We are sharing the announcement below that was circulated by NYSBA:
Effective January 30, 2020, the Court System has initiated a new system – the New York Courts Emergency Alert Portal (“Portal”) — to send out notifications about court closures and other UCS emergencies. The new Portal is hosted by NYAlert, a state public notification platform with a well-established record of reliable performance, and will replace Twitter notifications. Among other new features, the Portal will allow users to receive information about specific counties of their choosing, and to select their preferred method of notification (text, phone and/or email). Attorneys who are currently registered for Twitter announcement will need to register for the Portal at www.nycourts.gov/alerts/.
During a brief transition period, we will be sending out alerts through both Twitter and the Portal. We anticipate discontinuing use of Twitter for emergency alerts on or about March 15, 2020.
If you or your members have any questions on this subject, please contact Barbara Zahler-Gringer at: NYCourtAlert@nycourts.gov.
On February 20, 2020, Margaret Ling, AABANY Development Director, hosted the New York Law School AALSA Alumni Lunar New Year Reception at New York Law School. Margaret is a New York Law School Alumni, Class of 1983, and is also a Board Director of the New York Law School Alumni Association. She mentors many of the Asian Law students and took this opportunity to connect them with alumni. The event was also attended by Dean Anthony Crowell and Elizabeth Briand of Development Affairs. Many thanks to AABANY for their support and Nancy Yang, AALSA President and Class of 2020.
On Sunday, February 16, a group of AABANY members and friends, including AABANY Co-Founder Rocky Chin, Executive Director Yang Chen, Board Director Chris Kwok, Director of Technology Francis Chin, GSPI Committee Co-Chair Kevin Hsi, and Women’s Committee Co-Chair Yan Sin, went to see “Cambodian Rock Band.” The play is written by Lauren Yee, currently in residence at Signature Theater off-Broadway, steps away from the bright lights of Times Square. The all-Asian cast features six talented performers who play multiple roles, including as band members of a fictional band, the Cyclos. While the band is made up, the music they play is not, featuring Cambodian pop songs from the ’60s and ’70s. The story flashes back and forth between Cambodia in the 1970s, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, and modern day Cambodia, as a father and daughter come to grips with the legacy of a country torn apart by trauma, tragedy and war crimes.
Before the play started, the AABANY group got to meet and chat with Lauren Yee, who was busily greeting audience members as they gathered in the spacious lobby on the second floor, right outside the theater. She handed out “Cambodian Rock Band” buttons and happily spoke with us about her play and its journey to the New York stage. The play itself was gripping and powerful, and the talented cast not only sang and performed numerous songs, many in Cambodian, they also told a touching and compelling story about the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge’s reign in Cambodia. After the show, our group also got to meet members of the cast, who engaged with audience members that were hanging out in the lobby after the show, talking to them about the play and also taking photos with them.
“Cambodian Rock Band” was a worthwhile and moving theatrical experience, and we highly recommend that you go and see it. The play opened on February 4 and runs through March 15. Catch it before it closes! More details here.
On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at Allen & Overy. President Brian Song called the meeting to order and established quorum. Elections were held for the 2020 Board of Officers and Directors, along with a vote on bylaw revisions to clarify and extend term limits.
President Brian Song presented the Year in Review while Executive Director, Yang Chen, presented the report of the Committees. After the reports, awards were presented to honor AABANY leaders and committees for their dedication to AABANY over the past year. While these presentations were occuring, Immediate Past President James R. Cho and President-Elect Sapna Palla tallied the votes.
The following officers were elected and will begin their term on April 1, 2020:
Terrence L. Shen President-Elect
Tiffany Miao Vice President, Programs and Operations
David Sohn Vice President, Programs and Operations
Margaret Ling Development Director
William Hao Treasurer
Christopher Bae Secretary
Beatrice Leong Membership Director
The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms starting on April 1, 2020:
Jasmine Ball Una A. Dean Edward Y. Kim Naf Kwun Won Shin Kazuko Wachter
Congratulations to all the Officers and Directors who were elected to the Board.
The bylaw revisions were passed.
The following awards were presented:
Committee of the Year: The Young Lawyers Committee
For their outstanding contributions in promoting AABANY’s mission and their service to our members and the community at large.
Program of the Year: The AABANY Trial Reenactments Project under the auspices of the Professional Development Committee
For enhancing and contributing to public understanding and awareness of major contributions by Asian Americans to the social, political and legal history of the United States.
Member of the Year: Beatrice Leong
For her contributions to the growth of AABANY’s membership under her leadership as Membership Director.
Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work during the 2019 fiscal year.
We would like to thank our members for attending and participating in the annual meeting, and we also thank John Hwang and Allen & Overy for hosting the meeting in a beautiful space, treating us to a delectable selection of food and drinks.
NAPABA’s
Leadership Advancement Program is a year-long experiential program
targeted at building leadership skills by allowing rising attorneys to
step into their own leadership style, while providing an opportunity to
foster genuine relationships with peers within the profession,
especially between in-house counsel (IHC) and law firm attorneys.
Here are just a few accomplishments from our last cohort since they completed the program:
Visit our website to learn more about the program’s requirements and see how you’ll benefit from being part of this opportunity.
Apply here. The application deadline is Thursday, March 12.
Have you submitted your program idea? The March 16 deadline is just around the corner so visit our Call for Programs page to send us your presentation idea!
Here are just a few of the program topics featured at our 2019 Convention:
Presenting Yourself with Power and Projecting Authority: Using Improv to Elevate Your Presence
Using the NFL to Tackle Law’s Diversity Problem? How the Mansfield Rule Levels the Playing Field
Healthcare Fraud Enforcement and Corporate Compliance
Emoji Law: Are You Prepared for Emojis, Emoticons, and Hashtags in Litigation?
The submission process will close on March 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Speaker Database | Rolling Basis
Interested in speaking at the NAPABA Convention without submitting a program submission? Join our speaker database!
In light of the public charge rule that will go into effect on February 24, 2020, Catholic Charities Community Services will be hosting a phone bank in partnership with MOIA, ONA, Univision, Legal Aid, NYLAG and Hispanic Federation for a two-day phone bank on February 11 and 12, from 5pm – 8pm.
The purpose of the phone bank is to answer questions, dispel fears for those who will not be affected, and urge those who will be impacted to seek legal advice and assistance with their applications. If anyone has questions about the public charge rule, please call the phone bank at the NYS New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636. There will be language assistance available.
You may have already seen NAPABA’s Call for Programs email for this year’s NAPABA Convention, taking place November 5-8. In addition to the call for general programs, NAPABA is also looking for Thursday Specialty Program submissions.
What is Thursday Specialty Programming?
Workshops and programs held by NAPABA’s networks and committees to build the skills and knowledge you need to excel in your career.
This year’s Thursday Specialty Programming tracks, held concurrently, include:
International Law Symposium presented by the International Law Committee
Solo & Small Firm Bootcamp presented by the Solo & Small Firm Network
Women’s Leadership Workshop presented by the Women’s Leadership Network
For more information on how to submit a program, please visit NAPABA’s Call for Programs page by clicking here.
Please note the deadline for submission is March 16, 2020, at 5: 00 PM ET.
On January 30, 2020, AABANY Membership Director Beatrice Leong was interviewed by Reema Khrais on her podcast called “This Is Uncomfortable.” During the interview which was broadcast on NPR, Beatrice shared a very personal story about why she decided to become a divorce lawyer. After graduating from college Beatrice and her long time boyfriend, someone she had been with since the age of 16, got married and moved in together. He worked as a financial consultant, and Beatrice went to law school. However, their relationship took a turn for the worst when Beatrice uncovered his infidelity. After a long back and forth internally, she realized divorce was her only choice. Having graduated from law school, she decided to be her own advocate and joined a family law practice to learn more about divorce law. Beatrice recounted her own consultation with a divorce attorney, found it cold and unsympathetic, and believed that she would make a better matrimonial lawyer, one who understands the emotional trauma that her clients may be undergoing.
AABANY is excited to announce that Judge Sri Srinivasan will be presented with the Public Service Leadership Award at the 2020 AABANY Annual Dinner being held on February 26, 2020, at Cipriani Wall Street.
Judge Srinivasan was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed 97-0 by the Senate on May 23, 2013 to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. With his confirmation, Judge Srinivasan became the first South Asian American federal appellate court judge in U.S. history. On February 12, 2020, Judge Srinivasan once again made history by becoming both the first Asian American and South Asian American to serve as Chief Judge for a circuit court in the United States. Judge Srinivasan grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and graduated from Stanford University in 1989 and Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995. Following graduation, he served as a law clerk to Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the U.S. Solicitor General, and as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In 1998, he joined the law firm O’Melveny & Myers. From 2002 to 2007, he served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General. In 2007 he returned to O’Melveny & Myers as a partner, later becoming chair of the firm’s appellate and Supreme Court practice. From 2011 until his appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Judge Srinivasan served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States. He has also taught appellate advocacy at Harvard Law School.
