AABANY Hosts 2025 Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street 

On May 29, 2025, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) hosted its 36th Anniversary Annual Dinner at the elegant Cipriani Wall Street, under the theme: “Together We Thrive: The Power of Us!” Held once again during Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, the event welcomed approximately 750 guests, including attorneys, judges, prosecutors, in-house counsel, government officials, and community leaders.

The evening began with an invitation-only General Counsel Reception, attended by nearly 50 General Counsels and many invited guests. We extend our deepest thanks to the General Counsel Reception sponsor, Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone, for helping us launch the evening on a high note.

Simultaneously, guests gathered in the West Ballroom for the Cocktail Reception, where attendees reconnected, made new connections, and posed for photos at the step-and-repeat.

The program kicked off with a warm welcome by CeFaan Kim, returning as our Master of Ceremonies for the second year. He then invited Immediate Past President Joseph D. Eng Jr. to the stage. In his thoughtful remarks, Joseph reaffirmed AABANY’s commitment to empowering AAPI voices and encouraged the audience to uplift one another, noting, “The brightness of our futures depends not only on how we respond to challenges, but how we lift each other up in the process.”

Honoring Leadership and Service

AABANY proudly presented the 2025 Women’s Leadership Award to Professor Elaine Chiu of St. John’s University School of Law, recognizing her unwavering commitment to advancing inclusion and supporting students from marginalized communities. A moving tribute video chronicled her career and community service, including her leadership of AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force and her role in publishing the landmark report, Endless Tide: The Continuous Struggle to Overcome Anti-Asian Hate in New York. In her speech,  Elaine acknowledged how nearly everyone in the room shared a respect for the law since “the law feeds and nourishes our families, but it also feeds and nourishes our beliefs about humanity, our country, and our identity as Americans.” She spoke about how, throughout her formative years and career, she always had wanted to help people and had faith and hope in the rule of law. She urged the audience to hold faith in the legal system and to “show up, stand up, and speak up.”

Next, Executive Director Yang Chen introduced the updated prologue to the documentary Voices Against Anti-Asian Hate, produced by AABANY’s Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. The documentary features interviews with survivors of anti-Asian hate crimes and community supporters. Yang announced that the documentary has been submitted to the Asian American International Film Festival and spoke of the film’s impact in sharing survivor stories and elevating awareness. With that, dinner was served. 

Celebration and Recognition

As guests enjoyed a delicious dinner, they took the opportunity to network and connect with fellow attendees. Yang Chen returned to the stage to recognize the many judges and dignitaries in attendance.

The Law Firm Leadership Award was then presented to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, in recognition of the firm’s outstanding commitment to cultivating legal talent and building a pipeline of future leaders. Partner Eric Huang accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

The evening’s final honoree, Henry Hadad, received the 2025 AABANY Corporate Leadership Award. A video tribute highlighted his impactful career in intellectual property law and his dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. In his remarks, Henry honored role models like Sandra Leung and emphasized the role of IP law in the American Dream: The ability to protect your inventions, brands, and artistic creations is part of the American Dream. He closed with a powerful reminder: Whatever your politics, the erosion of the law threatens us all… . We must protect the integrity of our legal system, our government, our courts, our judges, and our colleagues.

Spotlight on the Don H. Liu Scholars

This year’s Don H. Liu Scholars—Chloe Guo, Mikka Vapor, and Teja Kim—were recognized for their achievements and potential. A short film highlighted the legacy of the program, followed by inspiring remarks from past Scholars Jin Kim and Manleen Singh, who shared the program’s lasting impact on their professional journeys.

Presidential Remarks and Closing

AABANY President Benjamin C. Hsing delivered his remarks with warmth and humor, acknowledging those who made the evening possible and recognizing the resilience of the legal profession in these challenging times. He spoke about the importance of providing “first chances”—opportunities that can launch careers and create lasting impact. He declared, Together, through the power of us, we can do that! 

Ben then welcomed President-Elect Varuna Bhattacharyya to close the evening. She encouraged attendees to become members, congratulated the honorees and Don Liu Scholars, and expressed her appreciation to the many sponsors, officers, Board members, and Committee Chairs who made the night possible.

Afterparty and Acknowledgments

The celebration continued at the Mezzanine afterparty, where guests mingled into the night until 11:00 PM.

We thank the 2025 Annual Dinner Planning Committee, all our volunteers, and President Benjamin C. Hsing for their tireless work in making the evening a success.

We are especially grateful to our generous sponsors, whose support enables AABANY to continue its vital work on behalf of the AANHPI legal community and the broader community we serve. Special thank-yous and acknowledgement to our Diamond, GC Reception, Platinum, and Gold Sponsors:

Diamond: Broadridge 

General Counsel Reception: Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone

Platinum: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (f/k/a Kramer Levin)

Gold: 

Lastly, we thank everyone who attended the 2025 Annual Dinner for making our 36th anniversary so special and memorable. You can view the photo albums from the 2025 Annual Dinner at the links below.

2025 Annual Dinner Photos by J. McClinton

2025 Annual Dinner Photos by Karen Zhou

2025 Annual Dinner Photos by Gerald Pineda

AABANY Hosts 2024 Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street to Celebrate our 35th Anniversary

On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, AABANY hosted its 2024 Annual Dinner with the theme “Building a Strong Foundation for a Brighter Future” at Cipriani Wall Street. Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of AABANY, the event was hosted again during Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month with over 700 attorneys, judges, prosecutors, in-house counsel, government officials, and dignitaries who came out to celebrate with us at the Annual Dinner.

The event began with an invite-only General Counsel Reception which was attended by 40 General Counsels and numerous sponsor guests. We thank our General Counsel Reception sponsor, Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone for helping us start off the night strong! To see the full list of General Counsels who accepted AABANY’s invitation, please click here.

The General Counsel Reception occurred simultaneously with a Cocktail Reception in the West Ballroom where numerous guests mingled, caught up with each other, made new connections, and took photos at the step-and-repeat.

After the Cocktail Reception, the dinner and program began with CeFaan Kim as the night’s excellent host and charismatic Master of Ceremonies. First course was already plated as CeFaan kicked off the program. He invited to the stage Karen Kim, Immediate Past President, to deliver her remarks as the outgoing President. She was followed by our first honoree, Iris Lan, Esq., recipient of AABANY’s Public Service Award.

Iris began her speech by praising AABANY for its work in preventing AAPI Hate, as well as its support for the AAPI legal community. To close out, Iris told a story attributed to United States Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson. The story was centered around three stone basins: “Each stone basin represents a judge or a lawyer,” Iris stated. “Some see their work as merely a way to earn a living. Others perhaps view their work as applying legal precedent molding their decision.” Iris then described the third stone basin as one that builds a “cathedral,” representing the building of a path for others to walk through. She thanked AABANY, as an embodiment of this third basin, for “building the cathedral of the future.”

After Iris received her reward, a short video was shown, celebrating 35 years of AABANY. It discussed the birth of AABANY as an organization established to support the community of AAPI legal professionals and the wider AAPI community. It then chronicled AABANY’s growth from a small group that would host social events to an organization with a wide-reaching mission and membership. It also delved into how AABANY contended with the COVID-19 pandemic and the uptick in anti-Asian hate, and the birth of the anti-Asian Violence Task Force. 

Following the 35th anniversary video, White & Case LLP was presented with the Law Firm Diversity Award for its dedication to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal field. Sylvia Chin accepted the award on behalf of the firm. Congratulations to White & Case on this well-deserved honor. To read more about the award, read the press release here.

After a brief time for guests to continue networking, AABANY was proud to honor the Honorable Denny Chin, United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, with AABANY’s Impact Leadership Award

Judge Chin delivered a powerful speech on the importance of resilience and highlighted some of his most memorable career moments, such as sentencing Bernie Madoff in 2009.   

In addition, we presented the 2024 class of Don H. Liu Scholars: Felicia Hou, Grace Koh and Yangji Sherpa. Read more about the program here. Before this year’s class of DHL Scholars was presented, a short film celebrated the tenth anniversary of this program and its many accomplished and worthy recipients.

The dinner ended with a short trailer for the documentary, Voices Against Anti-Asian Hate, produced by the AABANY Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. The film featured numerous victims and survivors of anti-Asian hate, including Justin Go, father of Michelle Go, who spoke eloquently about her murder in January 2022. After the trailer played, CeFaan Kim stated, “Do not be afraid, and make sure you are heard.”

Next, AABANY President Joseph Eng made closing remarks, celebrating community leaders, former presidents of AABANY, and founders in attendance, as well as discussing the “next 35 years” of AABANY, expressing the hope that the paths those leaders and founders had forged would become familiar ones for success. He envisioned a future where “exceptional is the norm,” where AAPI voices are strong and heard throughout the legal community and beyond, and where young AAPIs are encouraged and inspired to enter the profession. He finished by again congratulating the night’s award winners, thanking the sponsors, and finally thanking his wife, Alejandra. 

After the dinner, attendees who wished to extend the celebration went up to the Mezzanine for the afterparty, which continued until midnight.

We thank the AABANY 2024 Annual Dinner Planning Committee and volunteers for their hours of hard work to organize this annual dinner and making it a celebration to remember. Thank you to AABANY 2024 President Joseph Eng for his leadership of the 2024 Annual Dinner Planning Committee.

We gratefully acknowledge all our sponsors whose generous contributions allow us to continue our work of supporting the AANHPI legal community and the AANHPI community as a whole. Thank you to our top sponsors: 

Lastly, we thank everyone who attended the 2024 Annual Dinner for making our 35th anniversary so special and memorable. You can view the photo albums and videos from the 2024 Annual Dinner here

Please save the date for the 2025 Annual Dinner taking place on May 29, 2025. 

AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee Holds 2022 Summer Soiree at Castell Rooftop Lounge

On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee held its annual Summer Soiree at the Castell Rooftop Lounge located atop AC Hotel New York Times Square. The beautiful midtown skyline served as the perfect backdrop to a memorable night filled with hors d’oeuvres, a variety of drinks, wines, cocktails, and many conversations. Around 100 senior in-house lawyers and senior law firm attorneys and partners attended the networking event. This was the first Summer Soiree held in person since 2019, with the 2020 soiree being canceled due to COVID-19, and the 2021 soiree held over Zoom at the beginning of 2022 as the Winter Soiree. Everyone seemed happy to be gathering in person again for this popular event.

Photo by Karen Zhou

Attendees discussed various topics ranging from career pivots during the pandemic to favorite pastimes and hobbies. While munching on mini lobster rolls and sipping curated cocktails, attendees also heard from AABANY’s Co-VP of Programs and Operations, Beatrice Leong, In-House Counsel Committee Co-Chair, Blossom Kan, and Immediate Past President, Terry Shen. Some spectacular photographs from the night taken by Karen Zhou can be found linked here

The attendees formed a diverse cohort, representing 74 companies across industries, including Apple, Meta, Johnson & Johnson, McKinsey & Company, Inc., and top global and regional law firms. 

Photo by Karen Zhou

We thank and acknowledge the following sponsors for helping us make this event possible:  

Broadridge

Baker McKenzie

BDO

Covington & Burling LLP

Thank you to all our attendees, and we hope to see everyone again at next year’s Summer Soiree. To learn more about the In-House Counsel Committee go to: https://www.aabany.org/page/149 

Photo by Karen Zhou

In-House Counsel Committee Hosts Winter Soiree to Network over Wine and Trivia

On Wednesday, January 26th, AABANY held a virtual Winter Soiree featuring a lively sommelier-led wine tasting and trivia games. Organized by the In-House Counsel Committee, the event brought together more than 50 senior in-house lawyers and corporate law firm attorneys. Companies represented included Mastercard, MetLife, Google, and Goldman Sachs. Attendees streamed in from a variety of locations across the United States, from California to New York.

The evening was full of fun, excitement, and laughter as Brooklyn Winery guided attendees through a Chardonnay and Cuvée Noir tasting. Attendees received tasting kits ahead of the event, which included bottles of wine, a bottle opener, tasting glasses, “make your own wine label cards” and virtual wine games instructions. There were two rounds of trivia, the first focusing on wine and winemaking, the second on wine and pop trivia. Attendees also mingled in breakout sessions after each round to get to know each better or to catch up.

Susie Dare from Marsh & McLennan won the trivia games and was gifted a tasting kit from Brooklyn Winery – congratulations, Susie!

Social media post by attendee featuring wines tasted and activity sheet.

The event was made possible by our headline sponsors:

We would also like to thank our sponsors 

Thank you to all our attendees, and we hope to see everyone again at next year’s soiree (which we hope will be in person). To learn more about the In-House Counsel Committee go to: https://www.aabany.org/page/149

AABANY Celebrates Founders’ Day with Gov. Hochul

On October 28, 2021, AABANY’s Membership Committee, together with the Career Placement Committee and IP Committee, hosted the first annual Founders’ Day at Broadridge’s New York office in midtown Manhattan. Surrounded by dramatic views of the New York skyline, the event celebrated AABANY’s thirty-second year as an association serving AAPI legal professionals and the AAPI community. This celebration honors the founders who helped form AABANY in 1989. Hon. Doris Ling Cohan, Hon. Marilyn Go, Sylvia Chin and Rocky Chin joined the party as honorees. Approximately 50 members and friends gathered together to connect and re-connect over food and drinks. President Terry Shen was joined by many Board members and Committee Chairs for the occasion. Towards the end of the party, the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, made a special appearance and gave remarks commending the achievements of AABANY over the past three decades, including fighting Asian hate and serving the AAPI community. As the first female Governor of New York state, she encouraged more women to enter public service. 

We hope to establish Founders’ Day as an annual event. Thanks to Governor Hochul, the Founders, and the AABANY leadership for attending and making this first Founders’ Day a memorable one. Thanks also to AABANY’s Diamond Sponsor, Broadridge, for making this event possible at their beautiful space. To see more photos of the event, go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CmBvkiEJTY7TeSLYA

The Membership Committee’s next big event is a Night at the Opera to see “Turandot” at the Met. Please register now: https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1564041. Tickets are going fast.