NAPABA election season has kicked off! Below is information about nominating Officer candidates and applying for At-Large Board Member positions. Please share with your networks!
Remember, you must be a NAPABA direct member OR activate your affiliate membership online by July 1 to be eligible to vote in this year’s elections. Click here to join/renew today.
The NAPABA Board of Governors consists of nine Officers who are elected by the membership, ten Regional Governors who are chosen by the NAPABA Regions, and four At-Large Board Members who are appointed by the Board of Governors. Now through July 8 at 5 p.m. EDT, the NAPABA Nominating & Elections Committee will be accepting nominations for members who want to stand for election as Officers and applications from members who want to be considered for At-Large Board Member positions.
On April 30, AABANY and Cleary Gottlieb co-hosted An Evening with Preet Bharara, at which former Acting US Attorney and current Cleary Partner Joon Kim engaged Preet in conversation about his new book Doing Justice. The event took place at Cleary and the room was filled to capacity, with those attendees who were not able to find seats standing along the sides.
After welcome remarks from Cleary by Managing Partner Michael Gerstenzang, AABANY President Brian Song offered some introductory remarks on behalf of AABANY and kicked off Joon Kim’s conversation with Preet Bharara. Preet spoke about his departure from the US Attorney’s office and the befuddling manner in which the President-Elect initially asked him to stay on as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, followed a few months later by his perplexing request, as President, for Preet to resign. Preet was confused by this request because he had been asked to stay on shortly after the 2016 election. When Preet received confirmation from the White House that the President indeed wanted him to resign, Preet refused, which led to his firing.
Despite starting the talk with President Trump’s firing of Preet, Preet pointed out that his book was not about President Trump. Preet stated that, in fact, the name Joon Kim shows up far more often in the index than Donald Trump. Preet spoke about his reasons for writing the book. He stated that for many years, he had wanted to write a sort “how to” manual for prosecutors who were at the start of their careers. He quickly realized that such a book would not make the bestseller list. Preet broadened his horizons and wanted to write a book that tackled questions like “What is justice? What is fairness? What is truth?” He realized that issues of truth and bias occur everywhere and affect everyone, not just in the law, but in society as a whole. He thus came up with Doing Justice, which is subtitled A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law.
The conversation covered numerous subjects and stories from Preet’s storied career as US Attorney in the Southern District, one of the nation’s leading prosecutor’s offices. During the Q&A that followed, Preet was asked what his inspiration was for becoming a lawyer. Preet responded that when he was in high school, he entered a public speaking contest and had to memorize and present a speech by legendary lawyer Clarence Darrow. This speech was Darrow’s summation in the case of People v. Henry Sweet, in which Darrow defended a black man accused of murder during an attack by white neighbors who did not want black people living in their neighborhood. Preet committed the following passage from Darrow to memory:
After all, every human being’s life in this world is inevitably mixed with every other life and, no matter what laws we pass, no matter what precautions we take, unless people we meet are kindly and decent and human and liberty-loving, then there is no liberty. Freedom comes from human beings, rather than from laws and institutions.
Preet admits that he might not have fully appreciated the meaning of those words as a teenager but understood it better every day as US Attorney.
We thank everyone who came out for An Evening with Preet Bharara, and we especially thank Cleary for providing the space, food, refreshments, drinks and copies of Doing Justice. It was a wonderful event, filled with inspiring ideas and stories. For the many young lawyers and lawyers-to-be in the room, there was ample reason given to devote at least some part of their legal careers to serve the public interest, and we thank Preet and Joon for providing us that inspiration.
Congratulations to the Honorable Dorothy Chin Brandt, former justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Queens County, who was honored at the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration hosted by the Queens District Attorney’s Office of Immigrant Affairs on May 2, 2019.
Justice Chin Brandt made history as the first Asian American female judge and the first elected Asian American public official in New York. She began her legal career as an Assistant Dean of Graduate Legal Studies at Harvard Law School and then as an associate at Shearman & Sterling. She joined the firm Dilworth & Paxson in Washington, D.C. and worked in private practice until her election to Civil Court in 1987. After 30 years of public service on the bench, Justice Chin Brandt retired in 2016.
As AABANY President Brian Song stated: “AABANY congratulates Justice Chin Brandt on being honored at the Queens County DA’s Office’s Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration,” states AABANY President Brian Song. “During the month of May, when we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage, it is most fitting that we recognize and celebrate the achievements of trailblazers like Justice Chin Brandt who has paved the way for generations of lawyers and judges that have entered the profession and achieved success by following her example.”
Please join AABANY in congratulating Hon. Dorothy Chin Brandt.
Congratulations to Hon. Randall T. Eng, retired Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, on receiving the Charles W. Froessel Award from Queens County Bar Association at its Annual Dinner held on May 2 at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. This award celebrates Justice Eng’s achievements as a legal professional and honors his contributions to the Queens County Bar Association.
Justice Eng was born in Guangzhou, China, and was raised in New York City. He received a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law in 1972. Upon graduating from law school, Justice Eng served as an assistant district attorney in Queens. In 1983, Justice Eng was appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York by Mayor Edward I. Koch. In 1988, Justice Eng was appointed to serve as an Acting Justice of New York State Supreme Court. In 1990, Justice Eng was elected to stay in the position and was re-elected in 2004. Between 2007 and 2008, Justice Eng was appointed to serve a short term as Administrative Judge of the Criminal Term of Queens County Supreme Court, and he served in this role until he was elevated to the Appellate Division in 2008. In 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Justice Eng to lead the Second Department as the presiding justice, where he oversaw one of the busiest judicial departments in the country. This appointment made Justice Eng the first Asian American to serve as a presiding justice in New York State. Justice Eng retired from the bench and joined Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. as Of Counsel in January 2018.
Over his long and prolific legal career, Justice Eng has received numerous honors, including AABANY’s Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award in 2017, OCA-NY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, and the Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award in 2016, the highest honor bestowed by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, of which AABANY is an affiliate.
As AABANY President Brian Song stated: “AABANY congratulates Justice Eng on receiving the Charles W. Froessel Award from the Queens County Bar Association,” states AABANY President Brian Song, “It is yet another well-deserved recognition of Justice Eng’s achievements as a prominent jurist who has led the way for generations of attorneys and judges to follow his example. During May, when we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, it is a most fitting tribute that we recognize and honor the milestones and achievements of role models like Justice Randall Eng. None of us would be here today were it not for Justice Eng and other APA judges and lawyers who led the way.”
Please join AABANY in congratulating Hon. Randall T. Eng .
Congratulations to Glenn Lau-Kee, Partner at Lau-Kee Law Group PLLC and former AABANY President (1997-99), on receiving the American Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Lau-Kee began his legal career as an associate in the Hong Kong and New York offices of Coudert Brothers LLP where he worked on bank financing, leasing, and corporate acquisition transactions. In 1977, he became a partner at Kee and Lau-Kee PLLC where he has developed a thriving real estate and bank financing practice. Mr. Lau-Kee made history as the first Asian American President of the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) for the 2014-15 term. He continues his involvement with NYSBA as a member of the Business Law, Health Law and Real Property Law sections. Mr. Lau-Kee has also been an active member of New York County Lawyers Association (“NYCLA”) since 2000, serving on the Board of Directors until 2004 and serving on various task forces and committees until 2010. He also served on the Board of Directors for the NYCLA Foundation and the New York Bar Foundation, which function as the charitable and philanthropic arms of their respective organizations.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Glenn Lau-Kee.
On Tuesday April 30, 2019, Asia Society and the Asian American Bar Association of New York co-hosted a lively discussion on the lawsuit Students for Fair Admission vs. Harvard University. Currently winding its way through the Federal courts, Asian Americans and affirmative action have become a point of focus in contemporary political debate.
Within the Asian American community itself, a grassroots Asian American conservative movement has emerged in the last decade, in an attempt to end affirmative action. This conservative movement alleges that admissions discrimination in the name of diversity is wrong. That view was represented by Jack Ouyang, from the Asian American Coalition for Education.
Asian American liberals believe that conservative Asian Americans are being used as cover to abolish affirmative action, and fear a defeat of affirmative action means a loss for diversity in all of higher education. Nicole Gon Ochi from Asian American Advancing Justice -LA represented the view.
Dr. Van Tran, Columbia University sociologist, presented new research on what Asian Americans thought of affirmative action.
Audience members were treated to a deep dive into the issue, with views from both sides represented on the podium. A reception followed, at which attendees got to continue their conversations around this important topic.
Thanks to everyone who came out for this event. Thanks especially to all the speakers for their insights and views. See below for short bios of all the speakers. (Thanks to Elsa Ruiz for the event photos.)
Chris M. Kwok, Esq. (moderator) serves as the Co-Chair of the Issues Committee and Asia Practice Committee for the Asian American Bar Association of New York. He received his B.A from Cornell University with a major in Government and minor in Asian American studies, and his J.D from UCLA Law School, where he served on the staff of the Asian American Pacific Islander Law Journal. Formerly, he was the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Coordinator at the U.S. Equal Employment Commission in the New York District office. He is a mediator with JAMS.
Dr. Van C. Tran is a professor of Sociology at Columbia University whose research and writing broadly focuses on the incorporation of Asian immigrants and their children into American culture, politics and society. He has served in many positions at both the Eastern Sociological Society and the American Sociological Association. He is a frequent commentator in the media and was selected as an NPR Source of the Week in July of 2015.
Nicole Gon Ochi, Esq. is the Supervising Attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice—LA’s Impact Litigation unit. She joined Advancing Justice as a Skadden Fellow in 2010 and has taken a lead role in litigating and providing advocacy on matters involving employment discrimination, education, workers’ rights, affordable housing preservation, language access, and civil rights.
Dr. Jack Ouyang is the Vice President of Operations at the Asian American Coalition for Education. Mr. Ouyang has been an outspoken Chinese American civil rights activist and was a key organizer of the Chinese American for Equality. He was a board chair at the Millburn Short Hills Chinese Association and the Millburn Institute of Talent. He is currently an IT Professional based in New Jersey.
AABANY is a proud co-sponsor of the following events in celebration of APA Heritage Month, and we invite you to join us at one or more of them in May. If you have any questions, contact us at main@aabany.org.
Time/Location
Event
May 13
6:00 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association APAHM Celebration
Location:
123 Remsen Street Brooklyn, New York
The Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association and the Asian American Judges Association of New York are celebrating APA Heritage Month. The Honorable Pamela K. Chen, EDNY, will be the Special Honoree at the celebration. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1229319
May 14
8:30 am – 12:15 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors: The Fight for Justice: 75th Anniversary of Korematsu v. US
Location: Robert H. Jackson Center 305 E. 4th Street Jamestown, New York
AABANY’s classic trial reenactment is making a return in celebration of APA Heritage Month as well as the 75th anniversary of the Korematsu decision. We are honored to have invited Karen Korematsu, daughter of Fred Korematsu; John Q. Barrett, Professor at St. John’s University School of Law; Hon. Denny Chin, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Thomas Loftus, Justice Jackson’s Grandson. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1231073
May 15
5:30-8:30PM
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Alice in Chinatown: Chol Soo Lee and His Fight for Freedom
Location: Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP 200 Liberty Street New York, New York 10281
Led by the Honorable Denny Chin, AABANY’s trial reenactment team will celebrate APA Heritage Month by retelling the story of Chol Soo Lee, a young Korean American who was wrongly accused and imprisoned for a gangland murder in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The effort to free him represented the beginning of Asian American activism in the 1970s. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1229620
May 22
4:30-7:30 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
Location:
Four Gateway Center 100 Mulberry Street Newark, New Jersey 07102
AABANY will join APALA-NJ, McCarter & English and KALAGNY for a networking reception and a screening of the documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which tells the story of the Chinese immigrant Sung family’s resilience against injustice when their bank was the only one pursued by prosecutors in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1229311
May 22
5:30-8 pm
“Murder of Vincent Chin” Trial Reenactment
Location:
White & Case LLP 1221 6th Ave New York, New York 10020
White & Case presentes a reenactment of “Building Our Legacy: The Murder of Vincent Chin,” one of AABANY’s best known and most performed reenactments. From AABANY’s Trial Reenactments website: “Vincent Chin was beaten to death in 1982 in Detroit. When the assailants didn’t even receive jail time, the injustice galvanized the Asian American community.” For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1214265
May 29
6:00 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Breaking Through: A Look Beyond the Bamboo Ceiling
Location:
Lowenstein Sandler
1251 Avenue of the Americas
17th Floor
New York, New York
Please join the Diversity and Leadership Network and AABANY in celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month! The DLN will host an informative conversation with guest speakers, including the Honorable Justice Jeffrey K. Oing, Lawson Huynh, Associate at Lowenstein Sandler, Blossom Kan, Assistant General Counsel for MetLife, and Sonia Low, General Counsel of Jacob J. Javits Center, about the challenges and successes of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the legal profession. For more information, go to
AABANY Presents: Annual Judicial Reception Hosted by Judiciary Committee
Location:
The Surrogate’s Courthouse
Courtroom 503
31 Chambers St
New York, New York
The Judiciary Committee hosts its Annual Judicial Reception to honor newly inducted, currently sitting and retired Asian American, Pacific Islander and South Asian judges. For more information, go to
A block of rooms has been reserved at Hotel Alexander at a discounted rate. The room block will be available until July 26 at 5 p.m. ET or until the block has sold out.
The NAPABA Central Regional Conference will include a viewing of the film, And Then They Came For Us, followed later in the evening by special guest speaker George Takei, which will include a book signing of his new book, They Called Us Enemy. Copies will be available at the conference.
Northeast Regional Conference
September 21 Fordham Law School for NYC New York, NY
A block of rooms has been reserved at Empire Hotel at a discounted rate. The room block will be available until Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. ET or until the block has sold out.
NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program is a year-long program to develop mid-career Asian Pacific American attorneys’ leadership skills, while providing an opportunity to foster genuine relationships with peers within the profession, especially between in-house counsel (IHC) and law firm attorneys. This year, the first part of the program will be held in Washington D.C. The program will commence with a weekend of team-building and leadership training from Friday, July 19 through midday Sunday, July 21. The first two days will consist of leadership assessments, training on understanding and improving your leadership style, team building, and better understanding your career vision to help support you in pursuing career goals, including addressing the unique hurdles facing Asian Pacific Americans. The last half-day is devoted to launching team-based community projects that will allow participants to forge meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships.
NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program (LAP) is distinct from the In-House Counsel Summit (IHC Summit). NAPABA’s LAP is a professional and personal development program for mid-career IHC and law firm attorneys through leadership skills development, candid and open dialogue, and relationship-building. The IHC Summit is offered only to IHCs looking for professional leadership development and opportunities in association with NAPABA 20/20 initiative focused on career advancement for APA in-house counsel.
Applications for NAPABA’s LAP program will be accepted through May 13 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.Apply now!
Enrollment
Enrollment in the program is limited to 24 participants, with an even balance between IHC and law firm attorneys. All NAPABA members are encouraged to apply, although the selection committee will focus on the following criteria this year:
Law firm candidates: this year’s program will prefer candidates with between six and 10 years of experience
In-house candidates: preference for a minimum of three to four years of IHC experience, with six to 10 years of overall practice experience
NAPABA will provide the trainers, program materials, venue, and in-program meals. If accepted, attendees will be expected to commit $100 as a program fee and provide their own travel to Washington, DC and accommodations, if required.
Tentative Schedule
Fri., July 19 Leadership Assessment and Team Building: The program will consist of leadership exercises, assessments, and team-building.
Sat., July 20 Leadership Training: The program will consist of leadership training sessions aimed at helping attorneys achieve the highest level of leadership and success in law firms and corporations.
Sun., July 21 Community Project (Half-day): Participants will design a community project that will encourage team-building and leadership development throughout the year.
AABANY congratulates White & Case and Sylvia Chin on being recognized by Women’s World Banking for their pro bono work on behalf of the organization over four decades, since its founding. The award was presented on April 4 at Women’s World Banking’s 40th anniversary celebration in New York.
According to the media release, “In 2018, White & Case’s global pro bono practice provided more than 120,000 hours of legal services focused on access to justice, promoting the rule of law, and serving organizations with social and environmental missions. Women’s World Banking has been a recipient of White & Case’s pro bono legal services since our founding.”
Sylvia is a Past President of AABANY (1994-96) and is current President of AALFNY, AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate. Please join us in congratulating Sylvia and White & Case on their well-deserved honor and recognition for their pro bono work on behalf of women across the globe.
