ABA Presidential Appointments – NAPABA Endorsements Deadline Jan. 29
NAPABA needs your help and involvement to ensure that Asian Pacific Americans are represented in the ranks of the American Bar Association leadership. We encourage you to self-nominate for a Presidential Committee Appointment by the ABA deadline of Feb. 26, 2016.
In addition to your self-nomination, NAPABA will be recommending candidates for appointments to committees, commissions, and other ABA entities for the upcoming bar year. To be considered for a NAPABA endorsement, you must submit a request to NAPABA by 12 p.m. EST on Jan. 29, 2016.
We look forward to receiving your applications and value your participation in this process. For more information on submitting a NAPABA endorsement request, please click here.
Asian American Bar Association of New York Commends the Appointment of Donald Leo as New York City Criminal Court Judge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2016
Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(718) 228-7206
NEW YORK – January 14, 2016 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) commends New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s appointment of Donald Leo as New York City Criminal Court Judge. Judge Leo joined the bench after thirteen years of service as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County and seven years as Deputy Bureau Chief of the Sex Offender Management Bureau for the New York State Attorney General’s Office. His appointment was effective December 29, 2015.
A lifelong New Yorker and first generation son of Chinese immigrants, Judge Leo is fluent in Cantonese and witnessed firsthand the Chinatown community’s aversion to cooperating with law enforcement and their distrust of the legal system. He has spent many of his years as a public servant fostering public trust and bridging the two worlds of New York’s Chinatown and New York’s criminal justice system by bringing justice to those who often feel that there is none. Judge Leo is a graduate of New York University and received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He is also a founding member of AABANY’s Prosecutors Committee, started in 2008.
“AABANY is proud to see another one of its prominent members ascend to the bench,” says Yang Chen, Executive Director of AABANY. “Judge Leo is highly qualified to serve on the Criminal Court, and his own life experiences speak to the need for increased diversity on the bench. The more the bench reflects the diversity of the residents in our diverse communities across the city, the more they can develop a sense of trust that the courts are truly representative of them and are there to serve them. We thank Mayor de Blasio and his Advisory Committee on the Judiciary for making this appointment possible, and for continuing to promote diversity on the bench as an integral part of the administration of justice for all New Yorkers.”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to main@aabany.org.
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 the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
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2016 American Arbitration Association Higginbotham Fellows Program – Apply Now
2016 American Arbitration Association Higginbotham Fellows Program – Apply Now
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) created the AAA A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Fellows Program (“AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program”) in 2009 in order to provide training, mentorship and networking opportunities to up and coming diverse alternative dispute resolution professionals who have historically not been included in meaningful participation in the field of alternative dispute resolution. The AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program is a one-year program designed to offer the full breadth of the AAA resources for emerging diverse alternative dispute resolution professionals. For more information about the AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program, click here.
Click on the link in the title for further information.
EFiling – N.Y. State Courts
The Office of Court Administration is seeking comment from interested members of the legal profession and the public concerning proposals for new mandatory programs of electronic filing.
December 23, 2015: Kings County Supreme Court. All new Tort Actions and Proceedings, to be electronically filed, effective March 1, 2016.
Description of Proposal
Email to: efilingcomments@nycourts.gov by February 6, 2016
For further details, click on the link in the title.
AABANY co-sponsors: 2016 Diversity Trail Blazer Award Ceremony and Reception – Asian American Bar Association of New York
On January 25, the New York State Bar Association will hold their 2016 Celebrating Diversity Reception and Trailblazer Award Ceremony at the New York Hilton Midtown (1335 Avenue of the Americas) honoring Christopher S. Auguste. We are proud to co-sponsor this special event to explore opportunities for professional development and enrichment through the New York State Bar.
REGISTER NOW at www.nysba.org/2016DIV. Deadline to RSVP is January 20, 2016.
Click on the link in the title for more information about the event.
2016 Fred T. Korematsu Summer Fellowship
Established by a generous gift from Parkin Lee and
The Rockefeller Group, the NAPABA Law Foundation in partnership with the
Fred T. Korematsu Institute have launched the Fred T. Korematsu Summer
Fellowship program.
The Fred T. Korematsu Summer Fellowship provides a
$6000 scholarship for one law student to gain meaningful legal
experience at a public interest host organization. The Fellowship is
open to all rising 1L and 2L law students at any qualified
host organization in the United States. Deadline for organizations to apply is February 5, 2016.
The application will be available on the
NAPABA website shortly.
Find out more at http://bit.ly/2016korematsuflwshp
Judith S. Kaye, First Woman to Serve as New York’s Chief Judge, Dies at 77
Judith S. Kaye, First Woman to Serve as New York’s Chief Judge, Dies at 77
AABANY is greatly saddened by the news of Judge Kaye’s passing. She will be remembered not only as a trailblazing jurist but also for her efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession and the judiciary. AABANY extends its condolences to Judge Kaye’s family. We will all miss her compassion, intellect and leadership.
Empire Mock Trial Tournament – Judges Needed!
Earn 3 free CLE credits while educating top collegiate mock trial competitors!
The nonprofit Empire Mock Trial, in conjunction with NYU, is pleased to invite you to our tenth annual Downtown Invitational mock trial tournament on January 23-25 at the EDNY (225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn). The 2016 Downtown brings together eighteen of the top collegiate trial advocacy teams. This year’s field includes Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Duke, Princeton, and Yale.
You can help teach these exceptional college students about the law by volunteering just a few hours of your time. In exchange, we’ll provide you with 3 free non-transitional CLE credits in the category of skills. We particularly need volunteers for both rounds on Sunday, January 24 (Rounds 3 & 4).
Find out more on our website at The Downtown. Ready to register? Do so here.
General information:
- 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 co-judge with you at the tournament. We’ll pair you together!
- 18 top trial advocacy teams will compete including Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Duke, Princeton, and Yale
- We’ll serve complimentary food and beverages as a token of our appreciation
- Registering takes less than a minute – do so here
We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to call (917-426-3682) or e-mail us (judge@empiremocktrial.org)