Press Release: AABANY Celebrates the Appointment of the Hon. Justice Randall T. Eng

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the AABANY Judiciary Committee celebrate the historic appointment of the Honorable Justice Randall T. Eng as Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department with a celebratory community dinner.

Justice Eng will be the guest of honor at a celebratory dinner to be held Thursday, January 31, 2013.  The dinner will bring together Asian American organizations from all over New York, including Chinatown-based civic groups, Asian Americans in law enforcement, lawyers, judges, law students, and friends.  The dinner will be held at 6:30P.M. at Delight 28 Restaurant, 28 Pell Street New York, New York 10013.

Justice Eng is the first Asian American to serve as a Presiding Justice in New York State’s history.  With this appointment, Justice Eng adds to his long list of notable ‘firsts,’ such as being the first Asian Pacific American Assistant District Attorney in the State of New York, for which the AABANY Prosecutors’ Committee honored him at its third anniversary reception in 2011.

“Justice Eng has demonstrated strong leadership and exceptional jurisprudential skill at every level in our court system and will do so as Presiding Justice.  Moreover, as an Asian American trailblazer, Justice Eng is an inspiration to the Asian American bar and the Asian American community at large,” said Vincent Chang, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee.

To read the full text of the press release go to: http://aabany.org/associations/6701/files/PR%20-%20AABANY%20-%20Randall%20Eng%20dinner_final.pdf

NAPABA IHC Mentoring Program

The NAPABA In-House Counsel Committee’s mentoring program is accepting applications for in-house counsel (including attorneys working for the public sector, academic institutions, and non-profits) to participate as a mentee and/or mentor. The program seeks to foster relationships between NAPABA members who are experienced in-house counsel and NAPABA members who are either (i) new to the in-house position and in need of guidance, including advice on professional development, career goals and transitioning into the in-house position, or (ii) experienced in-house practitioners in need of guidance on how to move forward or position themselves to take advantage of future opportunities. Applications are due to Lusanna Ro at [email protected] and David Kahng at [email protected] by February 15, 2013.

Please encourage your IHC members to participate. More information about the program can be found here: http://napaba.org/napaba/showpage.asp?code=In-HouseCounsel.

Update on the Penn APALSA Conference

Penn APALSA has made updates to its website for its February 2 Conference.
The website is fully updated to reflect the schedule of 3 panel sessions, a lunch keynote with Don Liu (General Secretary of Xerox), and a dinner keynote with David Lat and four federal judges. The backgrounds of some of the speakers include: HBS, DHS, FTC, UVA Law, South Korea Ambassador, Asian Pacific American Justice Center, Forbes.com Columnist, NASA, and more. 
Registration includes access to all panels and speakers, three full meals, entry to our Cocktail reception (with hors d’oeuvres and open bar) and the afterparty. Group rates are available! More information on the speakers and registration can be found here: http://www.pennapalsa.org/conference/
Please contact Christina Wong at [email protected] if you have any questions.

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY WRITING COMPETITION

ACS and the University of Pennsylvania Law School ACS Chapter are pleased to announce the 2013 Constance Baker Motley National Student Writing Competition, an annual national student writing competition in honor of Constance Baker Motley, a civil rights attorney and the first African-American woman appointed to the federal bench. This competition seeks to encourage student scholarship that advances Judge Motley’s legacy by enhancing society’s understanding of progressive legal theories. The winner will be awarded $3,000 and an offer of publication in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. The two runners-up will receive $1,000 each. The submission deadline is Friday, February 22, 2013. Email questions to [email protected].

NAPABA SUPPORT FOR ABA APPOINTMENTS – FEB. 11 DEADLINE

We need your help and involvement to ensure that Asian Pacific Americans are well represented in the ABA’s leadership ranks. Please consider applying for an appointment or encouraging another NAPABA member to do so.

NAPABA will be recommending candidates for appointments to committees, commissions, and other ABA entities for the upcoming bar year. To be considered for an endorsement, you must submit a request to NAPABA by February 11, 2013, noon EST.

Important steps:

  1. To apply for an ABA appointment, you must be a member of the ABA. If you are not already a member, click here for membership information.
  2. You must apply for an appointment online at http://www.abanet.org/appointments by February 25.
  3. You should seek the support of your friends and colleagues who are already in the ABA leadership ranks or who are leaders in your local/state bar associations.
  4. To secure NAPABA’s support for an appointment, send an email to Pia Rivera at [email protected] by February 11 with the subject line “ABA Appointments.” You should provide a short bio, identify the particular entities you are interested in serving on, and explain your interest and any relevant experience.

This ABA link in #2 above includes information that may answer any questions you may have. If you have other questions, please email Pia Rivera for assistance.

Press Release: Former AABANY President Glenn Lau-Kee Named President-Elect of the NYSBA

NEW YORK – January 28, 2013 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) welcomes and applauds the news that Glenn Lau-Kee has been named as President-Elect of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Mr. Lau-Kee was elected at the 135th Annual Meeting by the House of Delegates, the Association’s decision and policy-making body. He will begin his one-year term as President-Elect on June 1, 2013. Mr. Lau-Kee will be the first Asian American to serve as a President-Elect of NYSBA. “On behalf of AABANY and its Board of Directors and Officers, we congratulate Glenn on this historic achievement and wish him success as he becomes the President-Elect of the New York State Bar Association, a revered organization and leader among all bar associations in the nation,” said Jean Lee, President of AABANY.

AABANY and NYSBA participate in a number of joint programs through the year, including an annual Diversity Reception at NYSBA’s annual meeting in New York every January. “Glenn is among the most respected leaders at NYSBA and in the entire legal community in New York. AABANY is proud of Glenn’s historic ascension to the presidency-elect of NYSBA, an elevation which inspires the entire Asian legal community. We are certain that Glenn’s new role at NYSBA will boost Asian American participation in NYSBA and lead to new joint initiatives between NYSBA and AABANY,” said Vincent Chang, former AABANY President and a current member of NYSBA’s Nominating Committee.

To read the full text of the press release go to: www.aabany.org/associations/6701/files/PR%20012813%20-%20Glenn%20Lau%20Kee%20-%20NYSBA_Final.pdf

CORRECTION – Sandy Resources and FEMA Application Deadline: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27th, 2013

**CORRECTION**

As of today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that FEMA has also given New York a 30-day extension for applying for individual assistance. In addition, FEMA has extended access to its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, by 14 days. That will allow New Yorkers to stay in hotels through February 9 (check-out is Sunday, February 10th) if their homes were damaged by the storm.

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR FEMA BENEFITS HAS BEEN EXTENDED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27th, 2013
Click HERE to apply for FEMA disaster assistance.

Dear Friends,

As our community is still struggling because of immigration status restrictions on disaster relief benefits, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) continues to call on the Mayor and Governor to make more relief assistance available to all New Yorkers.  Our colleagues at the New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) are working hard through their Unmet Needs Roundtable to make funds available to support immigrants who do not qualify because of these restrictions. In addition, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) has taken some steps to assist organizations working with immigrants.  But more needs to be done.  We will keep you posted on future developments.

Despite the limitations on existing benefits for Sandy victims, this link will give you a list of resources that are currently available.

If you have any questions, requests, or concerns please reach out to Manny Castro at [email protected] or (212) 627-2227 x 246.

//picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

On January 24, 2013, AABANY held its Annual Meeting. It was hosted by Cravath, Swaine & Moore, in their New York office, and the firm generously provided space, food and drinks for all our attendees.  At the meeting, many AABANY members and friends got to meet and mingle before the business portion of the Annual Meeting began. President Jean Lee led the meeting and invited members to cast their votes for officers and directors if they had not already done so. While the votes were being counted, she gave an overview of AABANY’s active and productive year in 2012. Executive Director Yang Chen reported on the activities of AABANY’s numerous committees, after which he announced the Outstanding Committee of the Year award. This year’s top committee was the Women’s Committee for the excellent variety of substantive programs and networking events that greatly enhanced AABANY and its mission. President-elect Mike Huang gave closing remarks and would have announced the results of the election had they been ready at that time, but they were not, so the audience was invited to continue enjoying food, drink and each other’s company. At about 8:45 pm, the results were ready, and Mike proudly announced that the following Officers had been elected:

  • Clara Ohr, President-elect
  • James Yu, Vice President of Programs and Operations
  • William Wang, Vice President of Finance and Development
  • Jane Chuang, Treasurer
  • Karen Kim, Recording Secretary
  • Judy Kim, Membership Secretary

The following Directors were elected:

  • James Lin
  • James Chou
  • Francis Chin
  • Linda Lin
  • Teena-Ann V. Sankoorikal

AABANY’s Year-End Report for 2012 was distributed at the meeting along with the current issue of AABANY’s newsletter, The AABANY Advocate. To review a copy of the Year-End Report online go to http://bit.ly/ann_rpt13.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Annual Meeting, and thanks to everyone who submitted proxies to help us obtain quorum. We hope to see you at our upcoming events in 2013, in particular our 24th Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street coming up on February 27.

(Source: http://bit.ly/)

Webinar: The Challenge of International Judgment Enforcement

Webinar: The Challenge of International Judgment Enforcement

AALDEF 2013 Summer Legal Internships

ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND
2013 SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Founded in 1974, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

Internships for the summer of 2013 are available in the following program areas:

Anti-Trafficking Initiative – legal research and writing on the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of exploited and abused workers.
Community Health Care Initiative – legal research, community education and outreach in the areas of immigration, government benefits, language rights, and health care access;
Economic Justice for Workers – legal research, advocacy and direct representation on behalf of Asian immigrant workers experiencing wage-and-hour, retaliation, and workplace safety violations in the restaurant, nail salon, domestic work, and other low-wage industries.   
Educational Equity – legal services, policy work, community education, research and litigation concerning educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action, student free-speech and police surveillance, and anti-Asian harassment;
Housing Justice Project – community outreach/education, community planning, research, and litigation on housing and land use issues affecting low-income Asian immigrant communities;
Immigrant Access to Justice – litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach with communities impacted by post 9/11 immigration and law enforcement policies.  An additional emphasis on Asian immigrant communities’ access to representation and education about immigration policies and practices that may impact them, including unconstitutional DHS stops, new deferred action policies for youth, and Secure Communities.
Voting Rights – legal research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and the redrawing of local, state, and federal district lines; produce reports and organize public forums; assist in organizing legal trainings.

Description of Summer Internship Program:
The summer program is ten weeks, from approximately June 3 through August 9.  Interns work full-time and are supervised by attorneys in specific program areas.  Depending on the program area, interns will work on litigation, legal and policy advocacy, community outreach and education, or client intakes; each program area differs in emphasis.  Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups.  The position is unpaid.  However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding.  Academic credit can be arranged.

To Apply:
·   AALDEF has extended its legal internship application deadline to Friday, February 1, 2013.  Interested applicants should e-mail or mail a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to AALDEF on or before that date at the address below.  Please indicate in your cover letter the top three preferred program areas.  Only law students qualify for AALDEF’s legal internships.  Applications may be faxed or emailed.
·   Any bilingual ability should be stated in the application.  Bilingual ability is helpful, but not required.  Gujarati, Hindi, Khmer, Korean, Indonesian, and Urdu-speaking applicants are especially urged to apply.
·   Applications will be reviewed upon receipt through the February 1, 2013 deadline.  Interviews will take place on a rolling basis.  Only applicants who have been granted interviews will be notified of their advancement in the application process. 

Summer Internship Search (Legal)
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013-2815
Fax: 212-966-4303  Email: [email protected]

For more information, contact:
Shirley Lin at 212-966-5932 x220 or [email protected]
Thomas Mariadason at 212-966-5932 x223 or [email protected]

* * *Please do NOT email applications to [email protected] or [email protected] * * *

# # #

UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups.  The summer program is ten (10) weeks, beginning approximately June 3rd through August 9th.  The position is unpaid.  However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding and work-study funds may also be available.  Academic credit can be arranged.

Community Health Care Initiative:  community education and outreach in the areas of immigration, government benefits, language rights, and health care access.
Educational Equity Intern: Responsibilities include community outreach and presentations with Asian American youth groups, public education policy research, assistance with client intakes and general support for projects on educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action, student free-speech and police surveillance, and anti-Asian harassment.

Housing & Environmental Justice Project: Responsibilities include community outreach and research on land use, community planning, and anti-displacement issues.
Office Assistant: Responsibilities include data entry, organizing press clippings, answering phones, doing mailings, assisting with fundraising and other events, and performing general clerical duties.  Other responsibilities include providing support for community education and outreach projects and acting as an interpreter/translator.  Computer experience with databases, graphics and web programs is helpful.  
Voting Rights Intern: research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and the redrawing of local, state and federal district lines; produce reports and organize public forums; assist in organizing legal trainings; help prepare for election monitoring of the 2013 Mayoral Elections; conduct voter registration drives.

Requirements: Candidates must be detail-oriented and possess strong writing skills. Spoken and written knowledge of Korean, Bangla, Chinese, or another Asian language is a plus. Qualified applicants should indicate which internship they are applying for and send a resume and cover letter by Monday, February 11, 2013 to:

Summer Undergraduate Intern Search
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013
fax: 212.966.4303 or email: [email protected]  

For more information, contact Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932, ext. 212 or [email protected]