FREE Workshop: Know Your Rights with the Police and ICE

FREE Workshop: Know Your Rights with the Police and ICE

NYLJ: Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary

NYLJ: Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary

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On Saturday, December 10, AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee presented two community workshops at the Indochina Sino-American Community Center (ISACC) in Manhattan’s Chinatown.  In the morning, Kings County ADA Kin Ng and elder law attorney Pauline Yeung-Ha, partner at Grimaldi & Yeung, spoke about financial abuse of seniors.  In the afternoon, Nelson Mar, senior staff attorney at Legal Services NYC, spoke about the educational rights of immigrant children in New York City public schools.  Peter Cheng, Executive Director of ISACC, and his staff provided translation services to the many members of the Chinatown community that came out to learn more about their legal rights in the areas of elder law and education law.  Tony Lu and Karen Wu, co-chairs of the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, helped to organize the program as part of AABANY’s effort to reach out to the community.  For photos of the event, go to http://bit.ly/aabany_isacc2011.  For more information about the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, contact Tony and Karen at probono-chairs@aabany.org.

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

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Thanks to everyone who joined us on Friday night, December 9, for AABANY’s Annual Holiday Party.  Many AABANY members and friends filled the North Balcony at Pranna on 28th and Madison Avenue to share some holiday cheer over drinks and a delicious spread that included satays, beef sliders, lamb sliders, popcorn shrimp, edamame falafel and sweet potato fries. Check out the photos here: http://bit.ly/holiday_pty2011.  AABANY wishes everyone a joyous holiday season!

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

National Mock Trial Competition

On March 10 and 11, 2012, Pace Law School in White Plains will again be hosting a National Mock Trial competition featuring some of the top schools in the country, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth, among others.

Pace is offering 3 free general CLE credits for all attorneys who volunteer to judge a round. A round lasts no longer than 3 hours. Free parking is available and Pace will provide complimentary food and beverage. You can judge as many rounds as you’d like.

Register to judge online by clicking this link. Or, get more information and register by visiting www.WhitePlainsORC.com.

Special Announcement from the Judiciary Committee

For those interested in applying to become a United States Magistrate Judge, here is an announcement from Theo Cheng, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee:

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York has announced a vacancy for a full-time U.S. Magistrate Judge position in Brooklyn. The EDNY’s public notice, which contains additional information about the position is available on the court’s website at http://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/pub/docs/notices/ALC_Vacancy_Public_Notice_PR-10-18-2011.pdf, and the application itself is available on the court’s homepage. AABANY encourages all qualified attorneys with an interest in serving in the federal judiciary to submit an application, which is due no later than January 13, 2012. If you have any questions about the position or would like assistance in connection with your application, please contact AABANY’s Judiciary Committee at judiciary@aabany.org, or any of the co-chairs Vince Chang (vince.chang@aabany.org), Theo Cheng (theo.cheng@aabany.org) or James Chou (james.chou@aabany.org.)

US District Ct. Mediation Program

The Hon. Harold Baer, U.S. District Court  Judge, Southern District of New York would like to see more diverse attorneys involved in the Court’s mediation program. Judge Baer has observed that “one of the many advantages of our program is that we provide phenomenal training for those who have no previous exposure to mediating disputes but are interested in learning."  To learn more about serving as a mediator in SDNY, read Local Civil Rule 83.12 here.

If you interested in learning more about this program, please email Taa Grays at tgrays@metlife.com. You must email Ms. Grays by Monday, December 12, 2011.

Center for Urban Research: Report on Diversity on Wall Street

Center for Urban Research: Report on Diversity on Wall Street

DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES NEW CO-DIRECTORS OF THE IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS PROGRAM

For Immediate Release

December 01, 2011

DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES NEW CO-DIRECTORS OF THE IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS PROGRAM

Victims of Fraud Can Call the Immigrant Affairs Program Complaint Hotline at 212-335-3600

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the appointments of Assistant District Attorneys Mayerling Rivera and Rosemary Yu as co-Directors of the Office’s Immigrant Affairs Program. The Program was established in 2007 to investigate and prosecute fraud committed against immigrants, and to educate the public about immigration fraud and related issues through fraud prevention workshops and seminars. Since its creation, the Program has fielded more than 2,100 complaints.

“I would like to congratulate Assistant District Attorneys Mayerling Rivera and Rosemary Yu on their well-deserved appointments” said District Attorney Vance. “Keeping this city’s immigrant population safe is one of our top priorities. In their new roles, Ms. Rivera and Ms. Yu will spearhead our Office’s efforts to educate the public about immigration fraud and aggressively prosecute individuals who victimize our immigrant communities.”

District Attorney Vance also thanked Assistant District Attorney Daysi Mejia for her outstanding service during her four years as the founding Attorney-in-Charge of the Program.

Ms. Rivera joined the office in 1996 and spent eight years in Trial Bureau 70, where she prosecuted a variety of violent street crimes. During that time, she was also assigned to both the Sex Crimes and the Domestic Violence Units, and tried numerous felony sex crimes and domestic violence cases. In 2004, she transferred to the former Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau, where she worked on both domestic violence and child abuse investigations. Recently, she has been assigned to the Special Victims Bureau, where she supervises domestic violence cases, conducts trainings, and handles U-Visa certifications. Throughout her career, Ms. Rivera has done extensive community work throughout the city, focusing specifically on Washington Heights. In addition to her case-related work, Ms. Rivera has frequently spoken on behalf of the Office on a variety of subjects including teen violence, child abuse, and domestic violence. A native New Yorker and fluent Spanish speaker who was raised in Washington Heights, Ms. Rivera is a graduate of Seton Hall University and received her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Ms. Yu is a native New Yorker who was raised in Chinatown. She joined the Office in 2005, following her graduation from Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. Ms. Yu was initially assigned to the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, where she handled numerous felony narcotics cases and investigations. In 2008, she was one of four ADAs recognized by Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan for her outstanding case work. In 2009, Ms. Yu was assigned to the Special Investigations Bureau, where she worked almost exclusively with the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force on long-term narcotics investigations using electronic eavesdropping and other investigatory tools. Ms. Yu was assigned last year as one of the five inaugural ADAs in the new Crime Strategies Unit, where she is currently responsible for intelligence coordination and understanding crime trends for the east side of Manhattan South. Ms. Yu is also one of the founding members of the Prosecutors’ Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York. She is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and Claremont McKenna College. After graduating from college, Ms. Yu worked for one year for former U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.

The appointments will be effective as of December 9, 2011.