Congratulations to Hon. Kiyo Matsumoto, Recipient of the Conner Inn Excellence Award

On January 16, 2019, Hon. Kiyo Matsumoto, District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, was honored at the Conner Inn Annual Dinner.

The mission of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court is to promote excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills for judges, lawyers, academicians, and students of law and to advance the education of the members of the Inn, the members of the bench and bar, and the public in the fields of intellectual property law.

Judge Matsumoto, a long time member of AABANY, was presented with the Conner Inn Excellence Award, at the Union League Club of New York, for her commitment and dedication to the promotion of excellence in the legal profession.

Please join AABANY in congratulating Judge Matsumoto on this well-deserved award and honor.

Chief Judge Dora Irizarry, EDNY(l.), with Judge Kiyo Matsumoto upon her receipt of the Conner Inn Excellence Award. (Photo courtesy of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court.)

Congratulations to Michael J. Rhee

On February 21, 2019, the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA) at St. John’s University School of Law recognized Michael J. Rhee as the 2019 APALSA Honoree during their Lunar New Year Reception at China Blue-Tribeca. AABANY congratulates Michael J. Rhee on his recognition as the 2019 APALSA Honoree.

Michael J. Rhee received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law in 1998 and went on to lead a remarkable legal career. Mr. Rhee had served as a Special Counsel in the real estate department at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.  Currently, Mr. Rhee is Vice President and General Counsel of the Durst Organization, one of the most prominent real estate companies in New York City. As Vice President and General Counsel, Mr. Rhee advises on leasing, acquisitions, construction and development activities, as well as the corporate and legal needs of the company. Mr. Rhee also oversees insurance and collections and manages outside counsel.

Michael J. Rhee is not only a distinguished member of the legal community, he is also an active one. He has been an AABANY member since 2015, and he is a member of the In-House Counsel Committee. Mr. Rhee is also a member of the Leadership Advisory Council of the Korean American Lawyers Associations of Greater New York. Please join AABANY in congratulating Mr. Rhee on this well-deserved recognition.

From left to right: Christopher Arcitio (St. John Law Alum & Former AABANY Intern), Anna Chen (St. John Law Alum & Former AABANY Intern), Michael J. Rhee, Yang Chen (Executive Director at AABANY)

Annual Meeting of Members 2019

On Wednesday, February 13, 2019, AABANY held its Annual Meeting of Members at Wachtell Lipton. President James R. Cho called the meeting to order and established quorum. Elections were held for the 2019 Board of Officers & Directors and President James R. Cho presented the Year in Review. President James R. Cho also announced a new initiative to help AABANY law students find summer internship positions.

Executive Director, Yang Chen, presented the report of the Committees and then presented awards honoring several members and committees for their dedication to AABANY over the past year. Immediate Past President Dwight Yoo and President-Elect Brian Song tallied the votes.

The following officers were elected and will begin their term on April 1, 2019:

Sapna Palla
President-Elect

Tiffany Miao
Vice President, Programs and Operations

David Sohn
Vice President, Programs and Operations

Margaret Ling
Development Director

William Hao
Treasurer

Secretary – Vacant

Beatrice Leong
Membership Director

The following candidates were elected as Directors to serve two-year terms starting on April 1, 2019:

Dai Wai Chin Feman

Suzanne Kim

Chris Kwok

Edward Lee

Marianne Chow Newman

Terrence Shen

Andy Yoo

The following awards were presented:

Committee of the Year: The In-House Counsel Committee

For their excellent programming and activities that have benefited AABANY’s members and the community of legal professionals in New York.

Program of the Year: The AABANY Leadership Development Program

For helping to develop future leaders and contributing to the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession in New York.

Member of the Year: Edwin Kim

For his exemplary record of service and leadership as Co-Chair of the Student Outreach Committee and Labor and Employment Law Committee and in coordinating volunteers for numerous programs and events.

Congratulations to all the officers and directors who were elected to the Board.

Congratulations to all the honorees for the recognition of their achievements and hard work in 2018.

We would like to thank our members for attending and participating in the annual meeting, and we also thank Edward J. Lee and Wachtell Lipton for hosting the meeting in a beautiful space, treating us to a delectable selection of food and light refreshments.

(Thanks to AABANY Program Associate Dave Singh for the write-up and photos.)

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

Congratulations to William Ng

AABANY congratulates William Ng on being elevated to Shareholder at Littler Mendelson. Will served on the AABANY Board in multiple capacities, most recently as Vice President of Finance and Development. He was one of the founding co-chairs of the Labor & Employment Law Committee. For the official press release from Littler see:

https://www.littler.com/publication-press/press/littler-elevates-28-attorneys

Littler was featured as the Sponsor Spotlight in the Winter Issue of The Advocate. To read more about the firm click here.

Please join us in congratulating Will on his achievement and in wishing him continued success in his future endeavors.

Congratulations to Ushir Pandit-Durant on Her Historic Induction as Queens Supreme Court Justice

On December 21, the Hon. Ushir Pandit-Durant made history as the first South Asian judge elected to New York State Supreme Court in Queens and the first South Asian woman judge elected in New York State. Justice Pandit-Duran was sworn in by the Hon. Randall T. Eng (ret.), former Presiding Justice of the Second Department, New York State Appellate Division. Justice Eng was the first Asian American elected judge in New York State so it was especially fitting for one trailblazer in the Asian American community to swear in another trailblazer. Hon. Joseph Zayas, Administrative Judge of the Queens Supreme Court, Criminal Term, presided.

Justice Pandit-Duran began her career as a Prosecutor in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, serving there with distinction for 25 years before being elected to New York City Civil Court in 2015, becoming the first South Asian to hold that elected office.

The induction took place at the Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. Numerous speakers, including elected officials and community leaders, extolled Justice Pandit-Duran’s exemplification of the American Dream, coming here at age 10 not speaking a word of English and rising up to become a top prosecutor and now judge. As a South Asian, Justice Pandit-Durant reflects the diversity of Queens, one of the most diverse boroughs of New York City, with a large Asian population. Justice Pandit-Durant is herself a bar leader, having served as the first President of the South Asian Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens.

AABANY congratulates Justice Pandit-Durant on her historic election and wishes her continued success and achievement as a Justice of the Supreme Court.

Congratulations to Hon. Peter Tom, Recipient of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Public Service Award

On November 30, 2018, Hon. Peter Tom of the Appellate Division, First Department, was presented with the Distinguished Public Service Award by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of the City of New York, at the Chamber’s 2018 Benefit Fundraising Dinner held at the Jing Fong restaurant. The event was attended by over 1,000 guests representing Chinatown’s businesses, family associations and community groups.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1904 by Chinese businessmen in New York City and registered with the Imperial Chinese Government. This organization was formed to promote and support Chinese commerce and businesses in the Chinese communities. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in New York State in 1932.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce Public Service Award recognizes Justice Tom’s contributions to New York State and the Asian American community. Please join AABANY in congratulating Justice Tom on this well-deserved award and honor.

Super Lawyers – New York Metro 2018 Supplement

Super Lawyers – New York Metro 2018 Supplement

Congratulations to Jennifer Wu, AABANY Women’s Committee Co-Chair, on Rising Stars Award

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The New York Law Journal recognized Jennifer H. Wu on October 10, 2018 with a Rising Stars Award, given to 29 of the region’s most promising lawyers under 40.  Awardees are acknowledged for their influence in their practice areas in New York and beyond, developing unique practice niches, employing creative uses of technology, amassing robust books of business, demonstrating strong leadership qualities, showing expertise in litigation or transactional work, contributing to the improvement of their institutions, and committing themselves to pro bono, charitable and professional volunteer work.

Jennifer is a partner in Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP’s Litigation Department and focuses her practice on patent litigation matters. Jennifer frequently goes to jury and bench trials in federal district courts and trials before the International Trade Commission. She also represents clients in appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. She has litigated patents in a wide variety of technical areas, with a particular emphasis on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Jennifer’s work on biologics includes litigating issues of first impression as to the BPCIA, and her patent litigation experience also extends to GPS devices, DNA sequencing technology, and medical devices.

Jennifer directs Paul, Weiss’s first pro bono project expressly for Asian Americans, helping parents of special-needs children obtain services from the New York City Department of Education. Jennifer has also worked with the Innocence Project for over a decade, including on eyewitness misidentification, death penalty, and Shaken Baby Syndrome issues. She is a Board member of the Federal Circuit Bar Association; co-chair of the Women’s Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York; a Board member of Friends of UNFPA, which supports the work of the United Nations reproductive health and rights agency; and an Advisory Board member of the NYU Law Alumni of Color Association.

For more information on this award, please click here (subscription required).

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer Wu on this well-deserved honor and recognition.