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On Saturday, July 28, 2012, over 60 attorneys, law students, family and friends joined AABANY for its 5th Annual Picnic in Central Park.  This year, the picnic was held at the Great Hill, one of the highest points in the Central Park, located near 105th Street and Central Park West.  The Great Hill was a wonderful location for the picnic as AABANY members, family and friends were able to mingle and comfortably enjoy delicious sandwiches, snacks and drinks in a peaceful setting. 

AABANY’s Annual Picnic has become a fan-favorite event and provides an opportunity for members to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.  Experienced attorneys could be heard trading recent “war stories” while law student graduates were heard sharing their post-bar exam stories following this past week’s exams.  As expected, rain cut the picnic short but AABANY quickly moved its event indoors to the nearby Village Pourhouse.  Thanks to AABANY’s social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, many attendees immediately learned that AABANY was moving to its alternative location.  At the Village Pourhouse, members enjoyed hot appetizers and cold drinks in a private section of the bar and continued socializing until the early evening. 

Some recognizable AABANY members who attended the picnic and happy hour were former Presidents Andy Hahn and Linda Lin, current President Jean Lee, Executive Director Yang Chen as well as several AABANY directors and committee chairs.  The annual picnic was co-sponsored by the Litigation, Student Outreach, and Young Lawyers Committees, and the committee co-chairs would like to thank the members of their planning committee (Thomas Hou, Amy Luo, Amy Ngai, Anthony Nguyen, Jennifer Nguyen, and Rebecca Ulich) for their help in organizing a wonderful summer event.

Milbank Diversity Scholars Program

Our friends from the Inter-APALSA Council passed along this announcement:

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is pleased to accept applications to its Diversity Scholars Program. Milbank is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where the individual differences among us are (i) understood, respected and appreciated, (ii) recognized as sources of strength for the Firm, and (iii) valued as qualities that enrich the environment in which we work.

Each year Milbank selects law students who will receive a salaried 2L summer associate position and a $50,000 scholarship. Factors considered in the selection of Milbank Diversity Scholars include academic achievement, demonstrated leadership ability, excellent writing and interpersonal skills, and a sincere interest in our practice. Students who are members of groups traditionally under-represented in large law firms are encouraged to apply. To be named a Milbank Diversity Scholar, candidates must be in good standing at an ABA accredited law school and have successfully completed their first year of a full-time JD program. Interested candidates must submit an application form, essay, official law school transcript and resume by August 15th. Application forms and more information on the program can be found here.

Milbank’s summer program is extremely comprehensive and provides summer associates the opportunity to rotate through several of the Firm’s practice areas. Our Recruiting Committee and practice groups ensure that each summer associate receives a broad and challenging experience. A variety of professional trainings and opportunities to connect socially round out the experience.

What sets the Milbank experience apart?

  • Our diversified global practice
  • Our robust Diversity and Women’s Initiative programs and active affinity groups
  • Our award-winning pro bono program
  • Our innovative professional development offerings

We recently launched Milbank@Harvard, a multi-year program on Harvard’s campus that helps our associates develop cutting-edge skills and expertise that clients value in their legal advisors.

For more information on Milbank, please visit www.milbank.com . If you have questions regarding the scholarship, please contact Salila Yohn, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion, at [email protected].

Judicial Nomination Application Extended to Aug 15

The Commission on Judicial Nomination is currently soliciting candidates for the upcoming vacancy on the Court of Appeals that will occur as of January 1, 2013, upon the retirement of Senior Associate Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick.  To obtain an application, please follow this link, where you can download a PDF after entering your name and email address.  Applications are due to the Commission no later than August 15, 2012. 

In order to qualify for nomination, a candidate need only be a resident of New York State and admitted to practice law in New York for at least 10 years. There are no other eligibility requirements. For example, a candidate need not have prior service as a judge and is not required to be a practicing lawyer.

Additional information may be obtained at the Commission’s website at http://www.nysegov.com/cjn/
 
Please note that the deadline for submission of initial applications has been extended to Wednesday, August 15, 2012.

AABANY STATEMENT REGARDING MEDIA COVERAGE OF RECENT STOP & FRISK DECISIONS

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) joins the New York County Lawyer’s Association in their support of New York’s judiciary, judicial independence, and against the improper personal attacks leveled by the New York Post and the Daily News against judges for their decisions in recent stop and frisk cases.

In recent weeks, judges who have ruled on stop and frisk cases have been derided, vilified, and subjected to improper personal accusations. In the face of the judiciary’s attempt to meet its constitutional responsibilities, the New York Post and Daily News have described the decisions as “judicially mandated lawlessness,” accused the judges of bias against the NYPD, called certain judges “insane,” and engaged in fear-mongering tactics such as asserting a descent into “anarchy.” In particular, Justices Peter Tom, Nelson Roman, and Karla Moskowitz, as a result of their Appellate Division decision in the Matter of Darryl C., have been the subject of repeated, unfair, and jarring personal attacks. One Daily News, July 4, 2012 editorial headline went as far as calling the decisions a “death sentence for N.Y.” Furthermore, a July 16, 2012 Daily News editorial suggests that a dissenting opinion, written by Justice Peter Tom, in a stop and frisk judicial decision, urged individuals to “punch a cop, win case.” This is simply a misrepresentation of the opinion cited by the editorial and omits many important facets to the logic and reasoning behind the dissenting opinion. While the issue is hotly contested and reasonable minds will differ with the judicial decisions rendered in the area, these inflammatory attacks are unfair, baseless, and threaten judicial independence.

An independent, well-functioning judicial system, accessible to all, is a bedrock principle of our democracy. Personal attacks against judges, distortions of the facts and context of judicial decisions, and sensationalistic journalism designed to inflame the public threaten judicial independence and the credibility of our democracy. Judges make difficult decisions everyday and while public criticism of the judiciary is an integral part of our democratic society, attacks of this nature threaten the integrity of the
judicial system and our government as a whole.


The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) 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). To learn more about AABANY, visit www.aabany.org.

© 2012 Asian American Bar Association of New York. All rights reserved.

Apply for Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service (FELPS)

Applications for the FELPS Class of 2013 Are Now Being Accepted!

The Research Center for Leadership in Action at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is now accepting applications for the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service

The fellowship offers a chance for a diverse group of leaders early in their public service careers to:

  • Deepen their understanding of the public service landscape through discussions with senior leaders in the field and Career and Alumni Guides who serve as mentors over the course of the program;
  • Gain a clear assessment of their leadership strengths and style and develop their leadership knowledge and skills;
  • Think strategically about and plan for their careers based on personal assessments and their unique goals; and
  • Build a support network of other talented, dynamic leaders in public service.

The program begins in November 2012 and runs through May 2013.  Fellowship sessions twice each month offer structured leadership and professional development opportunities to help Fellows define their path in public service. Program elements include:

Speaker Series. Fellows hear from senior executives across the spectrum of public service organizations. Speakers offer insights into their own career trajectories and guidance on practical strategies for succeeding in public service.

Personal Exploration. Fellows engage in workshops that help them explore their strengths, interests and goals, and they develop a personalized career plan. 

Fellows Network. One of the most valuable resources and sources of support for fellows as they move through their public service careers is the other extraordinary fellows. From the very beginning of the fellowship, participants have the opportunity to get to know each other through various events and peer-learning activities in small groups. Upon completion of the program, fellows become part of a professional alumni network of more than 200 people.

To be eligible for the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service, you must be working full-time in public service in New York City. (Internships and part-time work don’t meet this requirement.) You may not currently be engaged in another significant fellowship program, and you must commit to attending all fellowship sessions, including a day-long Orientation on Saturday, November 10, 2012. The program is fee is $500, which must be paid in full upon acceptance. Please see the Web site for additional details and guidelines. The deadline to apply is noon EST on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.

More information and the application are available at:

http://wagner.nyu.edu/felps