Congratulations to Glenn Lau-Kee, Partner at Lau-Kee Law Group PLLC and former AABANY President (1997-99), on receiving the American Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Lau-Kee began his legal career as an associate in the Hong Kong and New York offices of Coudert Brothers LLP where he worked on bank financing, leasing, and corporate acquisition transactions. In 1977, he became a partner at Kee and Lau-Kee PLLC where he has developed a thriving real estate and bank financing practice. Mr. Lau-Kee made history as the first Asian American President of the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) for the 2014-15 term. He continues his involvement with NYSBA as a member of the Business Law, Health Law and Real Property Law sections. Mr. Lau-Kee has also been an active member of New York County Lawyers Association (“NYCLA”) since 2000, serving on the Board of Directors until 2004 and serving on various task forces and committees until 2010. He also served on the Board of Directors for the NYCLA Foundation and the New York Bar Foundation, which function as the charitable and philanthropic arms of their respective organizations.
Please join AABANY in congratulating Glenn Lau-Kee.
On Tuesday April 30, 2019, Asia Society and the Asian American Bar Association of New York co-hosted a lively discussion on the lawsuit Students for Fair Admission vs. Harvard University. Currently winding its way through the Federal courts, Asian Americans and affirmative action have become a point of focus in contemporary political debate.
Within the Asian American community itself, a grassroots Asian American conservative movement has emerged in the last decade, in an attempt to end affirmative action. This conservative movement alleges that admissions discrimination in the name of diversity is wrong. That view was represented by Jack Ouyang, from the Asian American Coalition for Education.
Asian American liberals believe that conservative Asian Americans are being used as cover to abolish affirmative action, and fear a defeat of affirmative action means a loss for diversity in all of higher education. Nicole Gon Ochi from Asian American Advancing Justice -LA represented the view.
Dr. Van Tran, Columbia University sociologist, presented new research on what Asian Americans thought of affirmative action.
Audience members were treated to a deep dive into the issue, with views from both sides represented on the podium. A reception followed, at which attendees got to continue their conversations around this important topic.
Thanks to everyone who came out for this event. Thanks especially to all the speakers for their insights and views. See below for short bios of all the speakers. (Thanks to Elsa Ruiz for the event photos.)
Chris M. Kwok, Esq. (moderator) serves as the Co-Chair of the Issues Committee and Asia Practice Committee for the Asian American Bar Association of New York. He received his B.A from Cornell University with a major in Government and minor in Asian American studies, and his J.D from UCLA Law School, where he served on the staff of the Asian American Pacific Islander Law Journal. Formerly, he was the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Coordinator at the U.S. Equal Employment Commission in the New York District office. He is a mediator with JAMS.
Dr. Van C. Tran is a professor of Sociology at Columbia University whose research and writing broadly focuses on the incorporation of Asian immigrants and their children into American culture, politics and society. He has served in many positions at both the Eastern Sociological Society and the American Sociological Association. He is a frequent commentator in the media and was selected as an NPR Source of the Week in July of 2015.
Nicole Gon Ochi, Esq. is the Supervising Attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice—LA’s Impact Litigation unit. She joined Advancing Justice as a Skadden Fellow in 2010 and has taken a lead role in litigating and providing advocacy on matters involving employment discrimination, education, workers’ rights, affordable housing preservation, language access, and civil rights.
Dr. Jack Ouyang is the Vice President of Operations at the Asian American Coalition for Education. Mr. Ouyang has been an outspoken Chinese American civil rights activist and was a key organizer of the Chinese American for Equality. He was a board chair at the Millburn Short Hills Chinese Association and the Millburn Institute of Talent. He is currently an IT Professional based in New Jersey.
AABANY is a proud co-sponsor of the following events in celebration of APA Heritage Month, and we invite you to join us at one or more of them in May. If you have any questions, contact us at main@aabany.org.
Time/Location
Event
May 13
6:00 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association APAHM Celebration
Location:
123 Remsen Street Brooklyn, New York
The Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association and the Asian American Judges Association of New York are celebrating APA Heritage Month. The Honorable Pamela K. Chen, EDNY, will be the Special Honoree at the celebration. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1229319
May 14
8:30 am – 12:15 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors: The Fight for Justice: 75th Anniversary of Korematsu v. US
Location: Robert H. Jackson Center 305 E. 4th Street Jamestown, New York
AABANY’s classic trial reenactment is making a return in celebration of APA Heritage Month as well as the 75th anniversary of the Korematsu decision. We are honored to have invited Karen Korematsu, daughter of Fred Korematsu; John Q. Barrett, Professor at St. John’s University School of Law; Hon. Denny Chin, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Thomas Loftus, Justice Jackson’s Grandson. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1231073
May 15
5:30-8:30PM
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Alice in Chinatown: Chol Soo Lee and His Fight for Freedom
Location: Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP 200 Liberty Street New York, New York 10281
Led by the Honorable Denny Chin, AABANY’s trial reenactment team will celebrate APA Heritage Month by retelling the story of Chol Soo Lee, a young Korean American who was wrongly accused and imprisoned for a gangland murder in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The effort to free him represented the beginning of Asian American activism in the 1970s. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1229620
May 22
4:30-7:30 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
Location:
Four Gateway Center 100 Mulberry Street Newark, New Jersey 07102
AABANY will join APALA-NJ, McCarter & English and KALAGNY for a networking reception and a screening of the documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which tells the story of the Chinese immigrant Sung family’s resilience against injustice when their bank was the only one pursued by prosecutors in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse. For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1229311
May 22
5:30-8 pm
“Murder of Vincent Chin” Trial Reenactment
Location:
White & Case LLP 1221 6th Ave New York, New York 10020
White & Case presentes a reenactment of “Building Our Legacy: The Murder of Vincent Chin,” one of AABANY’s best known and most performed reenactments. From AABANY’s Trial Reenactments website: “Vincent Chin was beaten to death in 1982 in Detroit. When the assailants didn’t even receive jail time, the injustice galvanized the Asian American community.” For more information, go to https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1214265
May 29
6:00 pm
AABANY Co-Sponsors: Breaking Through: A Look Beyond the Bamboo Ceiling
Location:
Lowenstein Sandler
1251 Avenue of the Americas
17th Floor
New York, New York
Please join the Diversity and Leadership Network and AABANY in celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month! The DLN will host an informative conversation with guest speakers, including the Honorable Justice Jeffrey K. Oing, Lawson Huynh, Associate at Lowenstein Sandler, Blossom Kan, Assistant General Counsel for MetLife, and Sonia Low, General Counsel of Jacob J. Javits Center, about the challenges and successes of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the legal profession. For more information, go to
AABANY Presents: Annual Judicial Reception Hosted by Judiciary Committee
Location:
The Surrogate’s Courthouse
Courtroom 503
31 Chambers St
New York, New York
The Judiciary Committee hosts its Annual Judicial Reception to honor newly inducted, currently sitting and retired Asian American, Pacific Islander and South Asian judges. For more information, go to
A block of rooms has been reserved at Hotel Alexander at a discounted rate. The room block will be available until July 26 at 5 p.m. ET or until the block has sold out.
The NAPABA Central Regional Conference will include a viewing of the film, And Then They Came For Us, followed later in the evening by special guest speaker George Takei, which will include a book signing of his new book, They Called Us Enemy. Copies will be available at the conference.
Northeast Regional Conference
September 21 Fordham Law School for NYC New York, NY
A block of rooms has been reserved at Empire Hotel at a discounted rate. The room block will be available until Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. ET or until the block has sold out.
NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program is a year-long program to develop mid-career Asian Pacific American attorneys’ leadership skills, while providing an opportunity to foster genuine relationships with peers within the profession, especially between in-house counsel (IHC) and law firm attorneys. This year, the first part of the program will be held in Washington D.C. The program will commence with a weekend of team-building and leadership training from Friday, July 19 through midday Sunday, July 21. The first two days will consist of leadership assessments, training on understanding and improving your leadership style, team building, and better understanding your career vision to help support you in pursuing career goals, including addressing the unique hurdles facing Asian Pacific Americans. The last half-day is devoted to launching team-based community projects that will allow participants to forge meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships.
NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program (LAP) is distinct from the In-House Counsel Summit (IHC Summit). NAPABA’s LAP is a professional and personal development program for mid-career IHC and law firm attorneys through leadership skills development, candid and open dialogue, and relationship-building. The IHC Summit is offered only to IHCs looking for professional leadership development and opportunities in association with NAPABA 20/20 initiative focused on career advancement for APA in-house counsel.
Applications for NAPABA’s LAP program will be accepted through May 13 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.Apply now!
Enrollment
Enrollment in the program is limited to 24 participants, with an even balance between IHC and law firm attorneys. All NAPABA members are encouraged to apply, although the selection committee will focus on the following criteria this year:
Law firm candidates: this year’s program will prefer candidates with between six and 10 years of experience
In-house candidates: preference for a minimum of three to four years of IHC experience, with six to 10 years of overall practice experience
NAPABA will provide the trainers, program materials, venue, and in-program meals. If accepted, attendees will be expected to commit $100 as a program fee and provide their own travel to Washington, DC and accommodations, if required.
Tentative Schedule
Fri., July 19 Leadership Assessment and Team Building: The program will consist of leadership exercises, assessments, and team-building.
Sat., July 20 Leadership Training: The program will consist of leadership training sessions aimed at helping attorneys achieve the highest level of leadership and success in law firms and corporations.
Sun., July 21 Community Project (Half-day): Participants will design a community project that will encourage team-building and leadership development throughout the year.
AABANY congratulates White & Case and Sylvia Chin on being recognized by Women’s World Banking for their pro bono work on behalf of the organization over four decades, since its founding. The award was presented on April 4 at Women’s World Banking’s 40th anniversary celebration in New York.
According to the media release, “In 2018, White & Case’s global pro bono practice provided more than 120,000 hours of legal services focused on access to justice, promoting the rule of law, and serving organizations with social and environmental missions. Women’s World Banking has been a recipient of White & Case’s pro bono legal services since our founding.”
Sylvia is a Past President of AABANY (1994-96) and is current President of AALFNY, AABANY’s 501(c)(3) affiliate. Please join us in congratulating Sylvia and White & Case on their well-deserved honor and recognition for their pro bono work on behalf of women across the globe.
Join us for NAPABA’s annual Lobby Day hosted in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. from May 20-21, 2019. This event brings NAPABA members from across the country to meet and discuss with members of Congress and congressional staffers on issues of importance and help promote NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for APAs.
Registration | DEADLINE NOW APRIL 25, 2019 Registration includes a webinar training prior to Lobby Day as well as onsite training the day of, so that all participants are prepared for meetings with congressional members and staffers. For more information about the 2019 Lobby Day, visit our page.
Congressional Reception | May 20, 2019 In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NAPABA will be hosting a Congressional Reception. The reception will bring together Lobby Day participants, members of Congress and their staff, and leaders in the APA community. This event is open to the the public.
Hotel | RESERVATION DEADLINE EXTENDED to April 25, 2019 The official 2019 Lobby Day hotel, the Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall, is at the heart of Washington DC and walking distance of the Federal Center SW Metro Station, and the newly built Wharf.
You may also call Hyatt’s reservations department at 1-800-993-4031 and ask for “NAPABA Group” or Group Code “G-NAPA” Rate: $239 king plus applicable taxes & fees.
If you have any questions about any of the events above, please email Oriene Shin at oshin@napaba.org.
More 2019 Lobby Day information can be found here.
On April 11, 2019, the AABANY Real Estate Committee successfully presented a CLE and networking event entitled “Trends in Long Island Real Estate Development – IDA Zoning and Land Use.” Over 60 attorneys and real estate professionals were in attendance. The event was held at the Omni Building in Uniondale and was co-sponsored by AABANY, KALAGNY, Forchelli Deegan Terrana, Flushing Bank, and Big Apple Abstract Corp.
The panelists were:
Margaret Ling, AABANY Development Director and Real Estate Committee Co-Chair
Daniel Deegan, Partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana
Kathleen Deegan Dickson, Partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana
Rose Liu, Director of Finance & Research at Colliers International
Herbert Agin, CEO of Colliers International
The speakers led an insightful discussion on the following topics: title insurance, the key facets of Industrial Development Agencies (IDA) in Nassau and Suffolk County, zoning, variances, and municipal regulations in Long Island and how they have a significant impact on the success of real estate projects.
In addition, Rose Liu discussed the latest statistics involving real estate development projects in Long Island and Herbert Agin shared the latest updates on the Lesso Holdings development project in Westbury, Long Island.
The key takeaway of the event was that there are a lot of real estate development opportunities for investors in Long Island, but for the project to be successful, you need to have the right people on your team to navigate the rules and regulations surrounding real estate developments.
NEW YORK – The Asian American Bar Association of New York
(“AABANY”) congratulates Glenn Lau-Kee, Partner at Lau-Kee Law Group PLLC and
former AABANY President (1997-99), on receiving the American Bar Association
Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors solo and
small firm attorneys who are widely accepted by their peers as having
significant lifetime distinction, exceptional achievement, and distinction in
an exemplary way. Mr. Lau-Kee and his fellow awardees will be honored on
Friday, May 3, 2019 at the ABA Solo and Small Firms Award Luncheon at the
Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Mr. Lau-Kee began his legal career as an associate in the
Hong Kong and New York offices of Coudert Brothers LLP where he worked on bank
financing, leasing, and corporate acquisition transactions. In 1977, he became
a partner at Kee and Lau-Kee PLLC where he has developed a thriving real estate
and bank financing practice. He was also
a partner at Koo Larrabee Lau-Kee & Lane LLP for six years.
Aside from practicing real estate and business law, Mr.
Lau-Kee has spent much of his legal career tirelessly serving the Asian
American community of New York City. He helped found the Chinatown YMCA, as
well as the US-Asia Institute. For his long-standing service to the YMCA, he
received the Order of the Red Triangle, the highest honor bestowed by the
organization. Along with his father, Norman Kee, Mr. Lau-Kee received the Hon.
George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award in 2010, recognizing their outstanding record
of public service and commitment to providing exceptional legal services to the
Chinatown community in New York City. In 2017, Mr. Lau-Kee was honored as a
Community Hero by the Museum of Chinese in America.
Mr. Lau-Kee made history as the first Asian American
President of the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) for the 2014-15 term.
He continues his involvement with NYSBA as a member of the Business Law, Health
Law and Real Property Law sections. Mr. Lau-Kee has also been an active member
of New York County Lawyers Association (“NYCLA”) since 2000, serving on the
Board of Directors until 2004 and serving on various task forces and committees
until 2010. He also served on the Board of Directors for the NYCLA Foundation
and the New York Bar Foundation, which function as the charitable and
philanthropic arms of their respective organizations.
Mr. Lau-Kee has been an active leader in AABANY for over
twenty years. He served as President
from 1997-1999 and on the Board of Directors from 1994-2000. He has served on the Nominations Committee,
contributing to the promotion of future leaders for AABANY.
Mr. Lau-Kee is a graduate of Yale College and Boston
University School of Law.
The Asian American Bar Association of New York 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 a New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
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Additional information about AABANY is available at www.aabany.org
In commemoration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, celebrating the national theme, “Unite Our Mission by Engaging Each Other,” the New York/New Jersey Regional Network of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will host a listening session for Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving agencies and organizations on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at 26 Federal Plaza, 6th Floor GSA Conference Center, Rooms A and B, New York, NY 10278. Please join regional executives representing the federal agencies comprising the Regional Network as they provide you up-to-date information about their respective programs and services, and listen to your suggestions on how they may engage better with their communities, as well as any concerns or issues you may wish to raise. If you are interested in attending, please contact Everett Lo at everett.lo@ssa.gov by close of business Friday, May 2, 2019, providing the name(s) and email address(es) of your participant(s), to whom a building access letter will be issued by return email.
Participating federal agencies include:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Environmental Protection Agency
General Services Administration
National Labor Relations Board
Small Business Administration
Social Security Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
U.S. Department of Justice
Community Relations Service
U.S. Department of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Veterans Integrated Services Network
We look forward to speaking with you, and engaging in a thoughtful dialogue to ensure that our communities are aware of the programs and benefits available from our Regional Network. Thank you.
Thank you to Everett Lo for sharing this information. Please direct all inquires to him at everett.lo@ssa.gov.
