Author: Margaret Langston

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AABANY Anti-Asian Violence Task Force Attends the Sentencing of Tammel Esco

On November 29th, AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force (AAVTF) led by Chair Elaine Chiu and member Jim Lin, attended the sentencing of Tammel Esco in support of the survivor of a horrific act of hate that took place in Yonkers on March 11, 2022. AAVTF member Jennifer Wu represented the survivor pro bono as the case against Esco proceeded through the courts and accompanied the survivor, together with co-counsel Johan Tatoy (also an AABANY member) at the sentencing.

Tammel Esco was arrested after he brutally beat a 67-year-old Filipino-American woman at the entrance of her Yonkers apartment. Esco pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree assault as a hate crime and was sentenced to 17-1/2 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Minihan presided at the sentencing and recounted Esco’s sad history. She offered him the chance to apologize or explain himself, but he declined. In her victim impact statement, the survivor stated, “A complete stranger heartlessly spit, beat, and kicked me over 100 times just because of my heritage. I lost months of my life. I will forever be on edge.” Currently, she remains in stable condition, yet had to move out of her longtime home due to the traumatic event.

After the sentencing, AABANY members had the chance to meet the District Attorney of Westchester County, Mimi Rocah, at her press conference, where Jennifer Wu commented on the survivor’s behalf, stating, “Leaving the home that you’ve had for 24 years and where you raised your daughters, is incredibly painful.” During the meeting, AAVTF members offered proposals on statutory reform and how to prevent such gruesome cases from occurring in the Asian American community in the future. Elaine Chiu commented further on AAVTF’s attendance at the sentencing and the press conference, stating, “It was a very valuable day with efforts that contribute to the multi-faceted work of our Task Force.”

Watch this News 12 report about the sentencing, in which Johan Tatoy, as the survivor’s attorney, spoke at the press conference and AAVTF Task Force Chair Elaine Chiu was interviewed.

To learn more about the AAVTF and support its efforts, please click here.

Join the AAVTF at the next court watching on January 10, for the sentencing for Elisaul Perez, who pled guility to manslaughter in the death of GuiYing Ma. More details here:
https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1701949

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AABANY Hosts Screening of “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story” at DOC NYC Festival

On November 12, 2022, members of AABANY went to see “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” which had its world premiere at the DOC NYC festival at the SVA Theatre.  Thank you to Board Member and Issues Committee Chair Chris Kwok for organizing this event. 

The film documented Corky Lee’s life and career as the “undisputed unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate.”

Corky was a long time photographer for various AABANY events including our Annual Dinner, and a beloved friend to many AABANY members. Past AABANY member Lily Fan was one of the executive producers. AABANY members Rocky Chin and Kevin Hsi and past AABANY member Hon. Randall Eng appeared in the film. 

Those from AABANY who attended uniformly gave the film an enthusiastic thumbs up. We were pleased to see AABANY listed among the community groups that Corky Lee worked with during his decades of photo-activism. We highly recommend everyone to see the film.

You can stream the film HERE.

There is one more in person screening on Thursday, November 17, 2022 7:30 PM at Cinépolis Chelsea, Theater 2. To buy tickets go HERE.

R.I.P Corky Lee (1947-2021).

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NAPABA Announces that the 2022 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition is Seeking Judges and Bailiffs

It is time for the 2022 Tang Moot Court Competition! Organizers are seeking judges for the upcoming moot court regional competition rounds.  Moot court judges must be law school graduates and not affiliated with any student teams competing this year.  

Thank you in advance for supporting the law students and providing them with valuable oral argument training. Please see judging opportunities below and sign up at the link provided.     

For questions, please email [email protected].

Regional Competitions via Zoom

The regional competitions will be held online via Zoom on Friday September 30th, Friday October 7th, and Saturday October 8th.  Sign-ups for the Zoom oral arguments are below (please note the applicable time zones for each round):

Friday October 7th and Saturday October 8th, Regionals 2-3 | SIGN UP

We are also seeking bailiffs (law students may volunteer as bailiffs) — please contact [email protected] if you are interested in serving as a bailiff.

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Membership Committee Hosts Beach Day at Rockaway Beach

On August 28, 2022, the Membership Committee hosted AABANY’s first-ever beach day at Rockaway Beach. AABANY members gathered to enjoy one of the last days of summer amidst perfect beach weather. For most of the attendees, it was their first time at Rockaway Beach, and for some, their first time riding a New York City ferry. The day started out cloudy but by noon time, the sun started to break through the clouds. The beach was breezy and pleasantly cool. Attendees grabbed lunch, walked along the boardwalk, dipped their toes in the water, and enjoyed taking longer, more scenic routes to and from the beach – via ferry, bike, or car.  A few attendees grabbed brunch at Margie’s, a restaurant connected to the Rockaway Hotel near Beach 108th Street. Our group gathered at a spot that did not have any lifeguards on duty so swimming was prohibited but not surfing, apparently. Perhaps a surfing outing awaits us next summer?

Membership Committee Vice Chair Alysha Naik thanks everyone who attended and encourages all members to join AABANY at the next event on August 31, 2022: Oyster Happy Hour.  Details are available here: https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1662205.

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AABANY Membership & Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees Host #Restaurant Series Dinner at Fishcheeks

On Thursday, August 18, 2022, the Membership Committee held its latest #RestaurantSeries Dinner where AABANY members enjoyed a full course Thai meal at Fishcheeks in Noho. The dinner featured the newly formed Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and ADR Committee Chair Chris Kwok and Vice-Chair May Li were on hand to describe the work that their committee was doing and the different events that they recently held or planned to hold. Folks enjoyed a set NYC Restaurant Week menu, which included Thai iced-teas, red snapper and chicken wing appetizers, a variety of curry, crab and fish entrees, followed by an amazing mango sticky rice dessert. Thank you to everyone who attended this #RestaurantSeries dinner and be on the lookout for upcoming dinners featuring the Military & Veteran Affairs Committee and Litigation Committee. 

Thank you to all those who came out! Membership Director Christopher Bae encourages everyone to join us at the next #RestaurantSeries. Keep an eye out for future dinners on our calendar at aabany.org/events.

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AABANY’s ADR and Litigation Committees Present an International Arbitration CLE with JAMS

On August 16th, 2022, AABANY’s Litigation and ADR Committees, along with JAMS, co-sponsored a CLE panel about international arbitration. AABANY ADR Committee Chair and JAMS Neutral Chris M. Kwok gave opening remarks, and AABANY Litigation Committee Co-Chair Aakruti G. Vakharia of Haug Partners moderated the panel. The panelists were Hiro Aragaki, JAMS Neutral and Professor of Law; Margaret Ives, in-house counsel at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Limited; and Dr. Kabir Duggal of Arnold & Porter. The panel discussed the differences between litigation and arbitration, the benefits of international arbitration over cross-border litigation, the challenges of arbitrating internationally, the mechanics of international arbitration, and best practices for what to include and what to avoid when drafting a dispute resolution clause. The panel encompassed neutral, outside counsel, in-house counsel, and academic perspectives

Thank you to everyone who worked on and attended this CLE. We greatly appreciate Niki Borofsky, Christine Smith, Alison M., Margaret Poppe, Todd Drucker, Jazmine Smith, Corey Taylor, and Matthew P. York of JAMS collaborating with AABANY’s Litigation Committee, co-chaired by Aakruti G. Vakharia, Jennifer Wu, Lois Ahn, and ADR committee, led by Chris M. Kwok (Chair) and May Li (Vice Chair), all of whom  put together this interesting and informative program.

To learn more about the Litigation Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/116. To learn more about the ADR Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/1083.

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AABANY’s Annual Picnic Returns to Central Park on August 13

On August 13, 2022, the Young Lawyers Committee (YLC) Co-Chairs, Jasmine Chean, Jimmy Kang, Jenny Park along with Vice Chair of Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee Yifeng Chen planned and organized AABANY’s Annual Picnic in Central Park. This was the first time in three years that AABANY held the picnic in Central Park. We could not have asked for better weather for this return: The temperature was in the low 80s with no humidity. The Spector Playground Lawn, where the picnic took place, had shade from the trees to keep the guests cool.

Over 55 guests attended, and AABANY members brought their children, siblings, spouses, and even their parents to enjoy the perfect picnic weather. YLC Co-Chairs ordered dumplings from Vanessa’s Dumplings and provided sandwiches and snacks for the guests to enjoy.

Board Members in attendance included Andy Yoo, the Board Liaison for the YLC, Vice President of Programs & Operations Beatrice Leong, and Board Director David Sohn. It was David’s 40th Birthday, and he made time to bike to the park to say ‘hi’ to members and guests!

Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chair May Wong sold kites and toys to fundraise for the Pro Bono Clinic.

We thank everyone who made it out on a beautiful Saturday to celebrate this annual event with us, and we thank the leaders from the YLC and the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee for all their hard work to make it happen.

For more information about YLC, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/123. For more information about the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/111.

To see all the photos from the picnic, go to:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wDsx62GrLhnK7ry16

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AABANY Membership Committee Hosts AAIFF Comedy Night in Brooklyn

On August 12, 2022, AABANY members attended an all-Asian lineup comedy show presented by the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF45). The venue at Littlefield in Brooklyn was completely packed as seven comedians of all different views and backgrounds captivated the crowd with their hilarious sets. Congratulations to former AABANY intern, Claire Yoo, for not only being the event lead and producer, but for also performing a wildly entertaining set of her own. Shoutout to the Membership Committee for organizing another successful comedy event and be sure to look out for future membership events!

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Thank You to Our 7/23 Queens and 7/30 Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

Just in the month of July, we met with 50 clients!!! There were so many positive and a few negative feedbacks from the clients.

Based on the feedback, many clients were grateful for our services and noted that “this is a much needed service in the Asian community.” Many clients cannot afford to speak with an attorney, do not understand the legal system, and are limited English proficient. A few clients complained that the time was too short or that the attorney couldn’t answer their questions.

Many clients asked questions about immigration, housing, contracts and fraud, wills, trusts, and estates. We also met with pro se litigants who have questions about liens, wage garnishment, judgment proof, and the New York State Exempt Income Protection Act.

Thank you AABANY, our volunteers, the Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York (CCCNY). In fact, we were amazed to have dedicated law students joining us on July 30 even though they just finished their NYS Bar exam that week. 

So…if anyone’s interested in the next round of mini-bar exams, please come join us at our next Pro Bono Clinics! To volunteer or to learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Services Committee, please visit probono.aabany.org.

From Flushing, Queens (7/23): Thank you, volunteers, for helping us meet with 19 clients. These cases covered various areas including immigration, housing, contract, and fraud. Of the 19 clients, 5 spoke Spanish, 11 spoke mandarin, 2 spoke Cantonese, and 1 spoke English.

Volunteer AttorneysInterpreters & Observers
Beatrice LeongAlexandra Lao^
Eugene KimJoy Fan^
Evelyn Gong*Nicole Morikawa^
Hooney HeohReni Axelrod^
Jackson Chin*Sharmie Azurel^
Johnny ThachYvette Adiguzel^ (licensed out-of-state)
Kyoung JungWeiqiao Lin^
Shirley Luong 
Duane Morikawa 
Yaoyu Liu 
Yvette Wang 
Zhaohua (Josh) Huang 
John Hwang (licensed out-of-state) 
May Wong 
Theresa Yuan 
^ = non-attorney volunteers
* = remote

From Chinatown, Manhattan (7/30): Thank you, volunteers, for helping us meet with 31 clients. Majority of these cases were related to housing, contracts and fraud, and wills, trusts, and estates. Of the 31 clients, 16 spoke mandarin, 7 spoke Cantonese, 7 spoke English, and 1 n/a.

Volunteer AttorneysInterpreters & Observers
Ailsa ChauAlex Hwang^
Beatrice LeongAlexandra Lao^
Chao-Yung (Kloe) ChiuJoy Fan^
Eugene KimKirin Moy^
Eun Hye (Grace) LeeMeng Zhang^
Francis ChinNandar Win Kerr^
Jackson ChinReni Axelrod^
Kwok Kei NgTeresa Wai Yee Yeung^
Lindsay HaoYvette Adiguzel^ (licensed out-of-state)
Lulu Jing 
May Wong 
Meghan Liu 
Min Jung Esther Choi 
Theresa Yuan 

Please feel free to join us at our upcoming Pro Bono Clinics in August –

Manhattan – August 20 – Cutoff time to register by 12pm, 8/17 to recruit volunteers

Location – 33 Bowery, Community Room at Confucius Plaza, New York, NY 10002

Please sign up here – https://airtable.com/shr1fbjStq7JLSaWY

Brooklyn – August 27 – Cutoff time to register by 12pm, 08/24, to recruit volunteers

Location – United Chinese Association of Brooklyn (UCA), 1787 Stillwell Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11223

Please sign up here – https://airtable.com/shreNdk1DNGzCiHp2

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Volunteer Law Firm Needed for BreakthroughNY!

BreakthroughNY is a non-profit organization which supports underprivileged New York public school students from 7th grade through college by providing mentorship, educational and career training and support. 

BreakthroughNY is looking for a law firm to donate their space, time and lunch on Thursday, July 28, 2022 from 1:00pm to 3:30pm, so that students can ask a lawyer career questions. The organization also seeks an interactive session for their students with practicing lawyers.

If you are interested, please send an email to:

Brittany Parisi Doshi, [email protected]
Chief Development Officer
Breakthrough New York
39 Broadway, Suite 820
New York, NY 10006

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