Tag: diversity

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Empire Justice Center Diversity Clerkship Program – Rochester, New York

This program seeks to increase diversity in the legal profession in the Rochester area by attracting qualified second-year law students from historically under-represented groups, including racial and ethnic minorities or those who grew up in low income households, to work in a paid position with our organization. By providing a Rochester-based work experience to law students of diverse backgrounds, we believe we are moving toward the long-term goal of increasing diversity in the legal community.

Empire Justice Center strongly believes that a diverse work force results in better service to clients and a better work environment for attorneys and staff. We are committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting attorneys who contribute to the overall diversity of the legal community in Rochester.

The summer clerkship is expected to run for no longer than ten weeks in total and will include a $6,650 stipend.

Program Specifics (subject to change):

1. Application: Eligible second year law students are required to submit a formal application, current resume, law school transcripts, a personal statement and the designated writing sample on or before the submission deadline of Thursday October 30, 2014 to [email protected].

2. Interview: Based on the application materials submitted, qualified candidates will be invited to Rochester for an interview conducted by members of the Diversity Clerkship Hiring Committee and various staff attorneys of the organization, on Saturday November 22, 2014.

Students must secure their own transportation to Rochester for the interviews; however, students facing challenges traveling to Rochester should contact Rebecah Corcoran for potential assistance or to discuss alternatives.

3. Selection Process: After the interviews, the Diversity Clerkship Hiring Committee will rank students based on the following criteria (being an agent for social and economic change, commitment to and interest in legal services, writing skills and interview/interpersonal skills) and then will select the student who will be offered the Clerkship, along with alternates.

4. Offers: The selected student will be given three days to accept the initial offer. If the offer is declined, the position will be extended to an alternate until the position is filled.

TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION ON PLEASE VISIT

www.empirejustice.org, Your Career Placement Office or Symplicity.

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XEROX CORPORATION GENERAL COUNSEL AND ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER DON LIU TO RECEIVE TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director (718) 228-7206

NEW YORK – June 5, 2014 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that Don Liu, General Counsel & Secretary of Xerox Corporation and a member of AABANY’s Advisory Committee, has been awarded the Roderick Palmore Pathmaker Award by InsideCounsel magazine as part of its Fifth Annual Transformative Leadership Awards.  Mr. Liu and his fellow Transformative Leadership Award winners will be honored at a gala dinner on September 17, 2014 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.

Selected for their commitment to their efforts in accelerating the economic empowerment of women within corporate law departments and law firms, the recipients of Inside Counsel’s Transformative Leadership Awards are general counsels or chief legal officers of their organizations chosen by a group of general counsels and partners respectively from top companies and law firms. InsideCounsel is a unique media outlet for news and business insights dedicated to the interests of general counsel and other top in-house legal professionals since its founding in 1991.

“AABANY applauds InsideCounsel in recognizing Don Liu with the Roderick Palmore Pathmaker Award for his efforts in promoting the advancement of women in the legal profession,” said AABANY President Clara Ohr.  “This latest award adds to an impressive list of honors reflecting Don Liu’s prioritization of diversity as a core value in his own career, the legal departments he oversees, and the law firms he engages.”

For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community.  Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole.  AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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Additional information about AABANY is available at www.aabany.org

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2014 NAPABA Convention: Convergence Program Proposals

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There is still time to submit program proposals for the 26th Annual NAPABA Convention, Convergence: Collaborating for a Grand Tomorrow, taking place in Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ from November 6–9, 2014. Topics that celebrate the diversity and unity of NAPABA and provide practical solutions and advice for our attendees’ development are encouraged.

Please note the extended deadline. Program proposals must be submitted to this online form by 8:00 pm ET on Friday, April 25. The program proposal submission guidelines can be viewed here. Please email NAPABA Special Events Coordinator Pia Rivera with any questions.

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SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK SEEKING CANDIDATES FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT PANEL

NOTICE TO THE BAR
CONTACT: Karen Van Outryve 212-417-8741

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK SEEKING CANDIDATES FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT PANEL

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is seeking applicants for the SDNY Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel.  Applications are available on the court’s website at www.nysd.uscourts.gov/cja.php. Completed applications must be addressed to David Patton, Executive Director of the Federal Defenders of New York, and submitted electronically by May 31, 2014 to [email protected]; no paper applications will be accepted.

The CJA Panel is comprised of private attorneys who are authorized to serve as appointed defense counsel pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3006A. To qualify for a position on the CJA Panel, attorneys must be members in good standing of the Southern District and have proven experience and competency in the field of federal criminal defense work. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of attorneys that will forward its recommendations to the Southern District Board of Judges’ Defender Services Committee. The Court is committed to increasing the diversity of the applicant pool and encourages qualified female and minority lawyers to apply for positions.

Candidates can apply to be a member of either the Foley Square or the White Plains CJA Panels, or to both panels. CJA Panel attorneys commit to being “on duty” one day every four to six months if a member of the Foley Square panel and approximately one day every month if on the White Plains panel. On that “duty day,” CJA attorneys represent clients when the Federal Defender has a conflict; the hours of duty are from 9:00 a.m. until the closing of the Magistrate Judges Office, which is sometimes after 5:00 p.m. CJA Panel members serve a three-year term and are reimbursed at the rate of $126/hour for in-court and out-of-court time.

“Our justice system owes a great debt to the efforts of CJA attorneys,” said United States District Judge Cathy Seibel, who leads the Southern District’s Defender Services Committee. “They are instrumental to fulfilling the Constitutional mandate that every defendant has a right to
counsel.”

Southern District Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska said, “The Southern District’s CJA Panel is the best in the nation, and we are fortunate that so many capable attorneys take part in this program.”

Attorneys can also apply for membership on panels that represent defendants in capital cases and in non-trial work, primarily habeas corpus proceedings. In addition, the Southern District also sponsors a mentoring program that helps identify and prepare experienced state court
practitioners for appointment to the Panel. While the mentorship program is aimed at increasing the diversity of the Panel, the program is open to all.

Contact Peter Quijano at 212-686-0666 or Anthony Ricco at 212-791-3919 for more information on the mentorship program.

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AABANY Co-sponsors: Achieving Diversity in ADR

The AABANY Litigation Committee encourages anyone interested in pursuing a career as a neutral (arbitrator, mediator, etc.), and, in particular, learning about the specific advantages and challenges as a person of color, to attend the New York State Bar Association’s program entitled, “Achieving Diversity in the ADR Field: Overcoming Old Challenges and Seeking New Opportunities.” The program will be held on Tuesday, March 25th from 5:30-9:00 p.m. and, because AABANY is a participating and sponsoring bar association, the program will offer 2.5 FREE NY CLE credits in Skills to all AABANY members. A panel of renowned ADR providers, scholars, and administrators will discuss their practices for recruiting and selecting neutrals, the efforts they have undertaken to diversify their rosters of neutrals, and their efforts to further expose the users of their ADR services to racially and ethnically diverse panels of arbitrators and mediators. Another panel, moderated by AABANY member Theo Cheng, and comprising distinguished ADR neutrals, will provide perspectives on how to navigate a successful career as a neutral; recommending specific networking, marketing, and promotional activities; discussing how best to leverage diversity issues; and providing practical tips for increasing the opportunities for being selected as a neutral. Finally, there will be a discussion about strategies for addressing cross cultural issues in dispute resolution, followed by a networking reception. For more information go to http://bit.ly/nysbareg.

P.S. For those of you who are experiencing difficulties registering via the NYSBA’s website, you can alternatively send an email to Beth Gould at [email protected] with your full contact information (name, address, email, phone number), indicating that you are a member of AABANY. She will handle registering you for the event.

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Legal Services NYC Annual Diversity Open House

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February 27, 2014 – Diversity Open House is an unique opportunity for law students to learn about the important work done at Legal Services NYC, to meet our attorneys and find out about internship, fellowship and possible employment opportunities. Legal Services NYC is the largest provider of free civil legal services in the country and has neighborhood programs in all five boroughs. See, www.legalservicesnyc.org

The format of the Open House is fairly informal. The first hour of the program is table time. Each Legal Services NYC program will have a table staffed by an attorney or two who is available to meet with law students. Then there is a program consisting of brief staff presentations about our vital work and innovative projects. After these presentations there is time for more tabling. The Open House will end with a reception with light refreshments and this is another opportunity for students to meet and network with staff attorneys. Leadership from the various offices will attend the event

All law students must rsvp by February 20, 2014 to diversitycommittee@ls-nyc. org

Open House Program

4:30pm to 5:30pm – Networking and Tabling

5:30pm to 6:15 pm – Welcome: Raun Rasmussen

Innovative Projects Presentations on

  • Immigration Law Project
  • LGBTQI Project
  • Veterans Justice Project
  • Loan Forgiveness Programs

6:15pm to 7:30pm – Networking and Tabling

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From the MCCA’s Diversity & the Bar: BU40

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The National Asian Pacific Bar Association (NAPABA) celebrated its 25th Annual Convention in Kansas City, MO, last November.  The four-day convention was themed Momentum to celebrate the continuing growth and progress in the Asian Pacific American (APA) legal community, and brought more than 1,200 attendees to the show-me state.  Among awards given out at the annual convention is the highly coveted NAPABA Best Lawyers Under 40 (BU40) Award. MCCA’s bi-monthly publication, Diversity & the Bar, profiled these award recipients, including AABANY members and leaders, Mike Huang, Michael Park and Asim Rehman, in the January/February 2014 issue. Read more here.