WE Blog @ AABANY

November 10, 2014December 4, 2018

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The 2014 NAPABA Convention took place from November 6 through 9 in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Westin Kierland Spa and Resort, and AABANY was there.

Many AABANY members and leaders spoke on or served as moderators or program chairs for various NAPABA and NAPALSA panels, including: Christopher W. Chan, Vincent T. Chang, Hon. Pamela K. Chen, Theodore K. Cheng, Hon. Denny Chin, Francis H. Chin, Kathy Hirata Chin, Sylvia Chin, Marianne Chow, Andrew T. Hahn, Michael Kam, Jane Kim, Michael S. Kim, Naf Kwun, Jean Lee, Lauren Lee, Parkin Lee, Marvin Liang, Karen Lim, Linda Lin, Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, Don H. Liu, Hugh H. Mo, Concepcion Montoya, Sapna Palla, Ivy Suriyopas, Vinoo Varghese, Helen Wan, Lawrence G. Wee, Jessica Wong, Michael Yap, Tsui Yee, Dwight Yoo and Rosemary Yu.

The NAPABA Best Under 40 Reception was held on Friday night, and AABANY member Ivy Suriyopas was among the recipients. Ivy is the Director of AADLEF’s Anti-Trafficking initiative, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved honor.

The AABANY Re-enactment Team, led by Hon. Denny Chin, Kathy Hirata Chin and Vincent Chang, performed “Justice Denied: Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio” to a capacity room on Saturday morning, Nov. 8.

Lawson Huyhn and Kristina Lee of St. John’s University School of Law argued their way through several rounds of the Thomas Tang Moot Court competition, finishing second in the nation, winning top brief. Congratulations to Lawson and Kristina! Thanks to Francis Chin and Sam Yee for all their support and assistance of the teams in the New York region who took part in the competition.

The Installation Banquet took place on Saturday night. Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and founder of Define American, was the keynote speaker. The newly-elected officers were installed at the dinner, and we congratulate them all and wish them the best of luck in leading NAPABA.

Congratulations to NAPABA for organizing yet another successful, productive and enjoyable Annual Convention. Hope to see everyone next year in New Orleans for the 27th Annual NAPABA Convention!

November 10, 2014

Congratulations to the Newly-Elected Officers of the NAPABA Board of Governors

AABANY congratulates the newly-elected officers of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2014-2015 board year. They were sworn into office at the Installation Banquet held on November 8, 2014, during the 26th Annual NAPABA Convention in Scottsdale, AZ.

The following individuals were elected by the NAPABA membership:

President Elect: Jin Y. Hwang
Vice President for Finance and Development: Alexander M. Lee
Vice President for Membership: Brad Yamauchi
Vice President for Programs and Operations: Lloyd Costales
Vice President for Communications: Cyndie M. Chang
Treasurer: Pankit J. Doshi
Secretary: Tacie H. Yoon

In addition to these newly-elected officers, George C. Chen will serve as President and William J. Simonitsch will serve as Immediate Past President. Joining the officers on the NAPABA Board of Governors will be ten regional governors and four at-large board members.

AABANY extends its best wishes to all of the candidates and the many members who participated in the elections.

November 10, 2014

Asian American / Asian Research Institute 13th Annual Gala

2014 AAARI Gala

Dear AAARI Friend,

10 days and counting until Asian American / Asian Research Institute’s 13th Annual Gala, on Thursday, November 20, 2014, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, at Jing Fong Restaurant, 20 Elizabeth Street, Manhattan. Come celebrate AAARI’s achievements over the past year and honor our awardees for their leadership, distinguished success, and commitment to the Asian American / Asian community. Meet faculty, staff and students within CUNY, and academic, business, civic and community leaders and organizations outside of CUNY.

Gala Ticket Prices

$150 (General) | $85 (AAARI Member/Senior) | $50 (Student)

Table of Ten Prices

$5,000 (Diamond) | $3,000 (Ruby) | $2,000 (Pearl) | $1,500 (Jade)

RSVP Deadline: November 17, 2014

For RSVP and more Information, please go to: http://www.aaari.info/2014banquet.htm

November 5, 2014

Call for Volunteer Attorneys: Church World Service’s Citizenship Event on November 15, 2014

Church World Service, a new member of the New Americans Campaign, a national network of legal service organizations providing FREE citizenship services to lawful permanent residents in major cities throughout the U.S., including New York, has reached out to AABANY to seek out volunteer attorneys. As part of this collaborative, Church World Service is hosting a mega citizenship workshop on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities Center, which is located at 107-20 Northern Blvd, Corona, NY 11368.

The goal is to assist 200 lawful permanent residents apply for citizenship during the workshop.

To learn answer this call for volunteers, please see this cover letter and volunteer form: http://bit.ly/cws1115. If you have any questions about this event, feel free to contact Lucy Baez at (212) 870-2497.

November 5, 2014

Press Release: AABANY Congratulates NAAAP-NY’s 2014 Most Influential APIA New Yorkers Glenn Lau-Kee and Sandra Leung

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2014

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(718) 228-7206

NEW YORK – November 5, 2014 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that AABANY Past President and current New York State Bar Association President Glenn Lau-Kee and AABANY Advisory Committee Member Sandra Leung have been announced as the National Association of Asian American Professionals – New York Chapter (NAAAP-NY) 2014 Most Influential Asian Pacific Islander American New Yorkers. Mr. Lau-Kee and Ms. Leung will be honored at NAAAP-NY’s Moon Festival Honoree Gala at the Harvard Club of New York City on November 7, 2014.

NAAAP-NY has selected Glenn Lau-Kee (Partner, Kee & Lau-Kee PLLC) as its Public Service Honoree. Mr. Lau-Kee assumed office in June 2014 as the 117^th President and first Asian American to lead the New York State Bar Association, an organization with over 75,000 members. NAAAP-NY has named Sandra Leung (General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Bristol-Meyers Squibb) as its the Corporate Legal Honoree. As legal advisor to the Board of Directors and company executives, Ms. Leung is responsible for shaping Bristol-Meyers Squibb’s legal strategy, as well as the company’s Environment, Health & Safety, Corporate Security, and Philanthropy groups.

“AABANY is delighted that NAAAP-NY has chosen to recognize Glenn Lau-Kee and Sandra Leung among New York’s most influential Asian Pacific Islander American New Yorkers,” says Executive Director Yang Chen. “Both Glenn and Sandra have made major impacts in the legal profession through their work and leadership, and have paved the way for generations of APIA lawyers and professionals. We congratulate Glenn and Sandra and all the honorees at this year’s Moon Festival Gala.” AABANY President Clara Ohr adds, “We strongly support NAAAP-NY’s decision to honor such Asian American trailblazers in the legal profession as Glenn Lau-Kee and Sandra Leung, and we appreciate its past recognition of our own Executive Director, Yang Chen, whom NAAAP-NY named its 2013 Community Excellence Awardee.”

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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November 3, 2014

Bollywood and Beyond: Visual Appeal in Costumes in Indian Films

Please join the Asian American / Asian Research Institute for a talk on, Bollywood and Beyond: Visual Appeal in Costumes in Indian Films, by Deepsikha Chatterjee, on Friday, November 7, 2014, from 6pm to 8pm, at 25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor, Room 1000, between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan. This talk is free and open to the general public.

Deepsikha Chatterjee will present on her 2010 project with Cheri Vasek (University of Hawai’i, Manoa), through a grant from the United States Institute of Theatre Technology, to travel to India and study the process of Indian film production with focus on the work of costume designers. With the most number of films produced per annum in India, partly because of many regional language production centers, Indian films appeal to the one billion plus Indian people, South Asian populations, the Indian diaspora across the world, as well as many global viewers. International distributors have now taken an interest in these films with many being screened in the diverse New York City area and across United States.

During this research, interviews were conducted with directors, actors, producers, assistant directors, costume designers, stylists, dress men, costume tailors, embroidery experts, dyers, shoe and armor makers, milliners and at film studios and rental houses at the various regional centers viz. Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata to understand the working of this complex industry. These visits and discussions were also documented in photos that have now been curated and displayed at an exhibit at the East West Gallery Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Deepsikha Chatterjee is a lecturer in the Theater department at Hunter College/CUNY. Originally from India, Prof. Chatterjee finished her undergraduate degree in Fashion Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology in Chennai and a BS in Psychology from University of Madras. After working in the global clothing manufacturing industry in India she moved to the US to pursue a MFA in costume design from Florida State University. Over the years she has worked at many professional theatres including Glimmerglass Opera, Utah Shakespearean Festival and Santa Fe Opera among others. In 2013, she received a PSC CUNY grant to study masks of Chau dance from eastern India. Parts of this research has been mounted as an exhibit at the East West Center at University of Hawaii.

To RSVP for this talk, please visit www.aaari.info/14-11-07Chatterjee.htm. Can’t make it? View or listen to the video and audio podcast the following week on our website.

For details on all of AAARI’s upcoming events and to view videos of past activities, please visit www.aarari.info.

October 31, 2014December 4, 2018

October 31, 2014

Call for Volunteers: NAPABA Convention 2014

Supporting Overseas Military Personnel at a

Service Project to Pack 300 Food Boxes for Military Men and Women Based Overseas

Goal:
300 boxes packed, Volunteers: 3 to 5 boxes each (suggested)

Raffle:
One raffle ticket per box packed (drawing at end of project period)

Date:
Sunday, November 9, 2014

Time:
9:00am to 11:00am

Place:
Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Rainmakers Ballroom (lower level, next to courtyard)
6902 E Greenway Pkwy, Scottsdale (480-624-1000)

Parking:
Self-park, no-fee (parking area in front of Resort)

Attire:
Comfortable casual

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Please R.S.V.P. to Barry Wong at barry@barrywong.com.

October 30, 2014

NAPABA NAMES HAMRE, SCHUMANN, MUELLER & LARSON AND PERKINS COIE AS ITS 2014 LAW FIRM DIVERSITY AWARD RECIPIENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2014

Contact: Azizah Ahmad
(202) 775-9555

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has named Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C. and Perkins Coie LLP as the 2014 Law Firm Diversity Award recipients. NAPABA created the Law Firm Diversity Award to recognize law firms that actively, affirmatively, consistently, and enthusiastically recruit, retain, and promote Asian Pacific American lawyers to equity partnership and firm leadership. The awards will be presented at the NAPABA Anniversary Gala and Installation Banquet on November 8, 2014, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C. (HSML) is a full service intellectual property law firm based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. HSML prides itself on its diverse staff, with 80 percent of its associates and one of its five principals being of Asian descent. HSML attorneys Alex Kim and Bryan Wong are both past-presidents of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Perkins Coie LLP has more than 950 lawyers in offices in the U.S. and Asia. Perkins Coie has been honored by several organizations for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, including the American Bar Association, Asian American Bar Association of New York, and Women in Law Empowerment Forum. Perkins Coie senior counsel Paul O. Hiorse is a NAPABA past-president and partner Audra Mori currently serves as the NAPABA Central California Regional Governor.

NAPABA is proud to name Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C. and Perkins Coie LLP as the 2014 Law Firm Diversity Award recipients and applauds their continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.

October 30, 2014December 4, 2018