2014 NAPABA Convention: Convergence Program Proposals
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.
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.
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.
Legal Services NYC Annual Diversity Open House
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
From the MCCA’s Diversity & the Bar: BU40
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.
News from NAPABA: Perkins Coie Diversity Fellowship
During the summer of 2014, many Perkins Coie offices will offer a 1L Diversity Fellowship to students who have completed one year of law school. These fellowships provide students with a paid summer associate position and a $7,500 academic scholarship that is paid at the completion of the summer program.
More information on participating offices, eligibility, and application deadlines can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/ID30xb.
News from NAPABA: 25th Annual Convention Follow-up
Thank you to everyone who attended 25th Annual NAPABA Convention in Kansas City, MO. Without sponsors and members like you, we could not continue to serve as the national voice for the Asian Pacific American (APA) legal profession and to promote justice, equity, and opportunity for the APA community. We truly appreciate your commitment to NAPABA and to diversity in the legal profession.
Please take a few moments to read these convention updates:
Survey: Your feedback is very important to us. Click here to take our convention survey and you may be eligible to receive an iPad mini!
CLE Credits: Click here to confirm your bar number, jurisdiction, sessions attended, and to download your certificate(s) of attendance. Please note that approval is still pending in New Hampshire and Virginia. Kansas attorneys must submit an affidavit to the Kansas Continuing Legal Education Commission. The form is available on our online CLE site. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
Attendee List: Click here for a list of the 2013 Convention attendees.
Photos: Conventions photos have been posted online on NAPABA’s Facebook Page.
I look forward to continuing our relationship as we plan our 26th Annual NAPABA Convention, which will be held on November 6-9, 2014, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. Stay tuned for information about how you can get involved in the 2014 Annual Convention.
I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a very prosperous 2014!
Sincerely,
Tina Matsuoka
Executive Director
From our friends at PALS: Sign up to be a Mentor today!
ATTORNEY MENTORS
Strengthen the Legal Diversity Pipeline
by Sponsoring a PALS Mentee
The PALS Mentoring Program
Matches diverse law students with practicing attorneys,
who serve as professional development resources,
and has done so for more than 25 years.
Attorney Mentors Make an Impact
● Join a community of diversity champion attorneys mentoring the next wave of leaders of color in the legal profession.
● Be rewarded with your gift of sharing your time and talents with unparalleled networking opportunities.
● Positively guide a mentee’s career path, course selection and the road to success!
Become a Mentor Today!
Commit 2-4 hours per month
to a designated PALS Mentee.
Signup today at: www.palsprogram.org/mentor
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
ACTION REQUIRED
Attorneys Who Have Previously Created a Profile on the PALS Website:
1. Email [email protected] to indicate that you would like to be considered for participation in the mentoring program as a “mentor”.
2. Utilize Email Subject: “PALS 2013 Mentor”
3. PALS will respond to your email within 7 business days, indicating a completed mentor profile status.
4. Please log-in Here to update your profile today!
Attorneys who have NOT Created an Attorney Profile on the PALS Website:
1. Visit www.palsprogram.org/mentor and fill in all requested information on the online form.
2. PALS will respond to your email within 7 business days, indicating a completed mentor profile status.
Current Mentors:
We thank you for your willingness to volunteer as a mentor in the past. If you would like an additional PALS Mentee, or if you have lost touch with your PALS Mentee and are interested in being assigned a new PALS Mentee, please update your profile and let us know via email at [email protected] .
Attorneys matched through the program will be required to review the
PALS Mentoring Manual and sign a Participation Agreement with their mentor.
Please forward this email to colleagues who may be interested in mentoring.
If you have any questions or concerns about the PALS Mentoring Program, please contact the Executive Director of PALS, Paula Donaldson at: [email protected]