AABANY Celebrates Lunar New Year at MSG with the Knicks

On Tuesday, January 24, forty AABANY members, family and friends celebrated Lunar New Year at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks took on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The night was filled with memorable moments: The New Asia Chamber Music Society performed the national anthem and there was a special lion dance performance during halftime. Two of our members caught t-shirts that were fired into the crowd by cannons and during the third quarter AABANY even got a shoutout on the Garden Vision big screen. And to cap it all off, the Knicks won a nail biter by a score of 105-103.

Thanks to the Membership Committee for organizing another successful event and shoutout to the Asia Practice, Bankruptcy, Career Placement, Mentorship, Military & Veterans Affairs, Women’s, and Young Lawyers Committees for co-sponsoring.

AABANY Asia Practice Committee Co-hosts: Together for Christmas Dinner

On December 25, 2022, the Asia Practice Committee, along with the Membership, Student Outreach, Women’s, and Young Lawyers Committees, partnered to host a Christmas dinner and gift exchange event at 99 Flavor Taste in Manhattan Chinatown. Fourteen attendees filled the upper level of this Chinese restaurant to enjoy hotpot and BBQ.

After all guests arrived, each attendee gave a one-minute self-introduction, which gave the guests a good opportunity to learn more about each other. While enjoying the delicious fare, attendees played Two Truths and a Lie, a fun icebreaker.

After everyone ate, the Christmas gift exchange took place, with order determined by lottery. To receive the gift, the recipient had to repeat the self-introduction of the gift giver.

After Christmas dinner, some attendees went on to enjoy an after-dinner karaoke party.

The event welcomed a wide range of attendees, including law students, corporate and tax law practitioners, retired professors and their significant others, who gathered to celebrate Christmas even though they do not have family around in New York, finding home and family among their AABANY friends.

Thanks to the Co-Chairs and Vice Chairs of all the co-sponsoring Committees for helping to organize and promote this enjoyable event and to everyone who came. We look forward to more fun events from these Committees in 2023 and hope you can join them!

Asia Practice Committee Hosts First Event of the Year

On July 15, 2020 the Asia Practice Committee (APC) hosted their first event of the year, with around 20 participants attending the virtual happy hour. Attendees dialed in from across the country, with co-chair Jian Wu calling in from Beijing. Together with co-chair Conlyn Chan and Vice Chair Wen Zhang, they posed the icebreaker question: “What is your favorite activity to do during COVID?” Answers included biking, dancing, playing guitar, bread baking, and horseback riding. 

Participants were also polled about their motivations to attend APC events and what future content they would like to see. Guided by feedback, APC will look into hosting talks with Fortune 500 executives, general counsels, and law firm partners. Additionally, over the course of the next year, there are plans for events related to China-US business relations, COVID-19 impacts and solutions, and those that expand social networking opportunities for New York-based Asian Americans. 

The Asia Practice Committee was established in 2015 and provides a forum to network, learn, and attend events related to cross-border, international, and Asia-based law practice. For those who missed the event but would like to participate, please visit the committee’s webpage here. Feel free to reach out to the co-chairs to be added to the listserv and find out how to get more involved with the committee. 

AABANY Co-Sponsors: Career Development in Greater China for Law Students and Young Lawyers

On January 17, 2020, the Asia Practice Committee and Student Outreach Committee successfully co-hosted an event regarding career development in Greater China for law students and young lawyers, at Fordham Law School, 150 W 62nd Street.  The panel speakers included Han Deng from Reed Smith, James Hang Jiang from Mayer Brown, Karen R. King from Paul Weiss, and Jian Wu, Co-Chair of the AABANY Asia Practice Committee.  The panel shared their insights into legal career development in Greater China and the U.S. from a comparative perspective.

We thank Jian Wu for moderating and all the speakers for presenting this informative program. We thank all attendees for coming out for this program. We thank AABANY’s Asia Practice Committee and Student Outreach Committee for co-sponsoring this event. For more information about AABANY’s Asia Practice Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/582. For more information about the Student Outreach Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/121

AABANY Goes to the Opera: “La Bohème” at the Met

On Nov. 14, the Membership Committee together with the Asia Practice, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate Committees hosted a Night at the Opera, gathering about 30 AABANY members with friends and family to see a performance of “La Bohème” at the Met in Lincoln Center.

Before the performance a group of attendees mingled and enjoyed drinks and quick bites at the bar outside the Family Circle. Then, at 7:30, everyone went inside to take their seats. The AABANY contingent took up nearly three rows of seats.

For some it was a first-time experience that was greatly enhanced upon the discovery of subtitles that appeared on a thin bar that stretched across the row. Each person could see the subtitles displayed directly in front of them.

The sets were breathtaking and the score by Puccini was classic and timeless. The performances were excellent, and the main cast included two Asian Americans, with Hei-Kyung Hong playing the tragic character Mimi.

By all accounts, this event was a hit among those who attended. Talk is already brewing about another Night at the Opera. Stay tuned!

Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks especially to Membership Director Beatrice Leong for organizing the event.

AABANY Presents Corporate Law Program at NYU Stern Business & Law Association

On Thursday, Oct. 10, AABANY collaborated with the NYU Stern Business and Law Association (SBLA) to present a program on corporate law. The lunchtime program took place in Tisch Hall at the NYU Stern School of Business. The panelists included Michael Ye, an associate at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, and Vincent Jian Wu, international lawyer at Kobre & Kim. Michael spoke about the practice of corporate law from a transactional perspective, while Jian described it from the litigation and dispute resolution perspective. Both are AABANY members and Jian is co-chair of AABANY’s Asia Practice Committee. In attendance were undergraduates from NYU who are interested in learning more about the legal world and possibly pursuing law school or the legal profession as a career path. Those in attendance found the discussion engaging and the speakers impressive.

Thanks to former AABANY intern Jason Cheung for spearheading the outreach to NYU Stern, and thanks to Alex Chiang, Director of External Events, SBLA, and SBLA Co-Presidents, Gloria Zheng and Maurice Elbaz, for inviting us. We hope this event is the first of many as AABANY extends its outreach to students beyond law schools. (Thanks to Jason for the photos.)

Asia Practice Committee Hosts Dinner at Fogo de Chao

On August 6, some two dozen members of the Asia Practice Committee enjoyed various high quality cuts of steak, lamb, and pork as well as a market table salad bar filled with a colorful palate of fresh and flavorful ingredients at the legendary Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse in Midtown West. Taking advantage of the great deals being offered during New York City Restaurant Week, the Committee gathered to dine and chat about its mission and upcoming events, including a joint event with Supchina on December 4, 2019. We connected with old and new friends and enjoyed an amazing and very filling dinner.

Thank you to everyone who attended this event. Thanks also to our Committee Chairs for their leadership: Conlyn Chan, Alex Yong Hao, Chris Kwok, and Jian Wu . To learn more about the Asia Practice Committee and to contact the Co-Chairs, click here.

AABANY Co-Sponsors: The Third Annual APAC NYC Conference

On April 29, AABANY co-sponsored the “Third Annual Consilio APAC NYC Conference: Caught in the Crossfire: Navigating Regulatory, Transactional and Regulatory Risk in Light of Current US-China Relations” at Fordham Law School. The panel was comprised of several experts in the field: Karen King of Paul Weiss, Che Lai Chang of East West Bank, Brian Burke of Shearman & Sterling, Bill McGovern of Kobre & Kim, and Jon Shaman from Consilio, moderated by Geoffrey Sant of Pillsbury Winthrop. For a fuller description of the topical and timely discussion visit Consilio’s website at:

https://www.consilio.com/2019/05/recap-3rd-annual-consilio-apac-nyc-conference/

AABANY was the CLE provider and attendees were able to receive 1.5 credits in the Areas of Professional Practice requirement. Thanks to Consilio for including us in this insightful and informative program. Thanks also to our Asia Practice Committee for spearheading this event for AABANY. To learn more about the Asia Practice Committee, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/582.

A Primer on U.S. Bankruptcy and Intellectual Property Transactions

On January 29, 2019, the IP Committee, along with the Asia Practice Committee and Commercial Bankruptcy and Restructuring Committee presented the panel: A Primer on U.S. Bankruptcy and Intellectual Property Transactions. The panel discussed the basics of intellectual property transactions involving distressed companies in the United States.

To learn more about each of the sponsoring committees, click on the links below.

IP Committee: https://www.aabany.org/page/145

Commercial Bankruptcy and Restructuring Committee: https://www.aabany.org/page/353

Asia Practice Committee: https://www.aabany.org/page/582

Chinese American Veterans of World War II Honored with Congressional Gold Medal

On December 20, 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act into law. The Act finally recognizes the achievements and contributions of Chinese Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Second World War.

The bill passed due to the efforts of everyone involved in the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project. The mission of the project was to recognize, honor and celebrate the military service of approximately 20,000 Chinese Americans who fought in the Second World War.

Chris Kwok, AABANY Board Director, Issues Committee Chair and Asia Practice Committee Co-Chair, participated in the effort to get the legislation passed. Chris served on the Steering Committee of the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project and acted as Legal Counsel to the Committee.

Brian Song, AABANY President-Elect, and Chris Kwok, as AABANY Issues Committee Chair, also advocated for passage of the bill at NAPABA Lobby Day in Washington, DC, during APA Heritage Month in 2018.

AABANY commends Chris Kwok and Brian Song for their efforts and advocacy in support of getting this very important legislation passed.

To learn more, see: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/chinese-american-wwii-vets-receive-congressional-gold-medal-n950986