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 117th 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.”

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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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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.  

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

NAPABA 2014 Convention with Packages from Home (Phoenix-based, 501©(3)-DoD approved, non-profit)

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

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.

Judges Needed for the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition, NAPABA Convention 2014

JUDGES NEEDED
We need members of the bench and bar to serve as oral argument judges for the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds of the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition*, on Friday November 7th during the NAPABA Convention.  The preliminary rounds are from 9:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. and the quarterfinal round is from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  at the convention hotel, Westin Kierland Resort.  You can judge one or both rounds.  
 
If you can serve as a judge,  please sign up online (http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/tzsao) or contact, Hemanth Digumarthi, Hemanth.digumarthi.uyfc@statefarm.com.
 
Time                    (1) Two Preliminary Rounds, Friday, November 7, 2014.   The preliminary rounds are from9:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. and the quarterfinal round is from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Material Provided:       Volunteer judges will be provided a bench brief that includes legal analysis of the issues and suggested questions to ask the student competitors.
Sign-Up Link:      If you can serve as a judge, sign up online (http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/tzsao)
Legal Issues:
This year’s problem poses the following questions:
I.            Whether appropriate evidentiary standards were applied in finding Petitioner ineligible for cancellation of removal under the Immigration and National Act.
          A.    Whether evidence beyond the record of conviction may be considered in determining removability under 8 U.S.C. §1227(a)(2)(A)(ii) for crimes involving moral turpitude.
        B.     Whether an inconclusive record of conviction is sufficient to meet a noncitizen’s burden of proving eligibility for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. §1229b(b)(1).
II. Whether a conviction for using a false social security number with intent to deceive, but for otherwise lawful purposes, constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
  • Whether the holding of Jordan v. De George, 341 U.S. 223 (1951), declining to find the phrase “crimes involving moral turpitude” void for vagueness when applied to fraud, extends to conduct involving intent to deceive.
        B.    Whether a violation of 42 U.S.C. §408(a)(7)(B) for use of another person’s social security number constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude under 8 U.S.C. §1227(a)(2)(A)(ii).
 
Point of Contact:
Hemanth Digumarthi
Phone: 404-788-6398 (cell)
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*The Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition is an appellate advocacy competition sponsored annually by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation (NAPABA Law Foundation), an IRC § 501©(3) non-profit, charitable and educational affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). The NAPABA Law Foundation works closely with the National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (NAPALSA) and its local affiliates at law schools across the country. The purpose of this Competition is to develop advocacy skills without regard to the merit of the petitioner’s or respondent’s cases. 
 
The Competition was founded in 1993 and is named in honor of the late Honorable Thomas Tang, a respected jurist who was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1977. Judge Tang’s decisions during his more than eighteen years on the Ninth Circuit reflected his strong commitment to civil rights for all people. Judge Tang was known for his kindness and warmth, and the leadership role he played in the Asian Pacific American legal community. Prior to his passing in 1995, Judge Tang provided tremendous support to NAPABA and its activities, including the creation of this national moot court competition. 

AAFE Honors Jenny R. Yang, Chair of U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for 40th Anniversary Gala

Celebrating 40 years of fighting for equality, AAFE is thrilled to be honoring Jenny R. Yang as a Champion of Equality for her lifelong commitment to advancing fairness and equality in the workplace. 
Our 40th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the progress we have made as a community. In this spirit, AAFE is recognizing 40 leaders and unsung heroes who have worked tirelessly to help achieve our shared dream of equality. Join us on November 18th to toast 40 Agents of Change for their dedication, compassion, and lasting impact on our history. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we share their stories. Learn more or RSVP for the event today!