AABANY Press Release on Karen Wu Receiving Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

December 5, 2011

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director

AABANY APPLAUDS SELECTION OF KAREN I. WU AS RECEIPIENT OF NYSBA’S 2012 OUTSTANDING YOUNG LAWYER AWARD

NEW YORK – December 5, 2011 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) applauds the selection of Karen I. Wu, co-chair of AABANY’S Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, as the recipient of the 2012 New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

The NYSBA will be presenting the 2012 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award at an Award Presentation and Reception during the NYSBA Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at the New York Hilton in New York City.  Each year, the NYSBA’s Young Lawyers Section honors a young lawyer who has rendered outstanding service to both the community and legal profession.  The Outstanding Young Lawyer Award recognizes an attorney who has actively practiced less than 10 years, and has a distinguished record of commitment to the finest traditions of the Bar through public service and professional activities.

“We congratulate Karen, and we are grateful to the NYSBA Young Lawyers Section for recognizing Karen’s exemplary legal work and continued commitment to the public interest community,” states AABANY President-elect, Jean Lee.  “I am truly honored and humbled to receive the NYSBA’s 2012 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.  I am extremely fortunate to be able to practice law in an area that has a positive social impact, and it has always been important for me to serve the community in a volunteer capacity as well.  Volunteering is not always convenient, but I have seen how communities are changed when people give their time to serve others, and would encourage all attorneys to find ways to make a difference,” says Karen.

Karen I. Wu is an associate at Perlman & Perlman, LLP, a New York City-based law firm, which focuses on representing the philanthropic community.  Karen has provided counsel to public charities, private foundations, fundraising professionals, and for-profit companies engaging in cause marketing and philanthropy.  She advises clients on a variety of issues including corporate governance and tax issues, fundraising regulatory compliance, joint ventures, political activities, business activities, and intellectual property matters. She is the author of several articles regarding fundraising regulation and tax compliance, and has provided several workshops and teleconferences to various members of the nonprofit community.  Karen is a board member of the Townsend Harris High School Alumni Association, as well as Open Hands Legal Services, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services and counseling to the poor in New York City.  She serves as Pro Bono Counsel to the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and Taiwan Mission Foundation.  She currently serves as the co-chair of the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee of the AABANY.  Karen earned a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2004, and a B.A. from Wellesley College 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

© 2011 Asian American Bar Association of New York. All rights reserved. Logo is a registered trademark of the Asian American Bar Association of New York.

Vincent Chang at NYCLA Public Hearing on Impact of Budget Cuts on Judiciary

Vincent Chang sat on a New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) panel at a public hearing on Friday, December 2 that addressed the impact of present and future budget cuts on the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Chief Judge Loretta Preska of the SDNY and Chief Judge Carol Amon of the EDNY testified at the hearing, which discussed, among other things, the effect that budget cuts would have on public safety, including courthouse security, as well as pretrial and probation supervisory services. The hearing also addressed issues relating to cutbacks in services provided to lawyers and to the public, such as cuts in clerk’s office support staff, docketing, interpreters, court reporting, audio visual, IT, and other areas, which could result in increased delays and other challenges to the administration of justice.

Congratulations to Karen Wu, NYSBA Outstanding Young Lawyer

Karen Wu, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, has been recognized by the New York State Bar Association as an Outstanding Young Lawyer.   As stated by NYSBA’s Young Lawyers Section:

Each year the Young Lawyers Section of the New York State Bar Association honors a young lawyer who has rendered outstanding service to both the community and legal profession. The Outstanding Young Lawyer Award recognizes an attorney who has actively practiced less than 10 years, and has a distinguished record of commitment to the finest traditions of the Bar through public service and professional activities.

Karen, as an associate at Perlman & Perlman and in her numerous volunteer and community service activities, amply meets the requirements of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.  Please join us in congratulating Karen on this outstanding achievement.  You can reach her directly at karen.wu@aabany.org, or feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Karen Wu

Margaret Ling Speaks at Program on Commercial Condos and Co-ops

On Wednesday morning, November 30, AABANY Board member and Real Estate Committee Chair Margaret Ling spoke as a panelist on a program on commercial condos and co-ops presented by the New York Business Development Corporation and Winoker Realty Company.  The event took place at a vacant retail space on West 39th Street, near Port Authority.  Margaret spoke on EB-5 visas and the importance of title insurance for commercial condos and co-ops.  Most of the audience included professionals in the real estate industry, and the lawyers in attendance earned 0.5 credits in Areas of Professional Practice.  AABANY was a proud co-sponsor of the program.  For more information about the program or about the Real Estate Committee, contact Margaret at margaret.ling@aabany.org.

Margaret Ling

Asia Society Survey on APA Employee Engagement

For Immediate Release

For More Information, Please Contact:

Jonathan Saw

212-327-9269 or 917-273-6498

jsaw@asiasociety.org

Asian Pacific American Employees View Their Companies Less Favorably
the Longer They Have Been in the U.S.

“Time in U.S.” Could Be a Critical Factor in Asian Pacific American Employee Engagement

New York, NY, (November 28, 2011) – The longer Asian Pacific American (APA) employees live in the United States, the less favorably they view their companies, an annual Asia Society survey found.  The 2011 Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey indicates that this decline starts after about 10 years and is most apparent amongst APA employees who have lived in the U.S. 20+ years or who are U.S.-born.

The favorability decrease is especially true in the critical area of professional growth.  Among those surveyed:

  • 49% of APA employees who have been in the U.S. for 20+ years view their companies favorably in terms of professional growth.
  • A bare majority – 53% – of APA employees who have been in the U.S. from 11-20 years view their companies favorably on this dimension.
  • While 62% of APA employees, who have been here for 10 years or less, view their companies favorably in terms of professional growth; this group constitutes only 24% of APAs in the U.S.

The model minority stereotype assumes that the hardworking, intelligent, Asian American employee, who does not “rock the boat,” has no problem rising up the corporate ladder. This is especially true for those who are culturally “American.” But a look at the senior ranks of most companies shows that the reality is quite different. Asian-American faces are almost entirely absent.

“New Asian immigrants are singularly focused on establishing a foothold both economically and culturally in the U.S. – similar to immigrants of any ethnicity,” said Vishakha N. Desai, President of Asia Society.  “On the other hand, Asian-Americans who were born here may recognize more easily where Corporate America’s formal policies and commitment to diversity are not fully realized on the day-to-day level.”

This is not to say that companies have not made efforts, but the data suggests they may be focused on the wrong thematic areas.

“The implications of this data are striking.” said Desai. “It suggests that efforts to engage Asian-American employees need to include ‘time in the U.S.’ as an additional filter.  For example, while the offer of assertiveness training may be welcomed by an employee recently arrived from Shanghai, it could be viewed as deeply objectionable when offered to an APA employee who was born in San Antonio.” Desai continued.

The country of origin differences are real and should not be overlooked.  However, the survey data suggests that this could be less true as time goes on.  With the APA population growing faster than any other ethnic group, except for Hispanics, the disengagement suggested by the data will fast become an even larger issue.

About the Asian Pacific Americans Corporate Survey

Asia Society first began conducting the APA Corporate Survey in 2010, to address the need for independent information, backed by statistics, about the APA workforce. At that time, there was very little information about APA employees and their perceptions and experiences, and the APA Corporate Survey was the first to exclusively measure and to recognize practices related to developing APA working at Fortune 500-level companies.

2011 Award Winners

KPMG LLP: Overall Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans

Colgate-Palmolive Company:  Best Company for Asian Pacific Americans to Develop Workforce Skills

PepsiCo, Inc.: Best Company in Promoting Asian Pacific Americans into Senior Leadership Positions

Cardinal Health, Inc.: Best Company for Support of the Asian Pacific American Community

GE: Best Company with the Most Innovative Practices

2011 Other Finalist Companies:

3M

Cisco

Corning Incorporated

Freddie Mac

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

HSBC Bank

Kaiser Permanente

Kraft Foods

Lear Corporation

McDonald’s Corporation

New York Life Insurance Company

Pfizer

PG&E Corporation

Sodexo, Inc.

Time Warner Inc.

To speak with representatives from one of these finalist companies or for questions about participating in the 2012 survey, please contact: Jonathan Saw, jsaw@asiasociety.org, 212-327-9269

About the Asia Society

Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders and institutions of the United States and Asia. The Society seeks to increase knowledge and enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of arts and culture, policy and business, and education. Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C. Asia Society is on the web at www.AsiaSociety.org.

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NYSBA Antitrust Section Seeks Diverse Attorneys

The New York State Bar Association’s Antitrust Section is seeking to diversify its membership and invites APA attorneys and law students to join the section. A section summary is available at bit.ly/Antitrust_Law_Section. As part of this outreach, the section will pay for the registration fees associated with attending its annual meeting day program and evening events on January 26, 2012. Interested practitioners or students can contact the chair of the section, Jay L. Himes (Partner at Labaton Sucharow LLP), directly at jhimes@labaton.com or (212) 907-0700 . (Please note that you must be or become a NYSBA member to join the section.)