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NAPABA Takes Action Following The Presidential Election

In the aftermath of this particularly divisive presidential election there has been profound concern, anxiety, and even fear about the future of our country based on a range of issues regarding hate crimes, xenophobic rhetoric, immigration, and other civil rights issues. In accordance with NAPABA’s non-partisan mission to assist the diverse Asian Pacific American legal community, NAPABA continues to work with members interested in political appointments, while speaking out on behalf of vulnerable populations, working with our partners on our policy priorities, and developing tools for our members and affiliates to take action. Steps taken include:

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East Village Grand Sichuan decision

East Village Grand Sichuan decision

Joane Wong, Co-Chair of the AABANY Labor & Employment Law Committee, recently received a positive decision in a case that she tried on behalf of the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in January 2016. The NLRB affirmed the rulings of the Administrative Law Judge against East Village Grand Sichuan Inc. d/b/a Grand Sichuan Restaurant. The case involved allegations by one of the employees of the restaurant being discharged for engaging in protected activity, i.e., filing a suit against her employer for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law.

Congratulations to Joane for success in her trial and having the results affirmed by the NLRB.

To read the full decision, follow the link in the title. To learn more about the Labor & Employment Law Committee, click here.

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Federation Of Defense And Corporate Counsel | Barb Currie Diversity Scholarship

We are committed to the full participation and inclusion of diverse professionals in our organization and the legal profession as part of our core values of diversity and inclusion. To that end, we seek diverse members, whether persons of color, women, LGBTQ, or persons with physical limitations and whether they represent economic, geographic, social, ethnic, racial or religious diversity. With these core values in mind, we created the FDCC Foundation Barb Currie Diversity Scholarship to honor the spouse of one of our long time members, Edward J. Currie, Jr., a champion of diversity in the profession.

CRITERIA

The FDCC Foundation Barb Currie Diversity Scholarship will be open to application by all diverse law school students and prospective students. The selected recipients will receive a $5,000 academic scholarship to the law school of their choice and have an opportunity to intern for an FDCC law firm or company in the geographic areas where they wish to practice between their
second and third year of law school. The internship is a paid position. The applications will go through a two‐step review process. The first review will be conducted by a subcommittee composed of FDCC members appointed by the President of the FDCC Foundation. The second and final review process will be composed by five members: the President of the FDCC Foundation, a Member of the Foundation Board, a Member of the Diversity Committee, a Member of the Admissions Committee, and a Member of the Membership Development &
Retention Committee.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

To apply, please submit the following materials no later than Dec. 30, 2016:

  • Personal statement describing how you will contribute to FDCC’s core values of diversity and inclusion, describing your needs and any unique qualifications and providing information on any other matters you believe would assist the Review Committee in evaluating your application (1000‐word limit)
  • Writing sample (7 page limit)
  • Three references including names and contact information of individuals who can attest to your professional and academic abilities

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications may be submitted beginning Oct. 15, 2016. All parts of the application must be submitted at the same time to dpolscer@gordon‐polscer.com. Applications must be received by Dec. 30, 2016. The selection committee will notify applicants selected for an interview by Feb. 15, 2017. Please address any questions about the Barb Currie Diversity Scholarship program to Diane Polscer (dpolscer@gordon‐polscer.com).

For more information, please visit 

http://www.thefederation.org/process.cfm?PageID=2362.

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Perkins Coie LLP 1L Diversity Fellowship

Perkins Coie LLP is pleased to offer a 1L Diversity Fellowship for the 2017 summer program. Since 1991 the Firm has awarded fellowships to first year law students from a diversity of backgrounds. The fellowships provide students with a $15,000 academic scholarship and a paid summer associate position immediately following the completion of their first year of law school.  The application period runs from December 1, 2016 through January 16, 2017.  

For more information (and to apply) please visit our website: https://www.perkinscoie.com/en/about-us/careers/summer-program/1l-opportunities.html

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Full-Time & Summer Opportunities Through NLF

NLF Partners and In-House Counsel Community Law Fellowship/NLF Community Law Fellowship (For more information and to apply, click HERE)

  • 2-Year Full-Time Fellowship
  • 3Ls, Judicial Clerks, Recent Law Grads
  • Deadline | Dec. 31, 2016

Established in 2004 through a generous gift from Paul W. Lee of Goodwin Procter LLP, the NAPABA Law Foundation Partners and In-House Counsel Community Law Fellowship works to address the need for attorneys working on behalf of the Asian Pacific American populations. Recognizing that many obstacles prevent committed attorneys from practicing public interest law, including the shortage of entry-level jobs, the Fellowship provides an opportunity for a new attorney to gain substantive experience at a nonprofit national or community-based organization during the two-year Fellowship period. Fellows are funded at $100,000 for the two-year Fellowship.

NAPABA Law Foundation Underserved Communities Fellowship (For more information and to apply, click HERE)

  • Summer/Flexible
  • 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls
  • Deadline | Feb. 15, 2017

Through a generous gift from Les R. Jin, NLF has established a $6,000 fellowship for one law student or recent law school graduate to gain meaningful legal experience at a public interest host organization on a project designed to advance opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans who are part of one or more under-served Asian Pacific American communities. The Fellowship is open to all currently enrolled U.S. law students in good standing to work at any qualified not-for-profit host organization in the U.S. If the Fellowship recipient is someone who is currently a first or second year law student, s/he shall perform the fellowship during the following summer. If the awardee is a third-year student, s/he shall finish the fellowship within seven months of his/her graduation.

Fred T. Korematsu Summer Fellowship (For more information and to apply, click HERE)

  • Summer
  • 1Ls, 2Ls
  • Deadline | Feb. 15, 2017

In partnership with the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, NLF will be accepting applications for the Fred T. Korematsu Summer Fellowship Program. The program will provide $6,000 for a meaningful summer internship at a public interest organization. The intern will work to further Fred T. Korematsu’s legacy as a civil rights pioneer. Initial funding was provided by Parkin Lee and The Rockefeller Group.

McGuireWoods/NLF Internship Program for Law Students (For more information and to apply, click HERE)
McGuireWoods/NLF Internship Program for Undergraduates (For more information and to apply, click HERE)

  • Summer
  • 1Ls, 2Ls, Undergraduates
  • Deadline | March 15, 2017

The McGuireWoods/NLF Internship Program supports students interested in the legal profession and will help students develop a commitment to advocacy on behalf of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. The Program seeks to achieve these goals by providing undergraduate and law school students with meaningful internship experiences at the Washington, DC offices of NAPABA and NLF.

Applications Coming Soon

  • Summer NLF Public Interest Internship Scholarship
  • Bryan Cave/NAPABA Law Foundation Community Service Scholarship for Summer Law Interns
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Earn 3 CLE Credits For FREE While Taking Part In A Great Cause!

The nonprofit Empire Mock Trial is pleased to invite you to serve as a judge or juror at the Downtown Collegiate Program on January 21 or 22 at the SDNY. We’re looking for attorneys to volunteer as judges or jurors for one trial (approximately 3 hours). In exchange for their time, attorneys receive up to 3 non-transition CLE credits in the category of skills. Hosted in conjunction with NYU, the Downtown brings together some of the nation’s top trial advocacy programs, including Harvard, Yale and Columbia, among others.

Register here.

You can help teach talented, motivated college students about the law by volunteering just a few hours of your time. In exchange, we’ll provide you with free CLE credits.

I’ve included general information about the program below, and you can register to judge here.

  • Features four preliminary rounds of competition, and you can judge as many or as few as you like—no litigation experience is required.
  • Please feel free to invite a friend or colleague to judge with you at the program. We can pair you together!
  • We’ll serve complimentary food and beverages as a token of our appreciation.
  • Registering takes less than a minute – you can do so HERE.

Have questions?

Call us at (917-426-3682) or email at admin@empiremocktrial.org.

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Hon. Peter Tom Speech at NYCLA Dinner on Dec. 13, 2016

Hon. Peter Tom Speech at NYCLA Dinner on Dec. 13, 2016

The Appellate Division, First Department was honored as an institution by the New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) on December 13, 2016 at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria.  The First Department was recognized for its illustrious history and for its court work including the development of precedential legal principles for lower courts to follow, especially in the field of commercial litigation.

The gala was attended by over 100 judges and over 800 attorneys and guests.

Acting Presiding Justice Peter Tom accepted the award on behalf of the First Department. In his remarks, he observed:

In so many respects, we reflect this great city that is our home. We live amidst its blessings and
its problems, and above all, among its people. Our staff and our bench reflect the cultural
diversity of the City. In my earlier years on the First Department bench, I have been joined by
judges having the more traditional Irish, Italian and Jewish backgrounds – and Leo Milonas
proudly represented the Hellenic tradition – but increasingly, up to present, by judges and staff
who have African-American and Hispanic backgrounds and, as is obvious as I stand here now,
also Asians. I think that it is especially remarkable at this point in our city’s history that my
good friend Justice Randy Eng is the Presiding Justice of our sister-court in Brooklyn while I am
Acting Presiding Justice of the First Department. This is the first time in the history of New
York State that two Asians preside over two of the four judicial departments. After a century in
existence, this court is beginning to reflect the diverse population of the city.

AABANY congratulates the First Department on this honor from NYCLA and shares in Justice Tom’s observation that the court, after 100 years, is “beginning to reflect the diverse population of the city.” We hope that it continues to do so.

For the full text of Acting Presiding Justice Tom’s acceptance speech, follow the link in the title. To read more about the event in the New York Law Journal, click here (subscription required).

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Photo of Justice Eng (l.) and Justice Tom (r.) at the NYCLA Annual Dinner courtesy of Justice Tom.

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POV: Call for Projects to Combat Hateful Rhetoric Locally

From POV:

As POV’s Community Engagement and Education team, we know that so many of our partners are experts at engaging their communities around issues of local and national importance. With that in mind, we wanted to share this exciting new initiative with you. Open Society Foundations has announced a new rapid-response initiative to support community organizations combatting hateful rhetoric. Since November 8, the Southern Poverty Law Center has received over 700 reports of “hateful harassment and intimidation.” The Open Society Foundations initiative is an effort to move swiftly to address this urgent problem, providing support designed to encourage and empower communities to resist the spread of hate and strengthen services and protections for their most vulnerable neighbors.

Projects must be:

  • Responsive to a specific incident, threat or risk and benefit frequently persecuted populations;
  • Timely, urgent, and concrete—the event or situation you are responding to requires immediate action that is well thought out with a clear set of goals and outcomes that can be achieved within six months.

Applicants’ organizational strengths must include the following:

  • Positioning in their community as a trusted resource, led by the communities they serve and responsive and accountable to those communities;
  • Commitment to serving persecuted populations and the values of inclusion, diversity, fairness, and equal protection;
  • Longstanding track record of serving persecuted populations, protecting civil rights, and/or fighting against racism and discrimination.

The Open Society Foundations initiative aims to serve direct resources quickly to organizations that are well positioned to provide support, services, technical assistance, and outreach to individuals and organizations dealing with acts of hate.

We encourage our partners to apply to this unique opportunity and stay in touch with the Community Engagement and Education team as your work progresses.

Learn More HERE.

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