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IP Committee Summer Mixer

On Thursday, June 13, 2019, AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee hosted a Summer Mixer at Gu Japanese Fusion Sushi & Bar on East 52nd Street.

IP lawyers, law students, AABANY members, and non-members gathered together to share appetizers of agedashi tofu, karaage, and shrimp tempura at the back of the busy izakaya. The special rolls included ones amusingly named Spicy Girl, Dinosaur, and Dancing Eel—alongside the usual American staple of the California roll.  

Under the restaurant’s blue light, beads of ikura gleamed as members whose practices focus on different areas of IP exchanged lively stories about their work. One attendee shared a little on his background as an electrical engineer prior to entering the legal field. Another remarked that it was her first AABANY event—she wanted to know more about the organization’s work. Wooden trays of special rolls were fluidly passed up and down the table as members enjoyed the meal and company.

Among the varied topics discussed were the Avengers: Endgame’s conclusion, Huawei, Midtown’s Jollibee location, as well as deeper discussions about diversity, identity, and community. Ideas for future events were discussed—potentially including paintballing—and the Intellectual Property Committee is looking forward to hosting them over the next few months. Stay tuned for more!

Thank you to the IP Committee Co-Chairs Jeff Mok, Ben Hsing, and Greg Pan for organizing June’s IP Summer Mixer! To learn more about the IP Committee and how you can get involved, visit the Committee’s webpage here.

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Congratulations to Brian Song on Being Honored by the Network of Bar Leaders

On Wednesday, June 12, the Network of Bar Leaders held its Presidents’ Dinner, a gathering to honor the Presidents of the Network of Bar Leaders’ member bar associations. The dinner was held at the Golden Unicorn in Chinatown, and AABANY was proud to be a Gold Sponsor at the event.

The program kicked off with opening remarks from New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Then, Hon. George B. Daniels, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, was honored, followed by his presentation of a keynote speech. As a multi-course banquet was served, some thirty-five Presidents from the Network of Bar Leaders’ member associations lined up to be presented with the President’s Awards by Hon. Jeffrey K. Oing, Justice of the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.

AABANY congratulates its President Brian Song and all the Network of Bar Leaders’ member association Presidents who were honored and recognized at the Presidents’ Dinner. Many AABANY Board Officers and Directors and Committee Chairs were in attendance to celebrate with Brian Song and other bar association Presidents and leaders in attendance.

Photo courtesy of Network of Bar Leaders

We also congratulate Network of Bar Leaders President Bridgette Ahn on this highly successful event. To learn more about the Network of Bar Leaders, visit https://www.networkofbarleaders.org/ . For more photos from the event, see the Network of Bar Leaders’ album at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xyoR66SUX78UEDTL9

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Thank You to our June Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

June’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic, held on Wednesday, June 12 at 33 Bowery Street in Confucius Plaza, brought out 12 lawyers and 11 interpreters who volunteered their time to help 34 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 June Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

Lawyers:

Gaye L. Chun

Peter Bartlett Wu

Eun Hye (Grace) Lee

Yan Sin

Kelly Diep

Alex Tran

Miae Woo

Soichiro Ishita

Annie Tsao

Satoshi Kurita

Mayumi Cindy Iijima

Francis Chin

Interpreters:

Yuchen (Fiona) Zheng

Alva Lin

Ming Li

Tianlin Liu

Teresa Wai Yee Yeung

Fiona Zhang

Limeng (Charles) Tan

Justina Chen

Xiaoshi Zhang

Angela Cheung

Kenny Moy

Special thanks to Coordinator Johnny Thach, Vice Chair Kwok Kei Ng, and Vice Chair Zhixian Liu for coordinating the clinic, and the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Pauline Yeung-Ha, Ming Chu Lee, Karen Kithan Yau, Asako Aiba, and Judy Lee for their leadership.

AABANY’s Monthly Pro Bono Clinic occurs every second Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The next clinic will take place on July 10, 2019. If you are interested in volunteering at future Pro Bono Clinics, please contact Asako Aiba at asako.aiba@aabany.org.

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In the News: AABANY Co-Sponsors Reenactment of Supreme Court Cases Ozawa & Thind

On May 23, 2019 AABANY co-sponsored a reenactment of the Supreme Court cases Takao Ozawa v. United States (1922) and United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923) in the Ceremonial Courtroom at 225 Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn. The two historical cases describe the exclusionary immigration policies that prevented Asian immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens. The reenactment scripts were written by longtime AABANY members Kathy Hirata Chin and her husband, the Hon. Denny Chin. The event was jointly sponsored by the South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY) and was held in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, during the month of May. The event was covered by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the history of these reenactments, “The Chins began writing and performing these reenactments 12 years ago, and every year they create a new performance based on a different case. Judge Chin explained that they look for cases of importance historically and that still resonate today.”

To read the full article, please click here.

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AABANY Hosts its Third Annual Judges’ Reception in Celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

On Thursday, May 30, 2019, AABANY’s Judiciary Committee hosted its third annual Judges’ Reception at the Surrogate’s Courthouse, 31 Chambers Street. The reception honored newly inducted, elevated and retiring judges in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The honorees recognized at the event were individuals who represent the significant strides that Asian Pacific Americans have achieved, as well as the ongoing fight for diversity within our leading institutions.

New York State Senator John C. Liu was slated to be the keynote speaker for the reception, but due to pressing matters in Albany he was not able to attend. The Honorable Phillip Hom, Civil Court of the City of New York, delivered remarks on his behalf. Judge Hom is a friend of Senator John C. Liu from their days at Bronx High School of Science and Binghamton University. Judge Hom also served as the Chief of Staff of then-Councilman John C. Liu from 2002-2005.

At the reception, the following judges were honored:

Hon. Shahabuddeen Ally
Hon. Karen Cortes
Hon. Shorab Ibrahim
Hon. Donald Leo
Hon. Ushir Pandit-Durant
Hon. John Zhuo Wang
Hon. Wendy Changyong Li
Hon. Archana Rao
Hon. Lillian Wan
Hon. Karen Bacdayan
Hon. Michael H. Park

All the honorees are Asian Pacific Americans Judges who were recently inducted to the bench or elevated in New York. To learn more about them and to read our press release for the event, click here. To learn more about the Judiciary Committee and to reach its co-chairs, go here: http://www.aabany.org/?page=115.

Following the awards ceremony, all attendees enjoyed catching up with each other or making new connections, over delicious food and dessert catered by Nom Wah and Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

We thank everyone that braved the rain to make this year’s reception another successful one.

Thanks to AABANY Legal Intern Katy Kim for providing the photos for this blog post.

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NYC Family Justice Center, Manhattan (MFJC): Core I Training, June 2019

The NYC Family Justice Center, Manhattan is excited to announce their next round of CORE I trainings. The CORE training series is a learning opportunity for service providers, community leaders, and city agency staff who are working with populations directly or indirectly affected by intimate partner violence, sex trafficking, and/or elder abuse. Please follow the link here for training dates and times.

All CORE trainings listed are free and will take place at the Manhattan FJC, 80 Centre Street, 5th Floor Training Room, Manhattan, 10013. Once the CORE training is no longer listed or available to select, it has reached maximum capacity of participants. For more information, contact Indhira Castro at IndhiraC@fjcnyc.org.

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NYC American Family Educational Program Offerings

The NYC not-for-profit American Family agency is offering educational programs for community members on Anger Management, Parenting Skills, Domestic Violence, Alcohol Addiction, and Life Coaching.

All programs cost $25.00 per hour and a non-refundable $35.00 registration fee. At the end of each program, attendees will obtain a letter and certificate, to be delivered to the Court or entity that has referred them. Each class is 2 hours and each program includes 16 hours.

Class Schedule:

Tuesday: 6:30 pm to 8:30pm – Spanish

Saturdays: 10 am to 12 noon – Spanish

Saturdays: 1 pm to 3 pm – English

For more information on these program offerings, please see the American Family Community Services website.

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Carol Lee Honored with ALI’s Distinguished Service Award

AABANY congratulates Carol Lee, Advisory Committee member, on being honored with the American Law Institute’s Distinguished Service Award at their 96th Annual Meeting on May 22, 2019. The American Law Institute was founded in 1923 and is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. The American Law Institute’s Distinguished Service Award is given to a member who has played a major role in Institute over many years.

Carol Lee is Special Counsel at Taconic Capital Advisors, an SEC-registered investment advisor based in New York City that manages private investment funds with total assets under management of approximately $6.7 billion. She has clerked for Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and for Justice John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court.

Ms. Lee was elected to the American Law Institute in February 2008 and was elected to the Council in May 2012. She is also a member of the Projects Committee and previously served on the Investment Committee.

Ms. Lee was presented the award by Raymond J. Lohier Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to honor the significant contributions she made to the American Law Institute over the years. To see photos from the awards presentation go to https://www.ali.org/news/articles/carol-f-lee-receives-alis-distinguished-service-award/.

Please join AABANY in congratulating Carol Lee on receiving this well-deserved honor.

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NAPABA Voter Eligibility | July 1 Affiliate Membership Activation & Direct Member Renewal

To be eligible to vote in this year’s NAPABA elections, you must be a current direct NAPABA member OR activate your NAPABA affiliate membership online by July 1, 2019.

AABANY is a NAPABA affiliate, and if you are an AABANY member you are eligible for free NAPABA affiliate membership but you must activate it for it to be effective. For directions on how to activate your NAPABA affiliate membership in time to vote, please contact Margaret Langston at margaret.langston@aabany.org, between the hours of 9:30 am – 1:30 pm, until FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2019.

To review NAPABA’s Membership FAQs Sheet, go to https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.napaba.org/resource/resmgr/membership/napaba_membership_faqs.pdf

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