Committee of 100’s teleconference series: Strategic Lessons
from within China for Responding to COVID-19
About this Event
Committee of 100 (C100) is launching a teleconference
series, Strategic Lessons from within China for Responding to COVID-19. The
series will feature business executives and education leaders with experiences
on the ground in China responding to the coronavirus, offering timely and
actionable advice to American job creators and educators.
With each passing day, American job creators are concerned about how the outbreak will impact not only their bottom line, but the livelihoods of their employees. Meanwhile, schools and universities are closing to protect their students, faculty, and staff. Americans are feeling fearful and uncertain, and would benefit greatly from hearing from leaders within China who have struggled with and navigated similar complexities.
The series begins with discussions featuring C100 members David Ho moderated by Richard Lui, Wednesday, 3/25 at 2pm ET. Richard was was the MC for AABANY’s Annual Dinner for many years. The second session will feature Dr. Anning Chen, CEO of Ford China on March 30 at 9pm Eastern Time. The sessions will be moderated.
On Thursday, February 27, AABANY hosted a breakfast event for law students with Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, U.S. Circuit Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, at The Smith in NoMad. Judge Srinivasan was in town for AABANY’s 2020 Annual Dinner where he was presented the Public Service Leadership Award, and the judge was gracious enough to take the time the next morning to advise students pursuing careers in law. Judge Srinivasan familiarized students with his many life experiences by speaking about his upbringing, education, and career. Everything from his judicial philosophy to his love of sports provided attendees with important nuggets of wisdom and essential insights.
Judge Srinivasan elaborated extensively on the three guiding principles that have shaped his life and his service: doing great work, being a good person, and assuming the best of those around you.
For his first tenet, Judge Srinivasan addressed the familial and social pressures that are widely prevalent in the Asian-American community, acknowledging the constant push to “climb the ladder” and focus heavily on quantifiable success. However, despite this pressure, he insists that the goal of students shouldn’t be to chase after the most lucrative opportunities to bolster a resume, but instead, students should strive to give their best and humble effort to everything that they do, no matter how small or invisible. Such persistence will pay off and be recognized in the long-run.
Regarding his second principle, the judge drew heavily from his own experiences with people in the legal field. He insisted that acting transparently in good-faith and modeling kind behavior will in turn make people feel heard which increases the likelihood of reaching mutually beneficial agreements. Judge Srinivasan remarked on how surprised he has been in the past by the benefits of simply listening to others. His way of approaching interacting with other people has influenced those around him, garnering the respect and trust of his peers.
Finally, Judge Srinivasan insists that, despite our initial inclination to expect the worst of others, there are pleasant surprises to expecting the best of others. Especially in such a partisan environment, he insists that it is important to treat traditional “adversaries” not as ill-intentioned individuals but as normal people with differences in how they approach universal problems. By viewing other people as different rather than evil, the judge believes that compromises can be reached more quickly and effectively.
After giving students background on his experiences and philosophy, Judge Srinivasan opened himself up for questions from the attendees. Many of the students focused particularly on how they can better represent their ethnic communities and perform optimally in the field.
Since some of the students present are leaders of affinity groups on their respective campuses, the judge applauded the efforts of the student leaders and addressed the importance of student advocacy groups. He referenced a common saying by his sister, “it’s hard to be what you can’t see,” to reveal how these minority cultural groups give face to their community and provide the next generation with role models to look up to. While he acknowledged this responsibility to represent is daunting and can feel lonely at times, Judge Srinivasan believes that student leaders should reframe their thinking to feel excited in the face of adversity.
Regarding how to achieve success in the field, the judge suggested looking for mentors who look out for your best interests, preparing for cases thoroughly, and embracing fluidity in argumentation. On a concluding note, Judge Srinivasan stressed the importance of establishing credibility in the forum by advocating zealously while still demonstrating objectivity.
AABANY thanks Judge Srinivasan for his valuable time and thoughtful advice! If you are curious about the judge’s work, please feel free to click the link below as the D.C. Court of Appeals is one of the only appeals courts that livestream oral arguments on its website. Details at https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/home.nsf/Content/Oral+Arguments
Thanks to AABANY Legal Intern David Jung for the write-up and photos.
On October 16, AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee presented a resume review workshop at New York University School of Law. Practicing attorneys from various fields attended the event to review the resumes of 30 students from NYU’s APALSA group and provide the students with useful substantive feedback on their resumes. The attorneys also offered 1-on-1 advice about networking, job hunting, how to succeed in the legal profession, and answered questions about their respective practice areas.
Thanks to all the NYU APALSA members who attended. A special thanks to all of the attorneys including Christopher Bae, Ming Cheung, Eunkyong Choi, William Hao, Jonathan Li, Daniel Ng, Aakruti Vakharia, Sahng-Ah Yoo, and Alice Zhang who took time out of their busy schedules to attend the event and be a resource for the students. We look forward to seeing NYU APALSA members taking part in upcoming AABANY events.
On Thursday, March 28th, AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee hosted a Resume Review Workshop in collaboration with Fordham Law School’s APALSA. Students had the opportunity to meet experienced attorneys and receive substantive feedback on their resumes. The attorneys also offered 1-on-1 advice about networking, job hunting, and answered questions about their respective practice areas. Attendees enjoyed chicken kebabs and Mediterranean tapas from Kashkaval Garden.
Thanks to all the Fordham APALSA members that attended. A special thanks to all the attorneys that took time out of their busy schedules to participate in the event and be a resource for the students. We look forward to seeing Fordham APALSA members taking part in upcoming AABANY events.
We also thank Aakruti Vakharia, Student Outreach Committee Co-Chair, for this write-up.
PALS would like to match you, a practicing attorney, with a recent law school graduate of color for The PALS Summer BAR Preparation Mentoring Program. You will simply serve as a supportive resource during this intense study period prior to the exam.
Please join us and commit 1 hour per week, for 8 weeks, to help positively guide a law graduate with time management techniques, work-life balance advice, and best practices for successfully passing the Bar. Be a reassuring advocate to build his or her confidence level while explaining the necessary commitment to this intense uninterrupted study period.
This year, the New York State Summer BAR Exam is scheduled for Tuesday, July 29th and Wednesday, July 30th.
