Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
On March 20, 2019, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez is holding a workshop and roundtable discussion for small business owners on complying with the Americans with Disability Act.
Special guests invited to the event are State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Members Yuh-Line Niou and Harvey Epstein, and Council Members Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera.
The workshop and discussion will be held in Chinatown at 49 Madison Street, New York, NY.
On January 16, 2019, Hon. Kiyo Matsumoto, District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, was honored at the Conner Inn Annual Dinner.
The mission of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court is to promote excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills for judges, lawyers, academicians, and students of law and to advance the education of the members of the Inn, the members of the bench and bar, and the public in the fields of intellectual property law.
Judge Matsumoto, a long time member of AABANY, was presented with the Conner Inn Excellence Award, at the Union League Club of New York, for her commitment and dedication to the promotion of excellence in the legal profession.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Judge Matsumoto on this well-deserved award and honor.
On March 11, AABANY co-sponsored a book release of Robert Tsai’s new book, Practical Equality. The event was held at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, and was also co-sponsored by UCLA Alumni New York Tri-State Network and Association of Asian American Yale Alumni.
Robert L. Tsai is a professor of law at American University. He is the author of Practical Equality and America’s Forgotten Constitutions and his essays have appeared in Boston Globe, Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Politico, Boston Review, and Slate.
Professor Tsai’s new book discusses a practical approach towards fighting for equality through the lens of legal ideas. It proposes that arguments not directly relevant to equality may achieve the goals of equality. It offers an alternative and more practical approach to the fight for justice.
The event mainly featured a panel discussion of the book. We were honored to have on the panel Hon. Denny Chin, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Suzanne Kim, Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School and Judge Denny Chin Scholar, and Professor Robert Tsai, the book’s author. The panel discussion featured many subjects, including Judge Chin and Prof. Kim’s thoughts on the book, people of colors’ historic struggles for justice, and contemporary political issues. The panel ended with a Q&A session, during which the audience engaged the panelists with questions raised by the panel discussion and the issues addressed in the book.
AABANY would like to congratulate Professor Tsai on the release of his new book. We thank Judge Chin, Professor Tsai, and Professor Kim for participating in the event. We thank Chris Kwok, Chair of the Issues Committee, for organizing the event. We also thank Seyfarth Shaw LLP for hosting the event at their office, and UCLA Alumni New York Tri-State Network and Association of Asian American Yale Alumni for co-sponsoring the event.
March’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic, held on Wednesday, March 13 at 33 Bowery Street in Confucius Plaza, brought out 21 lawyers and 11 interpreters who volunteered their time to help 31 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.
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 karen.yau@aabany.org.
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 March Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!
Lawyers:
Interpreters:
Special thanks to Johnny Thach and Roger Chen for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Karen Kithan Yau, Pauline Yeung-Ha, Judy Lee and Asako Aiba for their leadership.
If you are interested in volunteering at next month’s Pro Bono Clinic on April 10, please contact Asako Aiba at asako.aiba@aabany.org. AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic occurs every second Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
NAPABA Lobby Day 2019
Washington, D.C. | Deadline: April 19, 2019
This is a reminder for you to join us in Washington, DC for Lobby Day! The NAPABA Annual Lobby Day is an opportunity for NAPABA members from across the country to educate members of Congress and Congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community. Lobby Day also gives members an active role in promoting NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans.
Participants will meet with legislators and voice their perspectives on a range of topics. As a participant, you will be given all the information and materials you need to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill. Registration for Lobby Day includes a webinar training prior to Lobby Day as well as onsite training the day of, so that all participants are prepared for meetings with congressional members and staffers.
Registration
Register for all Lobby Day events here. Deadline to register is April 19, 2019. *Please note: some events have early deadlines.
Lobby Day Stipend | Last day to apply for a stipend is March 22, 2019
Stipends are available for NAPABA direct members traveling to Lobby Day from out-of-town. Deadline to submit an application is March 22, 2019. *Please register for Lobby Day to gain access to the stipend application page. **Stipends available for direct members.
NAPABA U.S. Supreme Court Bar Group Admission
Apply to be admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar and join NAPABA members for a group swearing-in ceremony. All application materials and processing fee must be mailed (postmarked) to the NAPABA office by Mar. 22, 2019.
Congressional Reception
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NAPABA will be hosting a Congressional Reception. The reception will bring together Lobby Day participants, members of Congress and their staff, and leaders in the APA community. This event is open to the public, including NAPABA members who are unable to participate in Lobby Day.
Hotel | Last day to book is April 18, 2019.
NAPABA has secured a room block through Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall, which is located at the heart of Washington, DC, right off the National Mall. The Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall is within walking distance of the Federal Center SW Metro Station and the newly built wharf.
Rate: $239 single/double plus applicable taxes & fees.
Book your room today!
You may also call Hyatt Place’s reservations department at 1-800-993-4031 and ask for “NAPABA Group” or Group Code “G-NAPA”
If you have any questions about any of the events above, please email Oriene Shin at oshin@napaba.org.
More 2019 Lobby Day information can be found here.
On March 6, 2019, Margaret Ling, AABANY Co-Chair of the Real Estate Committee, presented the CLE entitled “Real Estate Fraud – Red Flags and War Stories” The CLE networking event took place at Knights of Columbus in Brooklyn and was co-sponsored by AABANY, KALAGNY, Northfield Bank and the Brooklyn Real Estate Board.
Thanks to Margaret Ling for the write-up and photo for this post.
On Friday, March 1, 2019, Margaret Ling, AABANY Development Director and Co-Chair of the AABANY Real Estate Committee, attended Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s State of the State 2019 NYC Region Presentation. The meeting was by invitation only and was in collaboration with the Network of Bar Leaders. Margaret is on the Network of Bar Leaders Executive Council and is the AABANY representative on that Council. The meeting was presented by Alphonso David, Counsel to the Governor and past AABANY Annual Dinner Honoree. Alphonso spoke about the specifics of the Governor’s upcoming 2020 New York State Budget and the priorities of education, housing, health and hospital, and environmental issues.
Thanks to Margaret Ling for the write-up and photos for this post.
Please contact Kelly Agnew-Barajas for further assistance.
Kelly Agnew-Barajas
Director of Refugee Resettlement Catholic Charities Community Services
80 Maiden Lane, 14th Floor New York, NY 10038
Office: 212-419-3726 │Cell: 917-284-1179
Kelly.Agnew-Barajas@ArchNY.org
New Americans Hotline: 800.566.7636
Pronouns: she, her, hers
The EDNY ADR Department is currently accepting applications for a new pilot program entitled the EDNY Mediator Incubator.
The Mediator Incubator is designed as a means to recruit and train junior attorneys (less than 10 years of experience) to serve as mediators on the EDNY Mediation Panel. Incubator candidates will participate in an initial orientation and training session, and then be permitted to observe three EDNY cases and co-mediate three EDNY cases under the supervision and guidance of experienced EDNY mediators. Upon completion of their observations and co-mediations, incubator participants will be eligible to apply for membership to the EDNY Mediation Panel. Additional information about the Mediator Incubator is available here: https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/mediator-incubator
As this is a pilot program,
the initial class will be very small (most likely 4 candidates). Below
is the link to the application which is due on April 1, 2019:
Mediator Incubator Application:
https://img.nyed.uscourts.gov/files/forms/Mediator%20Incubator%20Application%20and%20Instructions%202019.pdf
The U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of New York serves a wide variety of litigants, including
persons of varying age, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual
orientation, physical or mental ability, religion, socioeconomic and family
status. The Court’s ADR Department recognizes that mediators and arbitrators
with a wide variety of cultural and life experiences enrich the program
by bringing diverse perspectives to resolving disputes. To that end, applicants
of all diverse backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.
On Friday, March 8, 2019, AAARI, a CUNY-wide scholarly research and resource center on policies and issues that affect Asians and Asian Americans, is holding a talk, Asian/Asian American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences, by Nicholas D. Hartlep & Daisy Ball from 6pm to 8pm, at 25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor, Room 1000, between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan.
The talk is free and open to the general public. To RSVP for this talk, please visit https://19-03-08hartlep.eventbrite.com. Please be prepared to present proper identification when entering the building lobby. If you are unable to attend the talk, streaming video and audio podcast will be available online the following week.
Nicholas D. Hartlep and Daisy Ball will discuss their book Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences, which shares the knowledge and travails of Asian/American luminaries in the field of education. This unique collection of essays acknowledges the struggle that Asian/American Education scholars have faced when it comes to being regarded as legitimate scholars deserving of endowed or distinguished status.
Books will be available for purchase ($40 each, cash and credit card accepted) and signing after their talk.