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At the 2013 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference hosted by Weil Gotshal, a plenary session was held during the luncheon to explore the recent United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.

The luncheon was sponsored by Kobre & Kim. Welcome remarks were given by Mike Huang, President of AABANY, Fred Green, Management Committee Member, Mergers & Acquisitions Partner and Sponsor to the Asian Attorney Affinity Group at Weil, and Wendy Shiba, President of NAPABA. Board member and past AABANY President Robert Leung presented brief remarks about AABANY’s newest committee, the Career Placement Committee, and invited broad participation in it.

The Program Chair for the plenary session was Sarah Seo, Co-Chair of the Academic Committee. She introduced the Hon. Pamela K. Chen, United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, moderator of the panel.

Panelists included Khin Mai Aung, Director of the Educational Equity Program at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), who submitted an amicus brief in the Fisher case, and Hemmie Chang, Partner at Foley Hoag, who led her firm’s efforts in supporting AALDEF’s amicus filing in Fisher. Also on the panel were Michael Park, Partner at Dechert, and William Consovoy, Partner at Wiley Rein, who submitted briefs on Fisher’s side of the case before the Supreme Court.

The room was filled to capacity and many of the attendees had to go to the overflow room next door to watch the panel discussion on video.

The panel took several thoughtful and pointed questions from the audience during the Q&A portion.

Thanks to our Key Sponsor Hudson Court Reporting and Video for taking video and transcription of the plenary session.

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The 2013 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference took place on Saturday, September 21, at the New York offices of Weil Gotshal & Manges. It started with breakfast and registration at 8:00 am. Panel session 1 began at 9:30 am, featuring CLE programs on “Office Politics 101 – How to Win the Popularity Contest at Work,” “Post-Hurricane Sandy: One Year Later and its Impact on the Northeast,” and “The Nexus of IP and Everything Else in the Universe.” The morning session of the Trial Advocacy Program (TAP) began with a lecture.

Panel session 2 followed at 11:00 am with CLE programs on “How to Get Disbarred: Avoiding Ethics Complaints and What to Do if you Can’t,” “Girlfriends: ‘Lean In’ – When, Where and How,” and “Bright Lights, Big Pharma.” TAP breakout sessions took place, allowing participants to engage in actual exercises based on the morning lecture.

At the same time, during the morning session, the In-House Counsel Forum, Judicial Forum, numerous pitch sessions and the AABANY Career Exchange were simultaneously going on. It was a busy morning.

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On Thursday, September 19, AABANY’s Student Outreach, Women’s, Career Placement and Young Lawyers Committees kicked off its Fall Style Series featuring makeup artist Jennifer Tong. Ms. Tong spent the evening teaching attendees the essentials of skincare and how to apply makeup. The event featured two member models, Vicki Ger and Stephanie Spangler, to demonstrate “natural” and “night” looks. Attendees received sample bags and were able to follow up with Q+A. Jennifer Tong is a freelance makeup artist and is available for private events and consultations at fung.fhu.tong@gmail.com.

Part 2 of the series takes place on October 2 and Women’s Suiting 101 – “The Art of Marketing Yourself: Personal Branding and Power Dressing.” Check the AABANY calendar for more details and to sign up.

NAPABA 2013 Election Results

NAPABA congratulates the newly-elected officers of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2012-2013 board year. They will be sworn into office at the Installation Banquet held on November 9, 2013, during the 25th Annual NAPABA Convention in Kansas City, MO.

The following individuals were elected by the NAPABA membership:

  • President Elect: George C. Chen
  • Vice President for Finance and Development: Alexander M. Lee
  • Vice President for Membership: Brad Yamauchi
  • Vice President for Programs and Operations: Jin Y. Hwang
  • Vice President for Communications: Cyndie M. Chang
  • Treasurer: Pankit J. Doshi
  • Secretary: Tacie H. Yoon

In addition to these newly-elected officers, William J. Simonitsch will serve as President and Wendy C. Shiba will serve as Immediate Past President. Joining the officers on the NAPABA Board of Governors will be ten regional governors and four at-large board members.

NAPABA extends its best wishes to all of the candidates and the many members who participated in the elections.

NAPABA Press Release: Manish Shah Nominated to Serve as District Court Judge

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400 
Washington, DC 20006


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
September 19, 2013

Contact: Emily Chatterjee 
(202) 775-9555

MANISH SHAH NOMINATED TO SERVE AS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama nominated Manish Suresh Shah to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. If confirmed, Shah will be the first person of South Asian descent to serve as an Article III judge in the state of Illinois.

“We applaud Manish Shah’s historic nomination to the federal bench,” said Wendy C. Shiba, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Mr. Shah has devoted his career to public service in the U.S. Attorney’s office, and his deep experience in criminal law will be an asset to the Northern District of Illinois. We hope that the Senate votes to confirm him swiftly.”

Since 2001, Shah has worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Since July 2012, he has served as Chief of the Criminal Division, and previously served as Chief of Criminal Appeals. During his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he has also worked in the General Crimes, Narcotics & Gangs, and Public Corruption units. Shah attended the University of Chicago Law School and Stanford University, and went on to clerk for Judge James B. Zagel of the Northern District of Illinois.

NAPABA commends President Obama for nominating Mr. Shah to the bench and Senators Kirk and Durbin of Illinois for their support of his nomination.

From NAPABA: NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PRE-LAW CONFERENCE — NOV. 9

NAPABA encourages prospective law students to register for the National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference hosted by NAPABA. The Conference will be held on Saturday, November 9, during the Annual Convention and is open to all prospective law students regardless of age, race, background, goals, and experience. The Conference welcomes Annual Convention attendees’ family members, and any other prospective law students who may have an interest in learning more about law school and a JD degree. There is no cost to attend but registration is required. Interested prospective students can learn more on the Convention website and register by clicking here. Limited travel stipends are available to participants traveling from outside the area. Apply for a stipend before October 11 by clicking here.