, the First Asian American Judge in New York State

AABANY Board Director Chris Kwok had the pleasure of interviewing Hon. Randall T. Eng (ret.) on May 7, for the Historical Society of the New York Courts’s podcast. Justice Eng was a pioneer in many respects for Asian Americans pursuing leadership roles in the legal profession. He became the first Asian American judge in New York State, one of many firsts for this trailblazer. Chris Kwok and Justice Eng discuss his life from his earliest days in Queens and China, the transition to becoming a lawyer, and the many obstacles Judge Eng faced as an Asian American in the legal profession, during a time when there was far less diversity in the profession. Today’s surge in anti-Asian hate and violence around the country renders Judge Eng’s life story more salient than ever.

To watch or listen to the recording of the interview, click here.

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Two Asian American Judges Talk Leadership: Hon. Lillian Wan & Hon. Randall Eng

In April, Hon. Randall T. Eng and Hon. Lillian Wan came together to discuss the dearth of Asian American representation among New York’s judiciary and public offices. In a podcast episode published by the Historical Society of the New York Courts, they open up about their career paths and the obstacles they faced while pursuing their respective careers. When Judge Eng took up his jurist position in 1983, there were no other Asian American jurists within the city or state of New York. Now, there are 39 sitting Asian American jurists. Though the number of Asian American jurists has increased, progress has been exceedingly slow.

This past May was Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so the conversation between Hon. Lillian Wan and Hon. Randall Eng was featured on the Society’s home page. Hon. Lillian Wan, President of the Asian American Judges Association of New York, an AABANY member and a member of the Society’s Board of Trustees, has been nominated as a candidate for the New York State Supreme Court in Kings County and currently serves as Kings County Supreme Court Civil Term Judge. Throughout their conversation, Judge Wan and Judge Eng discuss how Asian American attorneys today can advocate for Asian American representation in positions of legal leadership, as well as judicial and public offices.

To listen to the podcast go to https://history.nycourts.gov/podcasts/podcast-11/.

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AABANY Congratulates Board Director Suzanne Kim as the First AAPI Professor to Co-Author a Casebook on Family Law

AABANY congratulates Board Director (and Past Co-Chair of the Academic Committee) Suzanne Kim on being the first AAPI professor who has co-authored a casebook on family law. Last fall, with co-authors Douglas NeJaime, Richard Banks, and Joanna Grossman, Professor Kim published Family Law in a Changing America, a casebook that focuses on family law and contemporary race, class, and gender issues that affect the family unit:

Family Law in a Changing America is a new casebook that highlights law and family patterns as they are now, not as they were decades ago. By focusing on key changes in family life, the casebook attends to rising equality and inequality within and among families. The law, formally at least, accords more equality and autonomy than ever before, having repudiated hierarchies based on race, gender, and sexuality. Yet, as our society has grown more economically unequal, so too have family patterns diverged. The book explores disparities based on race, class, and gender.

The materials are of interest to those focused on the study of inequality faced by diverse American families.

Suzanne Kim is a Professor of Law and Judge Denny Chin Scholar at Rutgers Law School. Before teaching, she was a litigation associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York, where she received the firm’s Pro Bono Service Award. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Denny Chin, after earning a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Read more about Professor Kim here.

Please join AABANY in recognizing Professor Kim for her accomplishment. To learn more about Family Law in a Changing America, visit https://www.wklegaledu.com/NeJaime-FamilyLawinAmerica.

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AABANY Members: Apply for Ninth Judicial District’s ADR Program and/or In-Person Personal Injury Mediation Training

Westchester County Bar Association in partnership with the NYS UCS Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Ninth Judicial District are assembling a Court Roster of mediators for the Supreme Court to hear civil matters, with a focus on personal injury matters. Roster Mediators will not be compensated for the first 90 minutes spent in mediation. This initial session does not include time spent in preparing for the mediation session(s). Thereafter, mediators will be paid by the parties at an agreed upon rate of up to the District’s compensation cap.

The September 14, 2021 In-Person Personal Injury Mediation Training is an advanced mediation training program designed specifically for mediators who have completed both basic and advanced Part 146 mediation training.  This all-day program will provide mediators with advanced training and skills applicable to the resolution of personal injury actions.  The program will provide participants with background on internal and external considerations that impact the mediation of personal injury actions and mediation techniques for addressing these considerations. This program will satisfy the requirements for “Continuing Education for Neutrals” set forth in § 146.3 and 146.5 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge that require Court-appointed mediators undertake six (6) hours of continuing education every two (2) years as determined by the District Administrative Judge.

Space is limited for this training.  Therefore, attendance will be prioritized for mediators who have completed 40 hours of training (basic and advanced) and currently serve or wish to serve on a NYS Court mediation roster to handle personal injury cases.  This course will not guarantee designation to a NYS Court’s roster, which is subject to the District Administrative Judge’s discretion.

TRAINING APPLICATION

If you meet the above requirements and would like to be considered for this training please complete this application to determine your eligibility.  Deadline to submit a completed application is August 11, 2021. You will be notified of your enrollment by September 3, 2021 and will be required to submit a registration fee at the rate of $150.00 at that time.  The cost of registration will include costs for CLE credits and food. To apply for the training please click the Start Survey button below.

ROSTER APPLICATION

Mediators who wish to apply to join the Ninth Judicial District’s ADR Program roster must possess the qualifications and training as required by Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge and recent experience mediating Civil cases.  If you wish to apply to join our mediator roster, and have not already done so, please complete a Statewide Mediator Application.

PART 146 TRAINING INFORMATION

Mediators interested in more information on upcoming Part 146-approved training please visit the NYS UCS Office of ADR website.

Thank you very much for your time and interest. Please start the Training Application now by clicking on the Start Survey  button below.  Extended deadline: 8/11/2021, 7:00pm

Start Survey

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Membership Mixer at Yankee Stadium on August 6, 2021

On August 6, 2021, the Membership and Bankruptcy Committees co-hosted an in-person membership mixer at Yankee Stadium where the New York Yankees played the Seattle Mariners. 25 members had a blast as they eagerly watched all the on-field action from behind the outfield. Catch this: they also received a free bobblehead of one of the Yankee players (Gerrit Cole). It was a no-doubter that old friends and new had a great time attending America’s pastime in a night filled with conversation, cold drinks, and memories. Kudos to the Bankruptcy Committee once again for making this exciting night a win!

Next in our star-studded Membership Committee events lineup include a cruise around the Hudson River, billiards and arcade night, dinner mixers, and an in-person Talent Show, with details to follow. Stay tuned and don’t strike out on them! If you’re not a member yet, sign up to be a part of the team. You will join a league of talented current and future AAPI legal professionals and get the latest on what AABANY has to offer! To learn more about the Membership Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/130.

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AABANY Congratulates Member Rose Cuison-Villazor on Her Appointment as the First Filipina-American Dean of an American Law School

AABANY has learned that Dean Rose Cuison-Villazor will be serving as interim co-dean of Rutgers Law School, becoming the first Asian-American female dean at Rutgers Law and the first Filipina-American dean of an American law school. Since July 2019, she has served as the vice dean of Rutgers Law School (https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/rutgers-law-school-dean-trailblazes-asian-american-women).

AABANY is proud to recognize Dean Cuison-Villazor among its membership and congratulates her on this historic appointment, just one among many of her trailblazing accomplishments. An expert in immigration and citizenship law, she is a founding director of the Center for Immigration Law, Policy and Justice at Rutgers Law School. According to Rutgers Law’s own announcement:

Cuison-Villazor teaches, researches and writes in the areas of immigration and citizenship law, property law, Asian Americans and the law, equal protection law and critical race theory. She teaches Property Law, Immigration Law, Critical Race Theory, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and the Law, Estates in Land, and Introduction to U.S. Law and recently testified before a Congressional committee on land rights. She earned her LLM from Columbia Law School, JD from American University and BA from the University of Texas.

Dean Cuison-Villazor’s scholarship regarding immigration and citizenship law has been notable, highlighting previously neglected legal history concerning property and race. Dean Cuison-Villazor’s 2010 law review article “Rediscovering Oyama v. California: At the Intersection of Property, Race, and Citizenship” inspired AABANY’s own Oyama v. California trial reenactment. Oyama v. California overturned the California Alien Land Laws which prohibited “aliens ineligible for citizenship,” i.e., Asian Americans, from owning property. The case established legal precedent for future civil rights cases, including Brown v. Board of Education. Read more about the trial reenactment here.

AABANY’s Academic Committee Co-Chairs Catherine Kim, Donna Lee, Elaine Chiu, and Thomas Lee extend a special congratulations to Dean Cuison-Villazor, stating:

AABANY congratulates and is extremely proud of Dean Cuison-Villazor’s appointment as interim co-dean of Rutgers Law School. She is an immigration, citizenship, and race & the law scholar with a national reputation, a gifted teacher, and a superb leader. Rutgers Law is fortunate to have Rose lead its Newark campus at this critical time, as is AABANY to claim her as a cherished colleague.

Please join AABANY in recognizing Dean Cuison-Villazor for her accomplishment. To learn more about the Academic Committee, visit https://www.aabany.org/page/352.

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NAPABA Connects In-house Counsel Application Now Open

NAPABA Connects is an exclusive program available to in-house counsel convention registrants and Solo and Small Firm, Gold, or higher-level sponsors.

Through NAPABA Connects, diverse law firm attorneys are given a forum to meet one-on-one with in-house counsel to make meaningful connections and cultivate a business relationship. In-house counsel can grow their diverse preferred provider portfolios.

In-house counsel and law firm participants will be matched for one-on-one meetings during NAPABA Convention. All participants are invited to attend the exclusive Sponsor Breakfast and NAPABA Connects VIP Reception during the NAPABA Convention December 9-12, 2021.

To participate as in-house counsel, you must fill out our brief application form. You can be matched with diverse law firm attorneys to cultivate new business relationships, or you may choose from a list of participating firms to expand your network with existing provider firms who may be in your preferred network. NAPABA will also send a list of all certified minority or women-owned firms to participating companies that may already have a preferred provider firm list.

APPLY NOW

The deadline to submit an IHC application is August 25 at 8 pm ET. For questions, please contact Operations Director, Maureen Gelwicks, at [email protected].

NAPABA Connects participants are eligible to receive a $750 reimbursement to our 2021 NAPABA Convention. You are encouraged to register by September 20, our early bird deadline. Attendees of the NAPABA Convention can earn up to 14 hours of CLE Credit, which will be focused on changes unfolding in this turbulent year as well as challenges lawyers have faced for decades.

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AABANY Commends Longtime Sponsor Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Members Joon Kim and Rahul Mukhi for Their Work on the August 3 Report of Investigation into Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

On August 3, the Office of the New York State Attorney General released its Report of Investigation into Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, finding that the Governor had engaged in sexually harassing conduct with eleven individuals. AABANY would like to recognize and commend its longtime sponsor Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP for their work on the investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo. The report not only found that Governor Cuomo had engaged in inappropriate contact with a number of State employees but also that the Executive Chamber normalized a culture of “fear and intimidation.” This hostile environment gave rise to dismissive and inadequate handling of sexual harassment allegations, while also permitting inappropriate behavior to persist within the Executive Chamber. As such, the investigative work performed by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP was critical to supporting the Office of the New York State Attorney General which was charged by the Governor to conduct the investigation.

AABANY acknowledges and commends the important work of everyone else involved in this historic investigation, namely, Anne Clark and Yannick Grant of Vladeck, Raskin & Clark. Board Director Karen Yau practiced as a litigation associate and, before his 1994 appointment as United States District Judge in the Southern District of New York, Judge Denny Chin was a partner at Vladeck, Waldman, Elias & Engelhard, P.C., the predecessor of Vladeck, Raskin & Clark. Additionally, AABANY acknowledges and commends Joon Kim, Jennifer Kennedy Park, Abena Mainoo and Rahul Mukhi of Cleary. We proudly note that Joon Kim and Rahul Mukhi are current AABANY members. Joon was the former Acting United States Attorney of the Southern District of New York, and he was honored by the AABANY Prosecutors’ Committee in 2015, at its 7th Annual Reception. Read more about that event here.

Please join AABANY in recognizing the vital work of Attorney General James and everyone who worked on this investigation and report.

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NAPABA Prospective Partners Program Applications Are Now Open

Application Deadline: September 1, 2021

The NAPABA Prospective Partners Program (PPP) aims to increase the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander partners at major law firms through introduction, mentorship, and relationship building. In anticipation of the program’s eleventh year, the PPP is inviting candidate applications and nominations for participation in PPP sessions taking place at the 2021 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., from December 9-12, 2021.

Invited prospective partners will have the opportunity to meet with a panel of senior in-house counsel (GCs or others with outside counsel hiring authority) during one of two sessions at the Convention on either Thursday, December 9, or Friday, December 10. Additionally, the PPP will pair prospective partners with a “partner mentor” from a different law firm to provide feedback and guidance on the prospective partner’s introduction presentation and career development.

Apply here.