Tag: asian american

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AABANY Members Visit Capitol Hill for NAPABA Lobby Day

On May 22 and 23, 2023, AABANY members Yen-Yi Anderson, Vishal Chander, Chris Kwok, Rachel Lee, and Nandar Win Kerr converged on Washington D.C. for National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Lobby Day. Each year, NAPABA organizes the event to educate members of Congress on issues of importance to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. NAPABA Lobby Day is scheduled to coincide with AANHPI Heritage Month in May of each year.

AABANY members met with the legislative staff of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. They discussed issues such as support for the LGBTQ+ community, protection of the right to counsel in immigration, mental health support for AANHPI and other diverse communities, profiling persons of Chinese ancestry, state passage of alien land laws, and AANHPI judicial and executive nominees.

Rachel Lee, an associate at Allen & Overy LLP, shared, “I am happy to have participated in NAPABA Lobby Day this year. It was an educational and eye-opening experience to learn about different issues impacting the AANHPI community and be able to advocate for our community on Capitol Hill at various congressional offices with fellow NAPABA members. I highly recommend the program and would participate again in the future.”

NAPABA is the nation’s largest Asian Pacific American membership organization representing the interest of 60,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA Lobby Day activities include a 3-Part Training Event, Congressional office visits, and an AANHPI Heritage Month Congressional Reception.

Written By: Vishal Chander, active AABANY member and Co-Chair, Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee

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Franklin H. Williams Presents: “Empowered Asian American Leadership” AAPI Heritage Month Program at 60 Centre Street

On May 18, 2023, the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission presented “Empowered Asian American Leadership” at the New York County Supreme Court at 60 Centre Street, in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The program was co-sponsored by AABANY, the New York State Unified Court Systems Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Asian American Judges Association of New York, and the Asian Jade Society of the New York State Courts. 

AABANY member Hon. Jeffrey Oing, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, introduced the Keynote Address, “The Model Minority Victim,” delivered by AABANY member and former Chair of the AABANY: Anti-Asian Violence Task Force, Professor Elaine M. Chiu of St. John’s University School of Law.

Pre-recorded remarks by Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson commenced the program. 

Welcome Remarks were provided by:

Hon. Shahabuddeen A. Ally, Supervising Judge, New York County Civil Court and Acting Justice of the New York Supreme Court; President of AAJANY; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, and AABANY member

Hon. Troy K. Webber, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Co-Chair, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Hon. Richard Rivera, Acting Supreme Court Justice and Supervising Judge of the Family Courts, Third Judicial District; Co-Chair, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Karen Kim, Senior Counsel at QBE North America; President, AABANY

The program also included CLE presentations, introduced by AABANY member Rina Gurung, Judge, Housing Part, New York City Civil Court; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission.

“The Path to Success and Overcoming Obstacles” was moderated by the Hon. Austin D’Souza, Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York Kings County and AABANY member. Panelists were:

Hon. Zainab A. Chaudhry – Judge, New York State Court of Claims, and AABANY member

Lieutenant Henry Chen– New York County Civil Court, Co-Founder and President, NYSC

Asian Jade Society; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Hon. Raja Rajeswari – Chair, NYC Criminal Court Equal Justice Committee; Chair,

NYS Unified Court System Advisory Committee on Language Access

Hon. Toko Serita– Statewide Coordinating Judge for Problem-Solving Courts, NYS Unified

Court System, and AABANY member

“Positive Action to Combat the Perpetual Foreigner Syndrome and Empowering the Community” was moderated by the AABANY member Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, former Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission. Panelists were:

Joseb “Joe” Gim, Esq. – Chief, Criminal Court Unit, Kings County District Attorney’s Office

Christina Seid – Community Activist, Entrepreneur, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and AABANY member

President Frank H. Wu – President, Queens College, The City University of New York (CUNY)

Tony Walters, Director, New York State Unified Court System’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion provided Closing Remarks.

AABANY was privileged and honored to co-sponsor this event and thanks the Franklin H. Williams Commission for organizing it. AABANY thanks the speakers for sharing their knowledge and insights on important issues affecting the AAPI community. For more information about the Williams Commission visit their website at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/ip/ethnic-fairness/index.shtml

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NAPABA Announcement: NAPABA 2023-24 Elections Call for Nominations

Deadline June 30 at 8 pm ET

The Nominations and Elections Subcommittee is accepting nominations for Officer and Director candidates and applications for At-Large Board Member candidates for the 2023-24 NAPABA Board of Governors through June 30 at 8 pm ET. Officers and Directors are elected positions and At-Large Board Members are appointed to serve. 

As the nation’s largest Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) membership organization, NAPABA continues to grow exponentially—maturity, stature, and staff. The NAPABA Board of Governors cultivates the strategic direction of the organization, provides resources to achieve goals and strategy, and exercises oversight ensuring the advancement of NAPABA’s strategic plan. The governing Board of 23 and national staff of eight complement and collaborate with each other—together united with a shared focus on advancing NAPABA’s mission through different perspectives and actions.

NAPABA is committed to having a governing board that reflects the diverse AA and NHPI legal community and has the right blend of skill, expertise, community connections, and diverse perspectives. We value an inclusive culture that embraces our diversity and empowers leaders to engage with each other and the community in a meaningful way by building trust, increasing transparency, and maximizing impact. We seek outstanding individuals of high character and integrity with proven leadership and board governance skills and who have demonstrated a strong commitment to NAPABA. The deadline for Officer and Director nominations and applications for At-Large Board Member candidates is June 30, 2023 at 8:00 pm ET. 

To be considered for a NAPABA Officer, Director, or At-Large position, candidates must be a current individual member in good standing as of the date that the nominations or applications are submitted. 

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Congratulations to AABANY Immediate Past President William Ng on Being Named to the City & State’s 2023 Asian 100 List 

On May 1, City & State published their 2023 list of the Power Asian 100 in New York. As stated in the article: 

City & State’s Power of Diversity: Asian 100 list features these elected officials and also highlights other power brokers who are managing government agencies, running businesses, advocating for policy changes – and ensuring Asian Americans have a voice at the table.

AABANY is pleased to announce that our Immediate Past President William Ng has been named one of City & State’s Power Asian 100 at 56 on the list.

Please join AABANY in congratulating William Ng along with the following attorneys connected to AABANY (numbers in parentheses indicate ranking): 

Sandra Ung, New York City Council Member and Former AABANY Treasurer. (10)

Kevin Kim, Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services. Honored by AABANY with the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the 2022 Fall Conference, and past AABANY Board Officer. (10)

Frank Wu, Queens College’s first President of Asian descent. AABANY honored Frank Wu with the AABANY Impact Award at our 2021 Virtual Gala: Uniting for Justice and Equity. (22)

Faiza Saeed, Presiding Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a Sponsor of AABANY for many years. (40)

Asim Rehman, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Longtime AABANY Member. (46)

Preet Bharara, Partner, WilmerHale. AABANY honored Preet Bharara, when he was the United States Attorney of the Southern District of New York, at the Annual Dinner in 2015. (48)

Anna Mercado Clark, Partner, Phillips Lytle. Previously served as the Development Director of AABANY during FY2023 and currently President-elect of NAPABA. (78)

Tai Park, Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a long-time sponsor of AABANY. (91)

Vincent Chang, Partner, Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch. First Asian American President of the New York County Lawyers Association and past AABANY President 2007. (96)

AABANY congratulates all the accomplished individuals who appear in City & State’s 2023 Power Asian 100 List. 

To read the full article, please click here. 

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Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY) Statement Raising Concern about Newly Proposed Program Bill

March 30, 2023 – On behalf of the Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY), we would first like to congratulate the seven candidates who have been nominated to fill the Chief Judge vacancy on the New York State Court of Appeals. Our state’s highest court is a Court for the people, inclusive of every race, ethnicity, gender, religion and more. Likewise, the process of selecting the six Associate Judges and Chief Judge that make up this Court must be thorough and all-inclusive. We wish to emphasize the importance of a fair and thoughtful selection process for any future Associate Judge appointment and express concern over the newly proposed Program Bill.


There has never been an Asian American judge on the Court of Appeals. To date, there have only been five Asian American judges on the Appellate Division, and only in the First and Second Departments. Since 1979, the Commission on Judicial Nomination has published 37 nomination lists for appointment to the Court of Appeals. An Asian American candidate did not appear on a list until the 25th vacancy in 2012. In the entire history of the Commission on Judicial Nomination, an Asian American has only appeared on the list on five occasions.


Jeh Johnson’s report on Equal Justice in the New York State Courts, dated October 1, 2020, highlighted the significant deficiencies in the representation and promotion of Asian American and Latino judges. There are no Asian American or Latino American candidates on the Commission’s current list for the Chief Judge vacancy. On Monday, March 27, 2023, new legislation was proposed which would significantly modify the well-established procedure for filling an Associate Judge vacancy on the Court of Appeals. Were the Governor to select a sitting Associate Judge from the Court of Appeals as the next Chief Judge, and then select from this same list of nominees to fill that vacancy, there will be no opportunity for the Governor to consider an Asian American for the Associate Judge position. In fact, there will be no opportunity for the Governor to consider any candidate of color. Diversity of candidates is paramount in the selection process of an Associate Judge to our highest court, and so we call for that process to be complete, fair, and inclusive of all.

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Lobby Day Registration Now Open
Deadline to Register is April 20

NAPABA invites you to join us on May 22-23 in Washington, DC for NAPABA’s 12th annual Lobby Day, taking place in-person for the first time in three years!

The NAPABA Annual Lobby Day is an opportunity for NAPABA members from across the country to educate members of Congress and Congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Lobby Day also gives members an active role in promoting NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for AAPIs.

Lobby Day activities and events include:

  • 3-Part Training Event
  • Hill Visits
  • Happy Hour Debrief
  • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Congressional Reception (Open to the public. Pre-registration is required.)

Register Now

The deadline to register is April 20. Learn more about Lobby Day and bookmark the page for the latest information.

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NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Cindy K. Chung to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

For Immediate Release: 
Date: February 13, 2023		Contact:  Priya Purandare, Executive Director

WASHINGTON – February 13. The Senate confirmed Judge Cindy K. Chung to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is the first Asian American to serve as an appellate judge on the Third Circuit.

“NAPABA congratulates Judge Chung on her historic confirmation to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,” said Sandra Leung, president of NAPABA. “A dedicated public servant, Judge Chung broke barriers when she was confirmed as the first AAPI to serve as U.S. Attorney in Pennsylvania. Today, we celebrate our 16th active AAPI U.S. Circuit Court Judge.”

Before serving as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Chung served as a trial attorney in the Criminal Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where she prosecuted the first case under the Shepherd-Byrd Hate Crimes Act. She also served as an assistant district attorney at the District Attorney’s Office, New York County, and investigation counsel in the Official Corruption Unit. Chung began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Myron Thompson on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. from Yale University.

“Judge Chung is active in the Asian American legal community, including participating in community briefings and events addressing anti-Asian hate incidents with our affiliate the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania (APABA-PA). We congratulate Judge Chung on her confirmation,” said Priya Purandare, executive director of NAPABA.

NAPABA thanks President Biden for nominating Cindy K. Chung and Senator Casey, Senator Fetterman, and retired Senator Toomey for recommending and supporting her nomination.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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APABA-Indiana and NAPABA Statement on Purdue University Northwest Chancellor’s Remarks

WASHINGTON – The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana (APABA-IN), joined by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), strongly condemns the anti-Asian remarks by Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Chancellor Thomas L. Keon at the University’s commencement ceremony. APABA-IN and NAPABA requested a meeting with Purdue University leadership, including the President and Board of Trustees, to discuss investments to support for Asian American and other diverse students.

“Our membership, many of whom are proud and loyal Purdue alumni, are deeply disappointed by Chancellor Keon’s insensitive anti-Asian taunt,” said Judge G. Michael Witte, president of APABA-IN. “Chancellor Keon transformed what should have been a triumphant event celebrating the academic achievements of Purdue Northwest students into a national embarrassment. His comments highlight the continuing stereotypes that harm and hamper Asian American, immigrant, and diverse students throughout their education.”

Judge Witte continued, “While we acknowledge his apology, as noted in our letter to President Mung Chiang, we call on the University and the entire Purdue University system to make serious investments in creating a more inclusive environment – reflected in its curriculum, people, and services – that support their students and communities throughout Indiana. As AAPI lawyers who live and work across the Hoosier State, we are ready to work with Purdue to create a more supportive environment for all students in the state that recognizes the experiences and needs of our AAPI communities.”

“NAPABA joins the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana and strongly condemns Chancellor Keon’s mockery of Asians, Asian Americans, and those who speak other languages,” said Sandra Leung, NAPABA President. “As our research shows, stereotypes perpetrated by Chancellor Keon have pernicious and long-lasting impacts on AAPI lawyers throughout their careers, creating additional barriers and obstacles for them to overcome. We recognize that this event does not occur in isolation. It is part of a history of othering Asian American communities and a moment when acts of hate and discrimination are at unprecedented levels. We call on the University President and Board of Trustees to take additional steps to hold Chancellor Keon accountable and stand side-by-side with our members in the Hoosier State’s demand for and offer to support a serious investment by the Purdue University system in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

According to NAPABA’s recently released “Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0,” over 40% of AAPI lawyers surveyed reported overt discrimination and nearly two thirds have felt implicit discrimination in the workplace because of their race and ethnicity – including respondents who cited to teasing and ridicule of the kind displayed by Chancellor Keon.

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The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana (APABA-IN) is a voluntary bar association dedicated to the needs, concerns, and interests of the Asian Pacific American legal community in Indiana.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, 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 all backgrounds in the legal profession.

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In the News: President William Ng’s Op-Ed in Support of the Hon. Jeffrey K. Oing Published in the New York Law Journal

On December 15, the New York Law Journal published an op-ed titled, “Jeffrey K. Oing: The Chief Judge All New Yorkers Need Now,” written by President William Ng. The op-ed states in relevant part:

​​A New Yorker with over thirty years of legal and administrative experience, the majority of which has been in public service, Justice Oing stands out as the candidate with the most experience in all three branches of government — judicial, legislative, and executive.

This breadth of experience makes Oing the ideal judge to help make government work better for all New Yorkers.  Indeed, before his illustrious career on the bench, Oing served as Deputy General Counsel to the New York City Council and worked on issues such as re-districting under the Voting Rights Act. 

Earlier in his career, Oing provided legal and policy advice to the New Jersey State Governor and cabinet members on various pending legislation concerning constitutional law, civil justice, consumer affairs and employee relations. 

If Oing is nominated, Hochul will have full confidence that she is selecting an experienced judge who understands well how government works and who has dedicated his professional career to public service and delivering justice.

The op-ed concludes with the statement that New York has never had a judge of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent sitting on its highest court, and Governor Hochul would not only be appointing a highly qualified jurist to serve as Chief Judge, she would also be making history and adding much needed diversity to the state’s highest court.

To read the full op-ed, click here (subscription required).

We expect Gov. Hochul to announce her decision by Dec. 23, and AABANY continues to urge the Governor to nominate Justice Oing to be Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.

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AABANY Membership and Litigation Committees Co-Host #RestaurantSeries Dinner at No Strings Attached Noodle Bar

The latest #RestaurantSeries dinner was held on Thursday, October 26, 2022 at NSA Noodle Bar in Brooklyn. #Restaurant Series dinners are intimate and informal get-togethers to connect current and prospective members with various AABANY committees, designed to support Asian-owned businesses in the wake of the economic disruption caused by the pandemic. The dinner featured Membership Committee Co-Chair Dianna Lam and Litigation Committee Co-Chair Lois Ahn. The NSA Noodle Bar provided a three-course prix fixe menu with delicious options including miso arancini, panko crusted takoyaki, miso honey burrata, truffle tonkotsu ramen, among others. The crowd favorite was hands down the miso honey burrata appetizer.

The food was great, of course, but the conversations were even better. The group, sitting in a cozy corner of the restaurant, exchanged life stories, and discussed career trajectories and goals, working as a big law associate vs. an in-house lawyer, and, in light of the upcoming winter season, the best places to ski/snowboard.

Big thanks to those who came out, and please be on the lookout for future #RestaurantSeries!

To learn about the Litigation Committee, go to this page, and to learn more about the Membership Committee go to this page.