WE Blog @ AABANY

July 18, 2012

AALDEF Seeks Community Organizer

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Community Organizer, Anti-Trafficking Initiative

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a 38-year old New York-based national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy and community education. AALDEF has a 21-person staff and is supported by foundation and corporate grants, individual contributions, and special events. For more information about AALDEF and its activities, visit our website at http://www.aaldef.org

DESCRIPTION:

AALDEF’s Anti-Trafficking Initiative provides legal assistance to trafficked Asian women and girls by giving immigration assistance, engaging in criminal justice advocacy, and filing civil actions pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

The Community Organizer will be involved in the following activities:

1. Work with attorneys to enforce the rights of human trafficking survivors, and coordinate with case managers to secure a broad range of services;

2. Develop and conduct community education trainings for workers’ organizations and groups, present at panel discussions and conferences;

3. Interpret for intakes and client representation, and proofread translations.

4. Participate in local and national anti-trafficking networks, and organize briefings on proposed federal, state, and local policies affecting trafficked persons;

QUALIFICATIONS:

— Detail-oriented, independent, and focused.

— Strong organizational and communication skills.

— Experience in community organizing or policy advocacy.

— Knowledge of human trafficking, labor and employment rights, and human rights issues.

— Familiarity with Asian American community issues preferred.

— Ability to speak an Asian language.

— Ability to travel and work on evenings and weekends.

TO APPLY:

Send a cover letter, resume, and three references to:

Community Organizer Search

AALDEF
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, NY 10013-2815
fax: 212-966-4303

Email: [email protected] (put “Anti-Trafficking Initiative” in the subject line)

DEADLINE: August 31, 2012. Applications will be read on a continuing basis, and the position will be filled as soon as possible.

For more information, contact Ivy O. Suriyopas at 212-966-5932 or [email protected].

July 17, 2012

AALDEF seeks volunteer Malayalam interpreter

We received the following today, July 17, from Lillian Ling at AALDEF. We assume “this coming week” means next week. Please reply directly to AALDEF if you know someone who can undertake this assignment.

AALDEF’s Economic Justice project seeks a volunteer interpreter who is fluent in Malayalam to conduct a 2 ½-hour telephonic consultation between AALDEF attorneys and a client in the coming week. The consultation may take place by telephone in the evening during the workweek, or during the weekend. Interested volunteers should contact Jennifer Weng at [email protected] regarding their availability.

July 16, 2012December 4, 2018

July 16, 2012December 4, 2018

Join us for the Opening Night Screening of Shanghai Calling on July 25th

For members of AABANY: Individuals can get a 20% discount to SHANGHAI CALLING by going online and using the code AABANYAAIFF12.

There are also special group pricing:
10 tickets+ for a single program

Nonprofit community partners must group order through [email protected]. Must purchase a minimum of 10 tickets for a 25% discount, plus $1.50 processing fee per ticket (saves approximately $3.50/ticket).

OPENING NIGHT GALA at the Asian Society
Featuring screening, Q&A, Gala Reception with chef’s tasting tables, open bar, raffle & silent auction, and Gala gift bag
General $75
AABANY members can take advantage of the 20% discount, but tickets must be ordered online by 9PM, July 24th.

There will be an encore screening of Shanghai Calling on July 28th at Clearview Cinema. The 20% discount applies to this screening as well as long as tickets are ordered online by 9PM, July 27th.

For more information about the screening, click here.
We also encourage you to visit www.asiancinevision.org/aaiff to see all the other great lineups available.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

July 16, 2012December 4, 2018

July 16, 2012

Don Liu Joins NY City Bar Task Force on Young Lawyers

The New York City Bar’s 44th Street Blog reported on July 16 that it has formed a new Task Force on New Lawyers in a Changing Profession to address what City Bar president Carey Dunn has described as “the plight of young lawyers." Created in response to recent ABA statistics showing that only 55% of recent law grads found full-time legal employment, the task force has convened leaders from across the legal spectrum, from academia to private practice, as well as the corporate, government and public interest sectors.

Among the Chief In-House Counsel tapped to participate in this important task force is Don Liu, General Counsel of Xerox. Don was recently recognized as one of the New York City Bar’s Diversity and Inclusion Champions for 2012. He is also an active and valued member of AABANY and its Advisory Committee.

For more information about the task force, follow the link in the title. AABANY congratulates Don on undertaking this new role and commends the City Bar for convening this task force to study critical issues facing the new generation of lawyers.

July 13, 2012

Report from the Depositions Bootcamp, 7/11

Depositions Bootcamp & Ethics Minefield

Karen Kim, co-chair of the Litigation Committee, reports on that Committee’s recent CLE program on deposition basics:

On July 11, 2012, the Litigation Committee presented a “Depositions Bootcamp + Ethics Minefield” CLE with the following panel of senior litigators: Vincent T. Chang (Partner at Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch), James P. Chou (Senior Counsel at Akin Gump Hauer Strauss & Feld LLP), Tristan C. Loanzon (Principal at Loanzon Sheikh LLC), Concepcion A. Montoya (Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP), James S. Yu (Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP) and Yang Chen (Executive Director of AABANY). The panel was moderated by AABANY Litigation Committee co-chair William Wang (Partner at Lee Anav Chung LLP). Winston & Strawn LLP did an exceptional job hosting the event, with the assistance of Louis A. Russo, an associate at Winston & Strawn LLP and the staff, taking the event to the next level.

The CLE was well attended and a great success, thanks to the wonderful panelists who explained the basics of depositions, how to prep a witness for deposition, and the nuances of ethics while also doing a demonstration of what not to do in a deposition. CLE materials were provided, which included resources attendees can reference for guidance, articles, PowerPoint slides and caselaw on important developments and aspects of depositions. Overall, the attendees found the CLE informative and comprehensive and “one of the best CLEs” with a “very knowledgeable panel." With the help of Francis Chin from the Professional Development Committee, attendees left with certificates for 3 CLE credits, including one hour in Ethics credit.

Stay tuned to the LC because in October, the committee is planning a depositions workshop where attendees will actually get to take mock depositions and receive critique from this (tentatively scheduled to appear) panel of distinguished litigators.

July 13, 2012

Free Webinar on July 19: “Preparing for Deferred Action”

The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN), in partnership with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and United We Dream (UWD), invite you to join a free webinar, “Preparing for Deferred Action,” on Thursday, July 19th, 2012 at 2:00 pm Eastern / 1:00 pm Central / 12:00 pm Mountain / 11:00 am Pacific. This webinar will cover what we know about the new deferred action policy for undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children, including basic eligibility requirements, how to document eligibility, “red flags” for applicants, and advocacy on the policy’s implementation. Panelists include Jennie Guilfoyle, Training and Legal Support Attorney at CLINIC; Paromita Shah, Associate Director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild; and Don Lyster, Director of NILC’s Washington, DC office, among others.

To register for this free webinar, visit https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/855529534. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information on joining the webinar.

If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].

We hope that you will join us,
Immigration Advocates Network

The Immigration Advocates Network is a collaborative project of the ABA Commission on Immigration, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, American Immigration Council, American Immigration Lawyers Association, ASISTA, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, National Immigration Law Center, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Pro Bono Net, and The Advocates for Human Rights. For more information about IAN, visitwww.immigrationadvocates.org

July 12, 2012

Prosecutors’ Committee’s 4th Anniversary Reception

Brian Lee, Deputy Chief of the County Court Bureau, Nassau County D.A.’s office, reports:

On June 28, 2012, the Prosecutors’ Committee held its 4th Anniversary Reception at the New York University School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall. This year, the Prosecutors’ Committee, co-chaired by Cristina S. W. Park of the Bronx County D.A.’s Office and James S. Lin of the New York County D.A.’s Office, honored Sandra Leung, General Counsel of Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Thomas M. Chan, Assistant Chief of the New York City Police Department. Ms. Leung was the first female Asian American prosecutor in the New York County D.A.’s Office, and in her speech, recounted how her invaluable experience as a prosecutor propelled her rapid rise in the ranks at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Assistant Chief Chan is the highest ranking Asian American officer in NYPD’s history, and during his address, spoke of his passion to help the community as the driving force behind his illustrious career. These two individuals were honored for their dedication to diversity and as trailblazers for the Asian American community in New York.

The honorees and attendees were welcomed by Jeannie Forrest, the Vice-Dean of NYU School of Law. Nearly 120 guests attended the reception and congratulatory remarks were given by: Charles J. Hynes, the District Attorney of Kings County; Daniel R. Alonso, the Chief ADA for New York County; Daniel L. Master, the Chief ADA for Richmond County; Jesse J. Sligh, an Executive ADA for Queens County; and Steven M. Goldstein, the Chief ADA for the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. Closing remarks were delivered by Jean Lee, the President of AABANY.

Dignitaries in attendance at the reception included Judge Doris Ling-Cohan, New York State Supreme Court, Judge Gilbert C. Hong, New York City Criminal Court, Daniel D. Chu, Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and Hugh H. Mo, one of last year’s Trailblazer Honorees. The reception was covered by members of the media.

July 12, 2012

AABANY APPLAUDS THE APPOINTMENT OF LILLIAN WAN TO SERVE AS A JUDGE IN THE NEW YORK CITY FAMILY COURT

NEW YORK – July 11, 2012 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) applauds the appointment of Lillian Wan as a New York City Civil Court judge, with an assignment to the Family Court. Judge Wan was approved by the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, the New York City Bar’s Judiciary Committee and the Mayor’s office. “AABANY is delighted that Lillian Wan has been appointed a Civil Court judge. Her assignment to serve in the Family Court is well-deserved recognition of her experience and demonstrated commitment to the children and families of New York State,” said Jean Lee, President of AABANY.

Asian Pacific Americans remain significantly under-represented in the New York State Judiciary, where there are only currently twenty-three (23) Asian Pacific American judges out of about 1,200 judges across the state. Although, according to the 2010 Census, approximately 8.3% of the population of New York State and approximately 14.0% of the population in New York City consist of Asian Pacific Americans, Judge Wan will be one of four Asian Pacific American judges serving in Family Court in the entire state of New York. Even with the addition of Judge Wan to the bench, less than 2% of the New York judiciary are Asian Pacific Americans.

“With her appointment, Judge Wan will be the only Asian Pacific American female jurist serving in New York City Family Court,” said James P. Chou, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee. “We applaud Mayor Bloomberg for his continued commitment to diversifying the judiciary in our City.”

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Wan served as a Court Attorney-Referee at the Kings County Surrogate’s Court where she handled adoptions, guardianships, wills, trusts, and estates matters. Before joining Surrogate’s Court, Judge Wan was an attorney for the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) in the Manhattan Family Court Unit for nine years, where she litigated and supervised hundreds of child abuse and neglect proceedings. Judge Wan is the in-coming chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Family Court and Family Law Committee. She is also a member of AABANY, where she is the co-chair of the Government and Public Sector Committee. Judge Wan was recently elected to the board of directors for the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association. Judge Wan is also a member of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA) and Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program, Inc. (PALS). Judge Wan graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University in 1997 and then attended Albany Law School where she served on the Albany Law Review as an Associate Editor and graduated magna cum laude in 2000.

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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.