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July 13, 2012

Free Webinar on July 19: “Preparing for Deferred Action”

The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN), in partnership with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and United We Dream (UWD), invite you to join a free webinar, “Preparing for Deferred Action,” on Thursday, July 19th, 2012 at 2:00 pm Eastern / 1:00 pm Central / 12:00 pm Mountain / 11:00 am Pacific. This webinar will cover what we know about the new deferred action policy for undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children, including basic eligibility requirements, how to document eligibility, “red flags” for applicants, and advocacy on the policy’s implementation. Panelists include Jennie Guilfoyle, Training and Legal Support Attorney at CLINIC; Paromita Shah, Associate Director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild; and Don Lyster, Director of NILC’s Washington, DC office, among others.

To register for this free webinar, visit https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/855529534. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information on joining the webinar.

If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].

We hope that you will join us,
Immigration Advocates Network

The Immigration Advocates Network is a collaborative project of the ABA Commission on Immigration, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, American Immigration Council, American Immigration Lawyers Association, ASISTA, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, National Immigration Law Center, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Pro Bono Net, and The Advocates for Human Rights. For more information about IAN, visitwww.immigrationadvocates.org

July 12, 2012

Prosecutors’ Committee’s 4th Anniversary Reception

Brian Lee, Deputy Chief of the County Court Bureau, Nassau County D.A.’s office, reports:

On June 28, 2012, the Prosecutors’ Committee held its 4th Anniversary Reception at the New York University School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall. This year, the Prosecutors’ Committee, co-chaired by Cristina S. W. Park of the Bronx County D.A.’s Office and James S. Lin of the New York County D.A.’s Office, honored Sandra Leung, General Counsel of Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Thomas M. Chan, Assistant Chief of the New York City Police Department. Ms. Leung was the first female Asian American prosecutor in the New York County D.A.’s Office, and in her speech, recounted how her invaluable experience as a prosecutor propelled her rapid rise in the ranks at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Assistant Chief Chan is the highest ranking Asian American officer in NYPD’s history, and during his address, spoke of his passion to help the community as the driving force behind his illustrious career. These two individuals were honored for their dedication to diversity and as trailblazers for the Asian American community in New York.

The honorees and attendees were welcomed by Jeannie Forrest, the Vice-Dean of NYU School of Law. Nearly 120 guests attended the reception and congratulatory remarks were given by: Charles J. Hynes, the District Attorney of Kings County; Daniel R. Alonso, the Chief ADA for New York County; Daniel L. Master, the Chief ADA for Richmond County; Jesse J. Sligh, an Executive ADA for Queens County; and Steven M. Goldstein, the Chief ADA for the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. Closing remarks were delivered by Jean Lee, the President of AABANY.

Dignitaries in attendance at the reception included Judge Doris Ling-Cohan, New York State Supreme Court, Judge Gilbert C. Hong, New York City Criminal Court, Daniel D. Chu, Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and Hugh H. Mo, one of last year’s Trailblazer Honorees. The reception was covered by members of the media.

July 12, 2012

AABANY APPLAUDS THE APPOINTMENT OF LILLIAN WAN TO SERVE AS A JUDGE IN THE NEW YORK CITY FAMILY COURT

NEW YORK – July 11, 2012 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) applauds the appointment of Lillian Wan as a New York City Civil Court judge, with an assignment to the Family Court. Judge Wan was approved by the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, the New York City Bar’s Judiciary Committee and the Mayor’s office. “AABANY is delighted that Lillian Wan has been appointed a Civil Court judge. Her assignment to serve in the Family Court is well-deserved recognition of her experience and demonstrated commitment to the children and families of New York State,” said Jean Lee, President of AABANY.

Asian Pacific Americans remain significantly under-represented in the New York State Judiciary, where there are only currently twenty-three (23) Asian Pacific American judges out of about 1,200 judges across the state. Although, according to the 2010 Census, approximately 8.3% of the population of New York State and approximately 14.0% of the population in New York City consist of Asian Pacific Americans, Judge Wan will be one of four Asian Pacific American judges serving in Family Court in the entire state of New York. Even with the addition of Judge Wan to the bench, less than 2% of the New York judiciary are Asian Pacific Americans.

“With her appointment, Judge Wan will be the only Asian Pacific American female jurist serving in New York City Family Court,” said James P. Chou, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee. “We applaud Mayor Bloomberg for his continued commitment to diversifying the judiciary in our City.”

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Wan served as a Court Attorney-Referee at the Kings County Surrogate’s Court where she handled adoptions, guardianships, wills, trusts, and estates matters. Before joining Surrogate’s Court, Judge Wan was an attorney for the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) in the Manhattan Family Court Unit for nine years, where she litigated and supervised hundreds of child abuse and neglect proceedings. Judge Wan is the in-coming chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Family Court and Family Law Committee. She is also a member of AABANY, where she is the co-chair of the Government and Public Sector Committee. Judge Wan was recently elected to the board of directors for the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association. Judge Wan is also a member of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA) and Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program, Inc. (PALS). Judge Wan graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University in 1997 and then attended Albany Law School where she served on the Albany Law Review as an Associate Editor and graduated magna cum laude in 2000.

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The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). To learn more about AABANY, visit www.aabany.org.

July 10, 2012

Ozawa/Thind Re-enactment Video

Thanks to our friends at Cadwalader, we have video highlights from the Ozawa/Thind re-enactment performed by AABANY members at Cadwalader on February 28, 2012. Click on the title to see the video. Below is the description of the event provided by Cadwalader:

As two Asian-Americans sought to become U.S. citizens, the U.S. Supreme Court considered issues of race, color, and citizenship. The petitioner in the first case was represented by George Wickersham, and both cases were heard by the Supreme Court when William Howard Taft (the brother of former Cadwalader partner Henry W. Taft) was Chief Justice. This program was presented at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association 2011 Convention by members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, including several Cadwalader attorneys, with the Honorable Denny Chin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit serving as moderator. Please join us to see this same team reprise their fascinating performance, sharing the stories of the petitioners through narration, reenactment of court proceedings, and historic photographs.

July 10, 2012

DA VANCE ANNOUNCES GUILTY PLEA OF NEPALESE WOMAN WHO DEFRAUDED FELLOW IMMIGRANTS

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the guilty plea of HIT SHRESTHA, 44, a Nepalese national, for systematically defrauding other Nepalese nationals of thousands of dollars. The defendant pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree for falsely promising her victims that she would arrange for their family members from Nepal to immigrate to the United States, and for charging her victims large fees for the promised service.

Congratulations to the NY County DA’s Immigrant Affairs Program and its co-director Rosemary Yu for this victory. ADA Yu is a member of AABANY and its Prosecutors’ Committee, which she co-founded.

Read the rest of the press release here

July 10, 2012December 4, 2018

July 10, 2012

AALDEF Announces Free Legal Clinics for Undocumented Youth on Obama’s New Immigration Policy

July 10, 2012 – On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced that it would grant “deferred action” status to undocumented youth who qualify for administrative relief. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) will hold a series of legal clinics to provide free legal advice and representation to young people who qualify under this directive. These clinics will help to support the work of AALDEF’s undocumented Asian American youth group.

The first legal clinic will be at AALDEF’s office on Thursday, July 12, 2012 from 3pm – 7pm. Additional clinics will be scheduled in upcoming weeks.

“This new directive is a good first step,” said Bethany Li, staff attorney at AALDEF. “But for this policy to make any difference, undocumented Asian American youth need to understand its effect and continue to be at the forefront in asserting their rights. These legal clinics combined with the youth group will help to push the discussion around our immigration policy forward.”

AALDEF is also providing resources for undocumented youth on its website, including an in-depth set of FAQs on deferred action eligibility, which explains who qualifies for deferred action, and how this policy affects removal proceedings and encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

AALDEF is seeking pro bono assistance to staff our free legal clinics for undocumented youth. For more information, please contact staff attorney Bethany Li at 212 966-5932 ext 213 or [email protected].

The legal clinics are only open to youth who potentially qualify for deferred action status and are seeking legal advice. They are not open to the press.

July 10, 2012

NAPABA Scholarship Opportunity: 2012 NAPABA Convention Scholarship Application

NAPABA strives to keep the Convention affordable for our members and offers one of the best values among legal education conferences. NAPABA also maintains a scholarship fund to help further defray costs for attendees through full or partial registration waivers, travel stipends, and lodging stipends.

Scholarship applications for the 2012 Convention are due July 31! Apply today if you need assistance with travel and registration costs. We look forward to seeing you in DC on November 15-18.

Please fill out the online form by clicking https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFoyZ0stXzRyRFlTY3daYmZtVE81N2c6MQ.

July 9, 2012

Informational Sessions on Deferred Action for DREAMers

The New York Immigration Coalition will provide several informational sessions on President Obama’s June 15^th announcement about Deferred Action for certain young people who were brought into the United States through no fault of their own.

Come get the latest news on Deferred Action. Learn what Deferred Action is and who is eligible for it under this program.

We have already received reports that notarios and other unscrupulous people are trying to scam immigrants by calling this program an amnesty or a way to get your green card. That is false. The Deferred Action program is not an amnesty. Come to one of our sessions and get accurate up-to-date information about this program. These informational sessions are not legal clinics.

Where: The New York Immigration Coalition, 137-139 West 25^th Street, 12^th Floor, New York, NY 10001 (Between 6^th & 7^thAvenues). The closest subway stops are 23^rd Street on #1, F, and M and 28^th Street on #1.

When: Thursday, July 5, 2012

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Time: Each session runs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

These sessions are free but space is limited. Please RSVP to Jonathan Vidal to attend one of the sessions: [email protected]. For more information, please contact Jonathan at (212) 627-2227 ext. 227.

July 9, 2012

Are You Ready to Be the Change?

A National Day of Service coordinated by
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Saturday, October 6th, 2012

What is Be the Change?

Be the Change is an annual national day of service, coordinated by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) that is held on campuses and in cities across the country. Be the Change is designed to meet Mahatma Gandhi’s inspirational challenge to “be the change you wish to see in the world” and provide opportunities for South Asian community members, advocates and allies to build community through service, develop leadership skills, and engage in social change. This year, Be the Change 2012 is on October 6th and SAALT wants you to be involved!

In 2011, over 2,500 people volunteered at over 130 service sites in 80 cities and campuses across the country. Get involved now to bring Be the Change to your community this October!

Visit the Be the Change 2012 webpage for more information!

How can I get involved now?

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 6th and join us as a campus/city planning team member or as a national partner.

Coordinate a Be the Change event on your campus

If your campus traditionally organizes a Be the Change event or if you would like to start one on your campus, please complete this form by July 6th.
Coordinate a Be the Change event in your city

Join or start a planning team in your city! Please complete this form by July 6th.
Join SAALT as a National Partner for Be the Change

National Partners assist with volunteer outreach, commit to participating in a Be the Change event, provide a Be the Change service site and/or contribute in-kind or financial donations to Be the Change. National Partner logos appear on national materials, including the website, flyer, and t-shirt. If your organization, business, professional association, or community group would like to partner with SAALT to support Be the Change 2012, please email us at [email protected].

What does it mean to be part of a BTC planning team?

As a member of the planning team, you will be coordinating service events, recruiting volunteers and connecting with other planning teams around the country. SAALT will send you a planning guide and provide you with support from the national level.

Main roles/responsibilities of each planning team

Organize a kick-off ceremony with one or more inspirational guest speakers
Secure local service projects for your event volunteers
Recruit volunteers to participate in your Be the Change event
Coordinate logistical planning for your Be the Change event, including finding a kick-off venue, obtaining in-kind food donations, arranging for speakers, maintaining the budget, etc
Communicate regularly with SAALT

Are you ready for Be the Change 2012?

If you have any questions or inquiries, contact [email protected].