Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
Last week, on March 29, the Women’s Committee spent their Friday night throwing axes at Indoor Extreme Sports in Long Island City. Members strived to hit bullseyes by putting their strength and coordination skills to the test.
Thank you to everyone who attended! To learn more about the Women’s Committee and get involved, click here.
On March 15, AABANY and NYU APALSA hosted a conversation with Josh Hsu and Suzanne Kim in Furman Hall at NYU Law School. The discussion focused on Asian Pacific American attorneys’ engagement in public service.
Josh Hsu is the deputy chief of staff for Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA). The discussion was moderated by Suzanne Kim, Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School. Suzanne Kim is also a co-chair of AABANY’s Academic Committee.
Professor Kim interviewed Josh Hsu about various topics, including Hsu’s professional development, Hsu’s experience with working on the Hill and Asian American attorneys’ involvement in public service — mainly the lack thereof. Josh Hsu recounted how he received the clerkship offer from Judge Chin. As a law student, Josh drafted an article entitled “Asian American Judges: Identity, Their Narratives, & Diversity on the Bench” for Professor Mari Matsuda’s class, and to his surprise, he received Judge Chin’s comments on his draft, which is how Josh connected with Judge Chin and later received a clerkship offer from him. This experience made Josh realize that there is more than one way to make connections and enter into public service.
After the conversation, the floor was opened up for mingling. Attendees of the event actively engaged in more intimate and in-depth conversations with each other and with Josh Hsu.
We thank Josh Hsu for sharing his insights and knowledge with us as an APA in public service and encouraging others to join him on his path. We wish him best of luck on the Hill. We thank Suzanne Kim for facilitating the conversation and NYU APALSA for co-sponsoring the event. Last but not least, we thank everyone who joined us on a Friday night and for sharing your enthusiasm about APA engagement in public service.
On Thursday, March 28th, AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee hosted a Resume Review Workshop in collaboration with Fordham Law School’s APALSA. Students had the opportunity to meet experienced attorneys and receive substantive feedback on their resumes. The attorneys also offered 1-on-1 advice about networking, job hunting, and answered questions about their respective practice areas. Attendees enjoyed chicken kebabs and Mediterranean tapas from Kashkaval Garden.
Thanks to all the Fordham APALSA members that attended. A special thanks to all the attorneys that took time out of their busy schedules to participate in the event and be a resource for the students. We look forward to seeing Fordham APALSA members taking part in upcoming AABANY events.
We also thank Aakruti Vakharia, Student Outreach Committee Co-Chair, for this write-up.
April is National Social Security Month. This is a great time to reflect on how Social Security touches your life, no matter where you are on life’s journey. Whether you are just entering the workforce, a new parent, or you are planning for retirement — Social Security is there for you and your family, providing financial protection and vital services for many, including the growing and diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
In fact, with longer life expectancies, elderly Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will live more years in retirement and benefit from Social Security’s cost-of-living protections.
National Social Security Month is a great time to create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/mysocialsecurity, and learn how to:
For more than 80 years, Social Security has helped secure today and tomorrow with information, tools, and resources to meet your changing needs and lifestyles.
This year, during National Social Security Month, we will focus on the wide array of online services we provide that help put you in control — with secure access to your information anytime, anywhere. From estimating or managing your benefits, requesting a replacement card, to retiring online, we encourage you to see what you can do at SocialSecurity.gov.
Thanks to Everett M. Lo of the Social Security Administration for sharing the above information with us.
On April 9, 2019, Brooklyn Law School Public Service Law Center will host the Public Service Awards Ceremony in Forchelli Conference Center, Feil Hall, where Glenn Magpantay will receive a Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service in recognition for his outstanding contributions to public service.
Glenn Magpantay is the Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School. He has been organizing in the LGBT community for over 30 years, and he is recognized as a vanguard of LGBT rights activism. In addition to being an activist, Magpantay is also a devoted educator. He teaches “Race & the Law” at Brooklyn Law School and “Asian American Civil Rights” at Hunter College/ CUNY.
We at AABANY have been fortunate to have Glenn Magpantay as a former Board member and current co-chair of the LGBT Committee. Please join AABANY in congratulating Glenn Magpantay on this well-deserved award and honor.
The IP Committee enjoyed classic and unique Korean dishes for dinner at Soju Haus in Koreatown on March 27, for their year-end celebration dinner.
Members networked and discussed their current positions, spanning private practice, in-house, law school, and clerkship. Members also shared stories about their experience as Asian American lawyers.
Thank you to members new and old for coming out. The new fiscal year starts on April 1, so be on the lookout for announcements of upcoming events. To learn more about the IP Committee and to get involved, please go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145
The New York State Judicial Institute will host the 2019 New York Legal Education Opportunity Program (NY LEO) on the campus of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, located in White Plains, NY, June 3-July 12, 2019. The program is designed to ensure a diverse legal community by promoting academic success in law school for individuals historically underrepresented in the legal profession.
Through an intense six-week summer program, NY LEO assists minority, low income, and economically or educationally disadvantaged college graduates in acquiring the fundamental and practical skills necessary to succeed in law school.
NY LEO is administered by the Honorable Juanita Bing Newton, Dean of the New York State Judicial Institute. Admissions are rolling. For more information about this free program and eligibility requirements, visit: www.nycourts.gov/attorneys/leo, call: 914.824.5800, or email: [email protected].
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is accepting applications for the Court’s Pro Bono Appellate Mediator Panel. The Pro Bono Appellate Mediator Panel is authorized by Local Rule 33.1, and is governed by the Second Circuit’s Pro Bono Appellate Mediator Panel Plan. Members of the Pro Bono Appellate Mediator Panel serve as volunteer mediators for counseled, civil appeals.
All applicants must be attorneys admitted to, and in good standing with, the Bar of the Second Circuit or the bar of a state within the Second Circuit. Applicants must have 10 years of legal experience and substantial mediation experience.
As explained in the Pro Bono Appellate Mediator Plan, the Panel’s size is limited; therefore, the Court cannot appoint every qualified applicant. Membership will be on a three-year rotational basis, subject to a limit of two consecutive terms.
To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and this application to the Director of the Office of Legal Affairs and the Chief Circuit Mediator via email to [email protected]. Applications must be received by May 1, 2019. Please use the subject line: Appellate Mediator Panel.
On March 20, 2019, our Membership Committee held its last Monthly Membership Happy Hour of the fiscal year at Karaoke City in Midtown Manhattan. A crowd of AABANY members and future members gathered to meet and mingle over drinks, delicious Korean food, and karaoke.
Both Brian Song, President-Elect, and Yang Chen, Executive Director, gave a shout out to David Sohn, Membership Director and Membership Committee Chair, for all his hard work in putting together the Monthly Membership Happy Hours as a unique way to let prospective members learn about AABANY.
We thank the Litigation Committee and the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee for co-hosting this successful happy hour, with more than 30 attendees. If you are not already a member, we hope your attendance brings you closer to becoming a member or renewing your membership. And thanks to all the members who came out.
To learn more about joining AABANY go to https://www.aabany.org/page/130
The Call for Programs deadline is just around the corner! Monday is the last day to submit a program submission for the 2019 NAPABA Convention. Don’t miss the opportunity to feature your program at the 2019 NAPABA Convention taking place in Austin, TX from Nov. 7-10!
NAPABA is seeking program submissions on a wide range of substantive legal matters and topics of concern to the legal community to deepen our members’ knowledge and skills, and provide them with opportunities to forge bonds through panel discussions, workshops, and interactive presentations.
Thursday Specialty Programming
In addition to our general Call for Programs, we are seeking submissions for our Thursday Specialty Programming:
1. International Law Symposium presented by the International Law Committee
2. Solo & Small Firm Bootcamp presented by the Solo & Small Firm Committee
For more information on how to submit a general or Thursday program, please visit our Call for Programs page. The submission process will close on March 25 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! Should an opening need to be filled in the Convention program, you may be contacted by NAPABA staff. Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee a speaking role. Submit an application here.
Programs seeking additional speakers may contact [email protected].