On December 16, new and regular members of IP Committee gathered to celebrate the end of 2019 at Nom Wah – Nolita. The group, comprised of a mix of members who are in-house, in private practice, and in law school, networked over juicy pork dumplings, shu mai, and scallion pancakes, among other dim sum delicacies. Members discussed issues they face in their practice, updates on their careers, and plans for the holidays.
Please look out for upcoming IP Committee events in 2020, including a panel on video streaming services, a Careers in IP event for those looking to enter the field, and additional social events. For more information about the IP Committee or to get involved, please see https://www.aabany.org/page/145, and contact one of the co-chairs – Greg Pan, Ben Hsing, or Jeff Mok.
December’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic, held on Wednesday, December 11 at 33 Bowery Street in Confucius Plaza, brought out 22 volunteers who volunteered their time to help 23 clients.
We are asking every member to actively support AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic by making donations that are vital to its continuing operation. In a few short years, with the tireless and generous assistance of our volunteers, we have helped hundreds of low-income clients with free legal advice and referrals to high-quality, culturally sensitive, and linguistically competent legal services. Together we have helped expand access to justice for underserved Asian American New Yorkers.
To make it easier for our members and our community to donate to the Pro Bono Clinic, we have set up a page on Give Lively where you can make a donation by texting APAPROBONO to 44321. It takes seconds to donate, and we hope you will take a moment today to support the Pro Bono Clinic and help it meet its fundraising goals. Please donate today!
If you know family members, friends, or businesses, such as your firm, who would like to support the Clinic, please help us connect with them by contacting Karen Yau at [email protected].
Or please urge them to make a donation directly. They can visit the website of Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate: https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/
AALFNY is accepting charitable donations on the Clinic’s behalf and can issue any donor a tax receipt. Any contribution, large or small, would help. Please be sure to indicate in the memo field that the donation is intended for the Pro Bono Clinic.
Thank you to all of the December Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!
Lawyers:
Sye-Eun Ahn Jonathan Hernandez Beatrice Leong Jayashree Mitra Yan Sin Chizuko Ueno Anna Jinhua Wang Bart Wu
Interpreters:
Nanako Arai Ami Ishida Kenny Moy H. Anthony Park Ruth Poon Go-eun Son Xin Zhou
Other Volunteers:
Eugene Kim, Research & Administration Linda Liang, Research & Administration
Special thanks to Kwok Kei Ng for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung-Ha, Karen Kithan Yau, Asako Aiba, and Judy Lee for their leadership. AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic occurs every second Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The next clinic will take place on January 8, 2020. If you are interested in volunteering at future Pro Bono Clinics, please contact Asako Aiba at [email protected].
On Friday, December 13, AABANY held its Annual Holiday Party once again at rent24, the site of last year’s holiday party. The venue, near Bryant Park, serves as a co-working space during the day. Over 100 AABANY members and their guests took over rent24 on Friday night to celebrate the holiday season. We enjoyed a variety of Korean dishes plus sushi and sashimi. A well-stocked bar staffed by two bartenders kept the drinks flowing. Many AABANY Board Officers and Directors were in attendance, along with several Committee Co-Chairs.
Pro Bono Committee Co-Chair Karen Yau addressed the attendees to ask for donations to the Pro Bono Clinic. Karen thanked her fellow Co-Chairs and Pro Bono Clinic supporters for all they have done to make a positive difference in the lives of many low-income Asian American New Yorkers who were in need of quality legal services but were barred by cultural, linguistic or financial barriers. Karen encouraged attendees to text-to-donate via a Give Lively account set up by AALFNY, the 501(c)(3) affiliate of AABANY. We projected on a wall the Give Lively site showing progress of donations. By the end of the party, we were able to raise another $900 to exceed $2500 in donations, reaching the 10% mark of our $25,000 goal.
We thank all the donors for their generous donations, and we encourage everyone to continue giving between now and the end of February. We are aiming to reach our goal by the time of the 2020 Annual Dinner. You can give now by sending a text to 44321 with the word “APAPROBONO.” Please help us reach our goal during this season of giving.
Thanks to Vice President of Programs and Operations David Sohn for leading the organization of the holiday party. Thanks also to our volunteers, Bryan Cheah and Grace Kang, our intern, Jessie Rong, and our Administrative Assistant, Margaret Langston, for all their assistance to make the party a success. And, of course, thanks to all our members for your support of AABANY, its mission and our community in 2019.
WASHINGTON – Today,
Patrick J. Bumatay was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit.
“NAPABA congratulates
Patrick Bumatay on his historic confirmation to serve on the U.S. Courts of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuits,” said NAPABA President Bonnie Lee Wolf. “Judge
Bumatay is the first Filipino American to serve as a federal appellate judge and
the first openly gay judge on the Ninth Circuit. We are proud to have supported
Judge Bumatay’s nomination.”
Patrick J. Bumatay is
an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Southern District of California. He currently serves in the Office’s Appellate
Section, representing the United States before the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals. Bumatay has held numerous positions in public service throughout the
Department of Justice, including the top three leadership offices. He clerked
for Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth
Circuit and Judge Sandra L. Townes of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of New York. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law
School. He is an active member of NAPABA, our affiliated bar—the National
Filipino American Lawyers Association, and the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association.
NAPABA thanks
President Trump for nominating Patrick Bumatay to the bench.
###
The National Asian
Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian
Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students.
NAPABA represents the interests of over 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national,
state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners,
large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys,
and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA engages in legislative
and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments,
and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large.
NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress,
and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil
rights, and diversity in the courts.
NAPABA | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, DC 20006 | www.napaba.org
AABANY’s Prosecutors Committee was founded in September 2008 to enhance the advancement and professional development of Asian Pacific American (APA) prosecutors, the establishment of a network between former and current APA prosecutors, the recruitment of APA law students to become prosecutors, and the cultivation of trust and communication between the APA community and the local prosecutors’ offices.
Our membership is comprised of current and former prosecutors of Asian American, Pacific Islander and South Asian heritage from all five local New York City District Attorney’s offices, Nassau and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices, Assistant Attorney Generals from the New York State Attorney General’s Office, as well as federal prosecutors from both the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Each year, the Committee hosts an annual reception to honor those who have contributed to the criminal justice system as well as to promote diversity within the APA community in New York City.
On December 3, 2019, at its 11th Annual Reception, the Committee honored Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, and Gilbert C. Hong, Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, for their exemplary and established record of public service and their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the profession.
Approximately 150 Prosecutors Committee members and guests filled to capacity the main auditorium at the New York County Lawyers Association, 14 Vesey Street, to celebrate this special event. The evening featured distinguished guests and speakers who provided congratulatory remarks to the Committee and the honorees.
The speakers at the daïs included the following representatives from state, local and Federal prosecutors’ offices:
Joseph Alexis, Executive ADA, Kings County
Geoffrey Berman, US Attorney, Southern District of NY
Bridget Brennan, Special Narcotics Prosecutor
Catherine Christian, Special ADA for External Affairs, NY County
Mark Lesko, Chief AUSA, Eastern District of NY
Derek Lynton, Chief ADA, Bronx County
John Ryan, Acting District Attorney, Queens County
Anthony Scarpino, District Attorney, Westchester County
Hon. Marilyn Go, Retired Judge, District Court, EDNY
Hon. Lorna Schofield, District Court, SDNY
Hon. Don Leo, Brooklyn Criminal Court
Hon. Danny Chun, Brooklyn Supreme Court
Hon. Phyllis Chu, NYC Criminal Court
Hon. John Hecht, Brooklyn Supreme Court
Hon. Dean Kusakabe, Queens Family Court
Hon. Judy Kim, NYC Criminal Court
Hon. Daniel Lewis, Queens Supreme Court
Hon. Richard Tsai, NYC Criminal Court
Hon. Cori Weston, Judge, NYC Criminal Court
Distinguished guests included:
Agnes Chan, first Asian woman detective in NYPD history
Yang Chen, Executive Director of AABANY
Sherry Cohen, Chief of Legal Recruitment, Bronx County
Lila Kirton, Bureau Chief, Westchester County
Jesse Sligh, Executive ADA, Queens County
Brian Song, President, AABANY
In addition, the family of NYPD Det. Wenjian Liu, who made the ultimate sacrifice when he was killed in the line of duty in 2014, made a special visit to the Reception. Det. Liu’s family received the Prosecutors Committee’s posthumous award on Det. Liu’s behalf at the 2015 reception. The family was recognized with a heartfelt standing ovation and a message that Det. Liu will not be forgotten.
When AABANY President Brian Song delivered his welcome remarks at the start of the reception, he passed along the word from Queens County District Attorney-elect Melinda Katz’s transition team that her office is inviting applications, especially from diverse candidates at all levels. Many of the other speakers at the daïs lost no time in announcing that their offices were also hiring. We anticipate that prosecutors’ offices may see an uptick in applications coming out of this Reception.
AABANY thanks Prosecutors Committee co-chairs Myongjae M. Yi and Maria Park as well as vice-chairs Michael Leigh and Emily Ching for organizing the event. The Committee also thanks Kin Ng, Brian Lee, David Chiang, Catherine Christian, Francis Chin, Giyang An and the planning members for their assistance. AABANY thanks the New York County Lawyers Association for providing the beautiful venue again for this special celebration.
The American Arbitration
Association is now accepting applications for the 2020 AAA Higginbotham Fellows
Program, which will be a milestone year – our 10th year. The
training component of the Program will be hosted in New York during the week of
May 3, 2020. During the Program, Fellows
will engage with leading ADR practitioners for an intensive week of training,
seminars, and networking events.
Interested candidates can visit https://www.adr.org/HigginbothamFellowsProgram to download a copy of the Program Guidelines and Application or to apply online. This year, AAA will be offering limited scholarships. The deadline for applications has been extended to Monday February 17, 2020.
The AAA created
this highly visible, extremely successful one-year program in 2009 to provide
training, networking, and mentorship for up-and-coming diverse ADR
practitioners, who historically have not been included in meaningful
participation in the field. Since its inception, the AAA Higginbotham
Fellowship Program continues to exceed expectations with past Fellows making
gains in their ADR careers, including those who have successfully advanced to
the AAA’s Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators.
Please review the factsheet about the AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program. Questions about the program may be directed to [email protected].
GivingTuesday is being held this year on December 3. It is a global movement that began in 2012, and the idea behind it is simple: Do good and help transform your community with your generosity. During this holiday season, we ask that you support our Pro Bono Legal Advice and Referral Clinic, a project of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY).
The Pro Bono Clinic began in December 2015 and has since served thousands of low-income clients facing various legal hardships. The Clinic has been held in Manhattan’s Chinatown on the second Wednesday of each month since that time. The success of our Clinics in Manhattan has led to an expansion into Brooklyn, which started this fall on a bimonthly basis. We work with local elected officials and community organizations to reach Brooklyn’s Asian American community and draw upon the expertise and language skills of AABANY’s active and diverse membership to serve them. Clients have been coming not only from the five boroughs but from as far as Yonkers, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Our Clinics provide high-quality legal services that are culturally sensitive and linguistically competent. Language and culture pose serious barriers for low-income Asian American community members to receive reliable legal advice. Our Clinics help community members overcome these barriers and seek to widen their access to justice. The Clinics now include mental health professionals and benefits counselors to help community members with their non-legal problems.
Hundreds of volunteers have dedicated thousands of hours for the Pro Bono Clinics. Month after month, they freely donate their time, expertise and legal knowledge to help community members who otherwise would not get the help they need.
Our Pro Bono Clinics can only continue to operate with the generosity of our donors. In September, we announced our goal to raise $25,000 to support the Clinic’s growing operations. We ask that you stand with us and support this vital project. Help us not only to reach our goal of raising $25,000 — through your donations on GivingTuesday – but exceed it! Your donations will support our ongoing expansion efforts and pay for much needed administrative support and supplies.
To make it easier for our members and our community to donate to the Pro Bono Clinic, you can text APAPROBONO to 44321 on your phone. That will send you to our Give Lively page, and you can follow the simple instructions there to make your contribution. You can also donate via the AALFNY website at https://www.asianamericanlawfund.org/donate/ (make sure to indicate that you are donating to the Clinic). Any amount, large or small, will go a long way towards helping us meet our $25,000 goal.
With our best wishes to you all during this holiday season,
Karen Kithan Yau Pauline Yeung-Ha Judy Ming Chu Lee Asako Aiba Co-Chairs, AABANY Pro Bono and Community Service Committee
A copy of AALFNY’s latest annual report may be obtained from AALFNY at [email protected] or from the NY Attorney General’s Charities Bureau website www.charitiesnys.com. Information may also be obtained from the NYS Attorney General at 212-416-8686.
On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, AABANY’s Membership Committee held its Monthly Membership Mixer at Stout NYC – Grand Central. Over thirty attendees filled a section of the second floor that was reserved for our group, including our President, Brian Song, and many of our board members, as well as recent New York transplant, Michael Wu, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Madewell, Inc. Our membership programs provide opportunities to network and to learn more about AABANY so keep an eye out for our future events including a lantern festival at Citi Field and a Lunar New Year celebration at a New York Knicks game. To learn more about the Membership Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/130 Thanks to Membership Committee Co-Chair Christopher Bae for the write-up and photos.
On November 14th, 2019, AABANY co-sponsored KALAGNY’s Third Annual Veterans and Military Networking Event at Debevoise & Plimpton. Commander David Lee, Staff Judge Advocate for the Naval Special Warfare Command, presented Jasmine Ball, an AABANY board member and corporate partner at Debevoise Plimpton, with a Naval Special Warfare Group Ten challenge coin for her continued support of the US Navy JAG Corp. Commander Lee then gave a presentation titled, “Perspectives on Service,” which outlined the type of work that the Naval Special Warfare Command does and described how his identity as an Asian American impacted his eighteen year career in the military.
Great job by KALAGNY as well as our Military and Veteran Affairs Committee co-chairs, Jimmy Kang and Dong Lee, for putting together a great event. And thank you to Commander Lee, AABANY President Brian Song, and every other serviceman and woman who serve our country.
