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AABANY Descends on Las Vegas for the NAPABA Convention

From Nov. 3 through 6, NAPABA held its National Convention in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan, for three days of programming, meetings, plenary sessions and the 34th anniversary Gala capping things off on Saturday night.

AABANY members and friends once again came out in large numbers, with nearly 100 people signed up for AABANY’s WhatsApp group, organized by Co-VP of Programs and Operations Beatrice Leong. The group’s members updated each other on programs they planned to attend, made lunch and dinner plans, and connected with each other about various receptions, parties and events around Las Vegas.

Many bonds were made and strengthened among AABANY attendees over the course of the Convention, and many new connections were made with the approximately 2800 registered attendees from around the country.

We congratulate all the awardees and honorees recognized at the Convention, with special shout-outs to the following AABANY honorees:

  • Kathy Hirata Chin, Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award
  • Jeffrey Mok, Best Under 40
  • Christina Lee, Partners Network In-House Counsel Network Diversity Leadership Award

We also congratulate AABANY Platinum Sponsor Allen & Overy on receiving the Law Firm Diversity Award.

The AABANY Trial Reenactment Team presented its latest production, “From ‘Tokyo Rose’ to the ‘China Initiative’: Espionage and AAPIs” on Friday afternoon, Nov. 4, to a capacity audience. We were privileged to be joined by Brian Sun, attorney for Wen Ho Lee, who shared his personal recollections from that landmark case in which a Chinese-American scientist was wrongly accused by the US government of divulging US nuclear secrets to China.

Many AABANY members and leaders spoke on several programs throughout the Convention. If you are among them, thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Please send us your photos and, if possible, a short recap about your program. You can send it to [email protected].

Congratulations to Sandra Leung, NAPABA’s new President, and Anna Mercado Clark, NAPABA’s new President-Elect. Both were sworn in by the Hon. Denny Chin, together with the entire NAPABA Board, during Saturday night’s Gala.

Thanks to NAPABA for putting on a great Convention, which included many first-time attendees. By all accounts, everyone had a wonderful time, learned a lot, forged new connections and renewed existing ones. We look forward to more great things to come in the next year!

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AABANY Women’s Committee and Paul, Weiss Host Lunch with Helen Wan, Author of The Partner Track

On Tuesday, October 25, Paul, Weiss and AABANY’s Women’s Committee invited alumna Helen Wan to host a lunch and discussion on the 2022 Netflix series, Partner Track, based off of her 2013 book, The Partner Track. The event drew about 50 attendees in person at the New York office of Paul, Weiss and about 30 more who joined online via Zoom. The book follows Ingrid Yung, a first-generation Chinese-American and the first lawyer in her family as she attempts to navigate the old-boy corporate culture of her law firm. As she is about to become the first minority woman to make partner at the firm, an offensive incident at a summer outing highlights her outsider status. 

Helen heavily based the book off of her own experiences with corporate culture and the legal profession. As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she went to law school and entered the legal profession as an aspirational goal and for the experience, seeing this as the American Dream. It was only when she came to Paul, Weiss that she experienced the social dynamic of the corporate environment – who was sinking or swimming or being called on for more involvement with clients and committees. As a young woman of color, she noticed the subtle differences and it played a role in her decision to seek other opportunities: “I think if there had been more representation and more people who looked like me in the senior ranks, I would have considered staying longer.”

It was after transitioning from a law firm to in-house counsel that she found the opportunity to dedicate more time to her passion of writing. She began writing The Partner Track 20 years earlier on the subway to work. It consisted of journal scribblings of observations about corporate life in the city, about people, group dynamics, work dynamics, and not just the legal field but even anecdotes from friends in different industries. In order to further perfect her story, Helen took writing classes at NYU night school and forced herself to attend after spending grueling hours at the law firm. It took several years of securing the right literary agent, publishing house, marketing approach, compatible creative visions, and 3 different endings before releasing the final version of The Partner Track.

While the book and series are decidedly fiction, it was very important to Helen to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible. She saw a big overlap in workplace experience and culture across fields and the experiences of her friends and peers. Consequently, most of the characters were amalgams of people she knew or heard about from friends. The conversations and topics the book tackled became more real and concrete. It is this tangibility and intersectionality that makes The Partner Track special. It may speak a lot on Asian American lived experience but also on dating, corporate culture, materialism, personal values, etc. 

The Netflix adaptation, altered from the novel, tried to do “so many things at once, be so many different things to different audiences.” For instance, human resources colleagues at law firms Helen worked at also felt heard when the show discussed how prevalent racist undertones and commentary is present in corporate settings and the struggle HR representatives go through when ensuring that these moments are resolved properly and effectively. Other audiences expressed that they were unable to finish the show because it reminded them of the struggles associated with navigating American corporate life as a Asian-American. 

Helen repeatedly stated that she believes the conversations surrounding both the book and the show are optimistic rather than pessimistic. The story not only reveals a side of American corporate culture that often gets hidden behind fancy suits and tall buildings but also shows how valuable it is when audiences are represented rather than merely mentioned. The Partner Track shows that real life stories are relatable to everyone.

We thank Helen Wan for taking the time to discuss her book and its new Netflix series. For more information about her work and life, visit her website here. Helen, joined by actress Arden Cho and show runner Georgia Lee, presented the keynote remarks at the Saturday night Gala during at the 2022 Annual NAPABA Convention in Las Vegas on Nov. 5. Congratulations to Helen on the success of the book and series!

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AABANY’s Prosecutors’ Committee and Student Outreach Committee Open Doors for Law Students to Meet Assistant District Attorneys

On October 13, over two dozen law students and New York Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) braved the pouring rain for the Prosecutors’ Committee and Student Outreach Committee’s first-ever mixer. Pizza slices in hand, ADAs from across the five boroughs and Nassau County shared their wealth of experience and helpful advice with law students interested in following them into prosecutors’ offices.  

Prosecutors’ Committee Co-Chair David Chiang made clear that the Asian American prosecutors at this meeting, whose roles ranged from bureau chiefs to brand-new ADAs, were there on a mission. “Asian Americans are incredibly underrepresented” in the prosecution field, Chiang told the room. While many prosecutors have mentors and networks that help them get ADA positions and rise up the ranks, Asian Americans may not have the same breadth of resources for doing so. Building support networks for career advancement in the ADA space was the reason why ADAs and Prosecutors’ Committee members met with law students that night. 

“I want aspiring prosecutors to learn what it’s like to be in the office,” Devin Ly, a Kings County ADA, said. While the workload could be heavy and the demands sky high, he and his colleagues stressed that it’s worthwhile because of the good they were doing for their communities. For many of the prosecutors in attendance, their jobs felt meaningful not through tallying convictions or locking up their fellow borough residents. Rather, many AAPI prosecutors see their job as an opportunity to seek justice more holistically. Talking to students, these prosecutors shared stories, the philosophies of their offices, and how they work hard to do right by defendants and their communities. While the problems of incarceration should still be considered by prosecutors, a prosecutor’s job is ultimately to look beyond someone’s criminal record and the circumstances of the case and ask whether justice is best served by alternatives like social services or other pretrial interventions that would better serve the defendant and the community.

“It was awesome to meet all these prosecutors from all these bureaus!” Andy Xu, a second-year law student from Cardozo exclaimed. “It’s great that AABANY opens things like this up for us!” Justin Lee, a third-year law student from NYU, added.

The event was co-hosted by the AABANY Student Outreach Committee and the Prosecutors’ Committee. We would like to thank Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Cleary’s DE&I team for providing us with space as well as food and drinks for the event. 

With these lessons in mind and with so many connections made between these future lawyers and mentors, and maybe even future colleagues, we can’t wait to see where this collaboration goes from here.

To learn more about the Prosecutors’ Committee please click here. To learn more about the Student Outreach Committee please click here.

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AABANY Labor & Employment Committee Hosts: First Fall Dinner at Top Thai Vintage 

On October 5, for their first event in the fall, the L&E Committee hosted committee members, AABANY colleagues, and beyond for a night of authentic Thai food and delicious cocktails at Top Thai Vintage in the West Village.  

It was a night of mixing and mingling where conversations hit topics from committee developments/events, law firm practices, litigation trends, and more. It was a wonderful night out and perfect event to kick off our event calendar for the fall. 

Interested in joining L&E Committee for their next event? You may subscribe to their mailing list by contacting [email protected], and keep an eye out for the Committee’s events on AABANY’s Calendar. To learn more about the AABANY L&E Committee, please visit the Committee’s subpage here.   

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Senior U.S. District Court Judge Dora L. Irizarry is Seeking Applications for a Federal Judicial Internship

The Honorable Dora L. Irizarry, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of
New York, is accepting applications for Spring 2023 internships.

Qualifications: 

• Must be a rising second or third year law student. 

• Must have good grades. 

• Must have good research, writing, and analytical skills, although  participation in Law Review or a Journal is not a prerequisite.  

• Military and/or other life/career experience is a plus. 

• Must be vaccinated fully against COVID-19 (including a booster shot). 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, interested law students should forward  their application package in PDF format via email to  [email protected].  

Application package must include: 

• One-page cover letter briefly describing your background, why you are  interested in a legal career and why you are interested in an internship with Judge Irizarry specifically. 

• Resume. 

• Official law school transcript.  

• One recent writing sample no longer than 10 pages. Journal or research  articles will not be accepted.  

• Two to three letters of recommendation.  

The deadline for receipt of materials is November 30, 2022. 

Please note that, while these are not paid internships, the Judge will participate  in any appropriate sponsored program that provides academic credit or stipends for  interns.  

If you have questions, please contact chambers at: 718-613-2150.


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Wearing Many Hats: AABANY Leaders Support Adhikaar and Other AAPI Community-Based Organizations

On October 21, 2022, Adhikaar, a community organization for New York’s Nepali-speaking community, hosted its sold-out Fall Utsav at the Queens Museum. Rina Gurung, Board Chair of Adhikaar (and one of the co-chairs of AABANY’s Government Services and Public Interest (GSPI) Committee), opened the ceremony by thanking the Adhikaar Board and its staff for spearheading a wonderful organization that empowers the Nepali-speaking community by addressing social rights, workers’ rights, and women’s rights. Gurung also gave a shout-out to her work colleagues and AABANY.


Kevin Hsi, co-chair of GSPI, and May Wong, co-chair of the Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, were also in attendance at Fall Utsav to support Rina and Adhikaar.
AABANY’s GSPI and PBCS Committees wish the best to Pabitra Khati Benjamin, Executive Director of Adhikaar, who steps down from her leadership role at the end of October.


Moving forward, PBCS hopes to bridge a partnership with Adhikaar to secure Nepali-speaking clients for PBCS upcoming legal clinics! For more information about AABANY’s PBCS, please contact [email protected].


In other news, AABANY’s ties with other Asian American community organizations are as strong as ever. AABANY member and Prosecutors Committee co-founder Kin Ng attended the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn’s (UCA) 20th Anniversary Gala to accept the Community Leader of the Year Award. PBCS partners with UCA to host its pro bono clinics. Register for the December 10th Brooklyn PBCS pro bono clinic here. Read more about AABANY members celebrating with Kin at the UCA Gala here.


Next event coming up that supports AAPI Community-Based Organizations:
11/17 – MinKwon hosting its Virtual Anniversary Gala with NAKASEC

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AABANY Membership and Litigation Committees Co-Host #RestaurantSeries Dinner at No Strings Attached Noodle Bar

The latest #RestaurantSeries dinner was held on Thursday, October 26, 2022 at NSA Noodle Bar in Brooklyn. #Restaurant Series dinners are intimate and informal get-togethers to connect current and prospective members with various AABANY committees, designed to support Asian-owned businesses in the wake of the economic disruption caused by the pandemic. The dinner featured Membership Committee Co-Chair Dianna Lam and Litigation Committee Co-Chair Lois Ahn. The NSA Noodle Bar provided a three-course prix fixe menu with delicious options including miso arancini, panko crusted takoyaki, miso honey burrata, truffle tonkotsu ramen, among others. The crowd favorite was hands down the miso honey burrata appetizer.

The food was great, of course, but the conversations were even better. The group, sitting in a cozy corner of the restaurant, exchanged life stories, and discussed career trajectories and goals, working as a big law associate vs. an in-house lawyer, and, in light of the upcoming winter season, the best places to ski/snowboard.

Big thanks to those who came out, and please be on the lookout for future #RestaurantSeries!

To learn about the Litigation Committee, go to this page, and to learn more about the Membership Committee go to this page.

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AABANY LGBT Committee Hosts 2022 LGBTQ Asian American/South Asian Lawyers Networking Reception

On October 11, 2022, to recognize National Coming Out Day, over 40 members of the bar “came out” to celebrate the diversity within the LGBT, Asian American, and South Asian communities with the LGBT Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York and Allen & Overy LLP. After a 2 year hiatus from in-person events, LGBT Asian American and South Asian attorneys in corporate, commercial, government, and public interest practice gathered to build peer-support and expand their network. View the scenes from the reception below as we celebrated the growing diversity and inclusivity of our communities by building our networks and peer support.

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AABANY Member Kin Ng Recognized as a Community Leader at United Chinese Association of Brooklyn’s 20th Anniversary Gala

On Thursday, October 27, 2022, AABANY members attended the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn’s 20th Anniversary Gala to celebrate longtime AABANY member and co-founding member of AABANY’s Prosecutors Committee, Kin Ng, who received UCA’s Community Leader of the Year Award.

Kin has been a prosecutor at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for over thirty years, where he currently serves as the Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau II, Blue Zone. Kin made history in 2017 when he became the first AAPI prosecutor to be elevated to bureau chief of a major trial bureau in Brooklyn. Prior to that, Kin served in various management capacities in different trial bureaus and the Immigration Fraud Unit. He also served as the Chief of Legal Training, conducting office-wide trainings for all Brooklyn ADAs and staff. Kin continues to mentor prosecutors of all offices and experiences through AABANY as well as NAPABA (National Asian Pacific American Bar Association) and NAPIPA (National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association). Notably, Kin received the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the 2018 AABANY Fall Conference, in recognition of his leadership in the Asian American legal community.

Please join us in congratulating Kin on receiving this well-deserved UCA of Brooklyn Community Leader of the Year Award.

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AABANY Celebrates its 33rd Anniversary with Founders’ Day, Featuring Hon. Denny Chin

On October 25, 2022, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) celebrated its 33rd Anniversary with its Second Annual Founders’ Day Event at Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services’ (JAMS) space in the New York Times building in Manhattan. The annual event commemorates the founding of AABANY as a bar association in 1989 and honors the Founders who helped build the foundation for AABANY to become the largest diverse bar association in the country.

The Honorable Denny Chin, United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, gave remarks as the Founders’ Day keynote speaker. He spoke about AABANY’s early days and the fight for diversity and Asian representation in the legal profession. He recounted the challenges that he and his colleagues faced during his time as AABANY’s second president. He concluded by urging members not to rest on their laurels but to continue to fight for the needs of Asian Americans in the legal community. AABANY President William Ng also gave remarks while Hon. Marilyn Go, longtime AABANY member Hugh Mo, Executive Director Yang Chen, and many other AABANY leaders and members attended the celebration. 

We would like to thank AABANY Board Member Chris Kwok and his colleagues at JAMS for hosting Founders’ Day, along with Membership Director Christopher S. Bae and the Membership Committee for organizing such a great event. AABANY is proud to have celebrated its 33rd anniversary with so many distinguished guests, and we look forward to celebrating our 34th next year at our Third Annual Founders’ Day Event.

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