Thank You for Joining AABANY at Our 2025 Fall Conference: “Together We Thrive: The Power of Us!”

On Saturday, September 27, 2025, AABANY hosted its 16th Annual Fall Conference, themed “Together We Thrive: The Power of Us!” at New York Law School. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the school for hosting and supporting this gathering of the AAPI legal community. The day began with a buffet-style breakfast, during which attendees enjoyed coffee, pastries, bagels, and light bites, reconnecting with familiar faces and forming new connections. 

Morning Sessions 

From 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, participants attended one of three CLE panels:

Next, the 10:45 AM to 12:15 PM block featured:

Plenary Lunch & Trial Reenactment

At 12:30 PM, AABANY President Ben Hsing gave welcoming remarks to a packed Plenary Lunch Session, setting the stage for a live reenactment of the landmark cases Ozawa v. United States (1922) and United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923). The reenactment dramatized two pivotal cases from the early 20th century in which the U.S. Supreme Court denied naturalization to two Asian immigrants—Takao Ozawa, a Japanese immigrant who argued that his light skin and cultural assimilation qualified him as “white,” and Bhagat Singh Thind, an Indian Sikh man who claimed to be Caucasian, citing Aryan ancestry, to assert eligibility for citizenship under the “free white person” requirement.

The emotional resonance of the performance was heightened by the fact that the judges in the reenactment were sitting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women judges from state and federal courts. In the original cases, the highest court in the land had defined Ozawa and Thind as racially “other,” excluding entire communities from the privilege of citizenship. A century later, to see a full panel of AAPI women judges presiding from the bench—occupying the very institutional role that had once excluded people like Ozawa and Thind—was profoundly moving. The visual and symbolic contrast between the historical rulings and the present-day makeup of the judiciary underscored how legal institutions can be both instruments of exclusion and, over time, sites of transformation.

The reenactment was followed by a fireside chat with Professor Rose Cuison-Villazor moderated by Albert Tong, Student Outreach Committee Chair, which unpacked the historical and contemporary significance of these rulings in shaping concepts of citizenship, race, and identity. For many attendees, the moment crystallized both how far the community has come and how history continues to shape present realities.

Diversity Career Fair (DCF): Building Bridges Between Talent & Opportunity
Hosted by the Career Advancement Committee, the Diversity Career Fair (DCF) ran from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Employers from public, corporate, nonprofit, and legal services sectors hosted informational tables and, in some cases, first-round on-site interviews. Attendees engaged in meet-and-greets, exchanged resumes, and connected with recruiters and legal professionals. The DCF served as a vital platform for career exploration and networking within the AAPI legal community, allowing attendees ample opportunities to explore career openings by visiting employer tables and meeting with representatives from approximately 20 public and private sector organizations and companies.  On-site interviews took place with 5 of the participating employers, and resumes were collected from around 11 of the participating employers.

The Trial Advocacy Program (TAP): Hands-On Training and Mentorship from Eminent Trial Lawyers

Returning to the Fall Conference this year, TAP (Trial Advocacy Program) gave junior attorneys structured, mentored experience in key trial advocacy skills, with lectures, demonstrations, and exercises in opening and closing statements, as well as direct and cross-examinations. Participants prepared ahead of time, based on a mock trial problem, to present opening statements and conduct direct and cross-examinations before a faculty of experienced trial lawyers in breakout rooms, and received individual feedback and coaching. The program concluded with powerhouse closing argument demonstrations by two distinguished trial lawyers, Hugh Mo and William Campos, that captivated the audience. For video of Hugh Mo’s closing statement for the defense, courtesy of Mo Law Firm, see here.

Afternoon Sessions: Community & Innovation in Practice

From 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM, attendees had their selection of:

From 4:15 PM to 5:45 PM, programming included:

These sessions continued the balance between community impact and emerging legal trends.


Link-Up Reception: Cultivating Professional Connections

One of the highlights of the day was the Link-Up Reception designed to foster meaningful engagement between law firm attorneys and senior in-house counsel seeking external legal services. Open only to invited in-house counsel, Gold-level sponsors and above, and representatives from 2025 Annual Dinner and Winter Soiree sponsors, the Link-Up Reception was a benefit offered to higher-tier sponsors, giving them increased exposure and direct access to in-house decision-makers.

By offering a direct and selective networking opportunity in a concentrated timeframe, the Link-Up Reception helped to enhance business development possibilities and strategic connections for participating in-house and outside counsel.

Cocktail Reception and Trailblazer Award Presentation

Following the Link-up reception, a general Cocktail Reception was held. The Cocktail Reception created a more open, celebratory atmosphere where attendees – including attorneys, law students, and pre-law students –  could meet and mingle, after a full day of CLE and other programs. Attendees socialized, reflected, and strengthened connections over hors d’oeuvres and beverages. For many, the Cocktail Reception presented an excellent chance to connect with judges, seasoned practitioners, and peers in an informal setting — a space where mentorships may begin, collaborations were seeded, and the day’s theme of community and collective growth came to life in real time. 

During the Reception, following remarks by AABANY President-Elect Varuna Bhattacharyya, Hon. Justice Jeffrey K. Oing, former Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department, introduced Justice Kim.

AABANY’s Executive Director Yang Chen then presented the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award, honoring leadership, innovation, mentorship, and sustained community impact, to Hon. Judy H. Kim, Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County. In her acceptance speech, Justice Kim highlighted the importance of mentorship and community. She recounted a particularly memorable time when an intern wrote to her, “You have shown me into a world that I thought I would never be able to be part of, and the gift that you have given me is priceless.” These words left a deep impact on everyone, reminding us of the importance of mentorship in this competitive world. This celebration closed the conference on a note of recognition, gratitude, and community.

We extend deep thanks to:

  • More than 50 student volunteers from area law schools and colleges for providing wide-ranging support, including assisting with registration, logistics, and CLE sign-in and sign-out
  • Albert Tong, Chair of the Student Outreach Committee, for coordinating the volunteers before and during the Conference
  • Our sponsors, whose support made the Fall Conference and its educational, professional development, and networking opportunities possible
  • All moderators, panelists, program chairs, and above all, attendees, whose participation embodied the theme – “Together We Thrive: The Power of Us!”

For more photos of the event, please visit the links below:

Thanks to our photographers, Jessie Zhou (AABANY legal intern), Tohir Hodjakulov, and Shiyun Zhang (student volunteers).

We hope the 2025 Fall Conference enriched your professional journey and strengthened the bonds within our AAPI legal community. Thank you for being part of this signature AABANY event — we look forward to seeing you at future programs!

Important Information for Those Interested in Attending the Diversity Career Fair and Expo (DCF) at the 2017 AABANY Fall Conference

If you are planning to attend the DCF please note the following:

  1. The DCF is being held in conjunction with AABANY’s Fall Conference at Fordham Law School, on Saturday, September 23. To attend the DCF you must first be registered for the Fall Conference. You must also complete an intake form. DCF is scheduled to take place from 10:30 am to 4 pm. More details here on the Fall Conference website.
  2. Registration is open via the AABANY website at http://bit.ly/fc17reg
  3. If you are an AABANY member who has not paid to attend the Fall Conference, you can attend DCF – and only DCF – for free. You may NOT attend any of the programs at the Fall Conference, including the lunch session and the cocktail reception at the end of the day.
  4. To register to attend DCF for free as an AABANY member, click here.
  5. If you are not an AABANY member, you can join online and pay the appropriate membership fee at http://www.aabany.org/?page=J2.  Once you have done that, follow the instructions above in paragraph 4.
  6. If you are not an AABANY member and you are not interested in joining but you wish to attend DCF, then you must register for and pay to attend the Fall Conference at http://bit.ly/fc17reg.
  7. The deadline to sign up for onsite interviews passed on Sept. 7.
  8. If you have not already done so, please submit a copy of your resume to resume@aabany.org by Thursday, Sept. 14. In the subject line, please list 2017 DCF, your name and “Informational Tables.” Your resume will be included in a resume book that will be circulated to participating employers.

If you have any questions about DCF, contact careers@aabany.org.

Important Information for Those Interested in Attending the Diversity Career Fair and Expo (DCF) at the 2016 AABANY Fall Conference

If you are planning to attend the DCF please note the following:

  1. The DCF is being held in conjunction with AABANY’s Fall Conference at Skadden, on Saturday, September 24. To attend the DCF you must first be registered for the Fall Conference. You must also complete an intake form. DCF is scheduled to take place from 2 pm to 5 pm. More details here on the Fall Conference website.
  2. The early bird registration deadline is today, September 9. Registration closes on September 16. Due to capacity limits, we cannot accept registrations after September 16.
  3. If you are an AABANY member who has not paid to attend the Fall Conference, you can attend DCF – and only DCF – for free. You may not attend any of the programs at the Fall Conference, including the lunch session and the cocktail reception at the end of the day.
  4. To register to attend DCF for free as an AABANY member, contact Margaret Langston at margaret.langston@aabany.org, so that she will have your name on a list that we can give to Skadden for building security. You must notify Margaret by no later than September 16.
  5. If you are not an AABANY member, you can join online and pay the appropriate membership fee at http://www.aabany.org/?page=J2.  Once you have done that, follow the instructions above in paragraph 4.
  6. If you are not an AABANY member and you are not interested in joining but you wish to attend DCF, then you must register for and pay to attend the Fall Conference at http://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=820602. Note the deadlines above at paragraph 2.
  7. If you wish to apply for onsite interviews, we have extended the deadline to apply to September 14. To apply, you must submit applications for on-site interviews to resume@aabany.org and comply with these Pre-Screening Requirements. In the subject line, please list 2016 DCF, your name and the employers that you applying to (e.g., “2016 DCF – Jane Doe – Brooklyn and Queens DA”). You must do so by September 14, to give us enough time to review your application and match you for interviews. Either a member of the Career Placement Committee or the employer will notify you if you are selected for an interview.
  8. If you have not already done so, please submit a copy of your resume to resume@aabany.org by Monday, Sept. 12. In the subject line, please list 2016 DCF, your name and “Informational Tables.” Your resume will be included in a resume book that will be circulated to participating employers.