Press Release: Moon Festival Honoree Gala | Honorees Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 15, 2013

AABANY APPLAUDS NAAAP-NY’S SELECTION OF ALICE YOUNG AS THE 2013 CORPORATE LAW HONOREE AND YANG CHEN AS A 2013 COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARDEE FOR FIRST ANNUAL MOON FESTIVAL HONOREE GALA

NEW YORK – October 15, 2013 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) applauds the National Association of Asian American Professionals (“NAAAP”) New York’s selection of Alice Young as the 2013 Corporate Law Honoree and Yang Chen as a 2013 Community Excellence Awardee. 

NAAAP New York will recognize Ms. Young and Mr. Chen along with other honorees and leaders in the Asian American community during its first annual Moon Festival Honoree Gala to be held at Gotham Hall in New York City on Friday, October 25, 2013.  The Moon Festival Honoree Gala will honor New York’s most influential Asian & Pacific Islander Americans (“APIA”) in various professions, including media, public service, entrepreneurship, culinary arts and corporate (law).  Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was also named NAAAP-NY’s 2013 Public Service Honoree.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the NAAAP-NY Scholarship Fund, a program instituted over a decade ago to benefit APIA scholars in the greater New York metropolitan area.  The Honoree Reception will be hosted by Richard Lui, MSNBC Anchor.

“We congratulate Alice and Yang for being recognized by NAAAP-NY for their outstanding professional achievements and influence in the APIA community in New York.  Alice has been a consummate professional and a leader in corporate law for nearly four decades and Yang has quickly become a well-known and trusted leader in the greater APIA community,” said Mike Huang, AABANY’s President.

Alice Young is Special Counsel and Chair of the Asia Pacific Practice at Kaye Scholer. She advises multinationals and entrepreneurs on their business activities and investment considerations in the United States and throughout Asia, including complex cross-border transactions and sensitive legal and governmental strategies, and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). She also assists clients in identifying potential Asian partners and resources. She has been lead advisor on projects in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India and the Philippines. She has been in private practice for more than thirty-five years.

Alice has been based in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo and speaks Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and French. She is a member of the Board of Directors and on the Executive and Examining Committees of Mizuho Trust & Banking Co. (USA); member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Axis Capital Holdings Limited (AXS); Lifetime Trustee of the Aspen Institute and The Asia Foundation and Give2Asia.  Alice is listed in Who’s Who, Crain’s “Top 100 Minority Executives” (one of only three corporate lawyers named), by Avenue Asia magazine as one of the five most influential Asian-American corporate lawyers in the United States, and by Harvard Law Bulletin as one of the top 50 women graduates of Harvard Law School.

Alice was in the first class of women graduates of Yale College, where she majored in East Asian Studies. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Alice was a member of the East Asian Legal Studies Program.

Yang Chen is the Executive Director of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), a position he has held since August 2009.  Mr. Chen is AABANY’s first Executive Director.  He has been active in AABANY for many years, having served on the Board and numerous committees, including the Judicial Affairs (now Judiciary) Committee, of which he was a chair.  Mr. Chen served as AABANY’s President in 2008. Before becoming AABANY’s Executive Director, Mr. Chen was a partner in the firm of Constantine Cannon, a law firm specializing in antitrust and complex commercial litigation.  He was among the group that founded the firm in 1994, which started as Constantine & Associates. Before joining Constantine Cannon, Mr. Chen was an associate in the New York office of McDermott, Will & Emery and before that he was associated with Breed, Abbott & Morgan (now Winston & Strawn).  Mr. Chen is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the United States District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.  He is a graduate of the New York University School of Law and Binghamton University.

###

The Asian American Bar Association of New York was formed in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent the interests of New York Asian American attorneys, judges, law professors, legal professionals, paralegals and law students.  The mission of AABANY is to improve the study and practice of law, and the fair administration of justice for all by ensuring the meaningful participation of Asian Americans in the legal profession.

NAAAP New York is the founding chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). The organization was founded over thirty years ago, and today has thousands of members in 27 chapters across North America.  As a 501©(3) non-profit organization, NAAAP is dedicated to developing and advancing Asian Americans across all industries and career stages by providing premier career-oriented and cultural programming.

Additional information about NAAAP New York’s 2013 Moon Festival Honoree Gala is available at http://naaapny.org/10-25-2013-moon-festival-honoree-gala/

 

AABANY Labor & Employment Committee in Formation

On Wednesday, October 9, 2013, sixteen Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys attended AABANY’s general interest meeting for Labor and Employment Law practitioners to discuss the formation of a new committee to promote the education of work place issues affecting employees and employers in the Asian American community. The group also discussed ways to promote the professional development of APA lawyers practicing Labor and Employment Law through networking events, continuing legal education (CLE) programs and community outreach initiatives. The group will be planning a career panel for attorneys and law students interested in labor and employment law and a program to address “hot topics” in labor and employment law affecting employees and employers in the Asian American community.

Attendees at the meeting included attorneys representing employees/unions, employers/management, and federal, state and local government agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and New York State Department of Labor.

AABANY thanks Dechert LLP for hosting and providing refreshments for the meeting and Littler Mendelson for providing dinner for the attendees. If you are interested in participating in the group’s next event or would like further information about how to get involved, please contact William Ng at [email protected] or Amy Luo at [email protected].

From our friends at AAF: SAVE THE DATE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH CARRION SET

Please join the Asian American Federation, Coalition for Asian Children and Families, and their membership agencies in meeting the top 3 Mayoral candidates.  Because of scheduling challenges, they are scheduling each candidate individually for 1 hour to hear each candidate’s vision for the city, the growing APA population and how he hopes to engage our community. 

The first meeting is Thursday, October 17th  at 2 pm at the Federation office, 120 Wall Street- 9th Floor. 

They are confirming the meeting with Joe Lhota for the following week.  Details will be sent out.

The format for all these meetings will be a roundtable discussion to learn more about his platform and will also give our community an opportunity to ask questions.  

As the leading social justice voices for New York City’s APA community, AAF and CACF encourage you to make the time to join them to hear what each candidate has to say so we can all be informed New Yorkers.  There will also be an opportunity for participants to ask questions of the candidate.  If there are specific issue areas that you have questions about, please send AAF and CACF the topics that you would like to discuss so that they can ensure that they will be able to cover as many diverse issues as possible.

They will be sending out additional information next week, but please RSVP to [email protected] or [email protected] as soon as possible.  

From our Friends at CACF: Coalition for Asian American Children & Families Report Release

Join Us Thursday, October 10th!

Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count

Presentation & Reception

When:             Thursday, October 10, 2013

Time:               5:00 PM–  7:30 PM

Where:             Sunshine Sachs

                          136 Madison Ave, 17th Floor

                          New York, NY 10016

The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and the Fund for Public Ad­vocacy invite you to attend a presentation and reception for our Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count project on Thursday, October 10th from 5:00pm – 7:30pm, generously hosted by Sun­shine Sachs at 136 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor. 

The Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count project is a partnership effort to create awareness and action to support the fastest growing community in New York City, Asian Pacific Americans. At our October 10th event, we will present our report and recommendations for action from our comprehensive analysis of demographic data, a Community-Based Organization survey, data on New York City services, and information on funding for the Asian Pacific American commu­nity of over 1.1 million individuals.

We hope you will join us and other community leaders to share your ideas and support for the needs of the changing face of New York City on October 10th.

Please RSVP to Andrea Wu by Monday, October 7th.

Seating is limited!

For other questions and concerns, please contact Dabash Negash at [email protected] or (212) 669-4092

The Fund for Public Advocacy and the Coalition for Asian American Children & Families thank the Ong Family Foundation for generously supporting the Asian Pacific New Yorkers Count project.

NAPABA APPLAUDS NOMINATION OF THEODORE CHUANG TO SERVE AS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2013

Contact: Emily Chatterjee
(202) 775-9555

NAPABA APPLAUDS NOMINATION OF THEODORE CHUANG TO SERVE AS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama nominated Theodore Chuang to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. If confirmed, Chuang will be the first person of Asian descent to serve as a federal judge in the state of Maryland, and the first person of Asian descent to serve as an Article III judge in any of the courts covered by the Fourth Circuit.

“We commend Theodore Chuang on his historic nomination to the federal bench,” said Tina Matsuoka, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “Mr. Chuang is exceptionally qualified to serve on the federal judiciary in Maryland. We also applaud President Obama’s ongoing commitment to nominating qualified Asian Pacific Americans to serve on the federal courts.” If all of the current Asian Pacific American judicial nominees are confirmed by the Senate, President Obama will have more than tripled than the number of Asian Pacific American federal judges since he first took office.

Mr. Chuang currently serves as Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he has worked since 2009. Previously, Chuang was the Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in 2009 and Deputy Chief Investigative Counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2007 to 2009. From 1998 to 2004, Chuang served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts. Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Chuang was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Chuang also has been active in community service. He has held leadership positions with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, District of Columbia Bar, and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area.

NAPABA commends President Obama for nominating Theodore Chuang to the bench and Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin of Maryland for their support of his nomination.

###

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 66 state and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

AALDEF seeks Pro Bono Volunteer Attorneys for Asian American Poll Monitoring for Primary Elections Sept 10th

To Download the volunteer form click here.

Pro Bono: Asian American Poll Monitoring

NYC Primary Election – September 10, 2013

Training on Monday, Sept. 9 at 12N at Fried Frank, 1 New York Plaza, New York, 10004

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is seeking pro bono volunteer attorneys to assist in monitoring poll sites during the NYC Primary Elections on September 10 to assess compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act.

In past elections, Asian Americans have faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote.  For example, poll workers were hostile and made racist remarks, poll sites had too few interpreters to assist Asian American voters, translated voting materials were missing or hidden from voters, and ballots were mistranslated.

 Volunteers are needed to inspect poll sites for required language assistance, interview voters, and document instances of anti-Asian American voter discrimination.

There will be a ninety minute training session for all volunteers hosted by Fried Frank on Mon., Sept. 9 at 12N.  Lunch will be provided.  All volunteers must be non-partisan during the time that they help.  To sign up, complete the registration form.  Thank you! 

For more information, contact:

Glenn D. Magpantay or Jerry Vattamala at [email protected],[email protected] or call 212-966-5932.

’22 Lewd Chinese Women’ and Other Courtroom Dramas

’22 Lewd Chinese Women’ and Other Courtroom Dramas