NAPABA Seeks Volunteer General Counsel
NAPABA Seeks Volunteer General Counsel
NAPABA is searching for a pro bono General Counsel to advise the NAPABA Board of Governors and the NAPABA Executive Director on a broad range of legal issues. The General Counsel also acts as a key strategic partner to the Board and Executive Director by providing guidance on many non-legal governance matters.
The General Counsel should be a senior-level, highly respected lawyer who has been active in NAPABA and who has some familiarity with the organization’s history and leadership. The General Counsel does not need to possess any particular legal background, but s/he should have access to other lawyers at his/her firm who could provide specialized expertise in areas such as non-profit governance, Illinois corporate law, employment, contracts, privacy, public communications, and non-profit tax. Although NAPABA is incorporated in Illinois and based in Washington, D.C., issues do arise from time to time that require expertise in the law of other jurisdictions. For these reasons, although association with a large firm is not required, it could be very helpful to the General Counsel in executing his/her duties.
To recommend a candidate or for more information, please contact NAPABA Executive Director Tina Matsuoka at tmatsuoka@napaba.org.
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.napaba.org
The Durst Organization
AABANY congratulates Michael Rhee on his recent promotion to General Counsel of the Durst Organization. According to the company’s website:
For 100 years, The Durst Organization has been a family-run business dedicated to the principles of innovation, integrity, community, and sustainability. We develop, build, own, and manage premier office towers and residential buildings that set new standards in environmental responsibility and user efficiency. Our enduring relationships with our tenants and partners are critical to our success and have made us generations of builders, building for generations.
As Vice President and General Counsel, Michael Rhee supports The Durst Organization’s leasing, acquisitions, construction and development activities, as well as the corporate and legal needs of the company. Michael also oversees insurance and collections and manages outside counsel.
Prior to joining The Durst Organization in 2012, Michael was Special Counsel in the real estate department at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Michael began his legal career at Battle Fowler LLP and spent 14 years in private law firm practice.
Michael has a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law, where he was an Articles and Notes Editor for the St. John’s Law Review, and a Bachelor of Science. from Cornell University.
From the Durst Organization’s press release:
“Over the past five years, Michael and his team have been instrumental to numerous
commercial lease closings and acquisitions,” said Jonathan (Jody) Durst, President of The Durst
Organization. “He provides outstanding counsel, produces a tremendous quantity of work that
impacts the entire organization and is an invaluable member of our senior management team.”
Please join us in congratulating Michael on this major achievement! (Follow the link in the title for his photo and bio.) For the full text of the press release, click here.
Target Names Don Liu as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
Target Names Don Liu as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
Please join us in congratulating the new Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Target and long-time AABANY friend Don Liu.
Don continues to inspire a younger generation of attorneys through his unparalleled accomplishments in the legal industry. We are proud to have had his leadership and mentorship. We thank him for his many years of service as a leader and friend and wish him the utmost luck in his new role at Target.
See below or click on the link above to see Target’s press release.
MINNEAPOLIS – July 14, 2016
Liu replaces Tim Baer who will retire July 2017
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) today announced Don Liu as executive vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel, effective August 22, 2016. Liu will oversee all legal, corporate governance and government affairs matters for the company. He will report to chairman and chief executive officer Brian Cornell and serve as a member of Target’s leadership team.
Liu replaces Tim Baer who will be retiring in July 2017 after 23 years with the company. Baer joined Dayton Hudson as assistant general counsel in 1994. He will serve in an advisory role for the next 12 months, supporting Liu’s transition to Target and ensuring the process is seamless.
“Tim’s leadership has been integral to Target’s success and we are grateful for his years of service. In all his years with the company, Tim has been a true guardian of the Target brand, bringing a sharp legal mind and rock-solid judgement to every challenge. He was a trusted voice on our leadership team, managing and mitigating issues and influencing our business during a time of intense change. He also developed a strong team of in-house legal talent and was a respected advisor to our board of directors. On behalf of the entire team, I thank Tim for the tremendous contributions he made to our brand and our business,” said Cornell. “As Tim transitions to retirement, I look forward to welcoming Don to our team. His extensive legal expertise as well as his deep business acumen will help us continue to navigate the increasingly complex business environment with the highest standards of ethics and integrity. I know Don will be an excellent addition to our leadership team.”
Liu, 55, joins Target from Xerox Corporation where he has served as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary since 2007. In that role, he was responsible for all of Xerox’s legal and government affairs matters. Prior to Xerox, Liu was senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Toll Brothers, Inc. and senior vice president and general counsel for Ikon Office Solutions. Liu has extensive professional affiliations, including being a member and former chairman of the board of directors for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and former chair of the in-house counsel committee of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
“I am privileged to join Target as general counsel. I have long admired Target and the legal team behind the brand. Joining the organization will provide me with an incredible opportunity to bring my passion for the law to one of the great retail companies in America. I look forward to building Target’s business and positively impacting its reputation,” said Liu.

Photo by Karen Zhou, taken at AABANY’s 2016 Annual Dinner.
StoneMor Partners L.P. Names Austin So General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
StoneMor Partners L.P. Names Austin So General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
TREVOSE, Pa., July 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – StoneMor Partners L.P. (STON) (“StoneMor” or the “Partnership”) today announced that Austin So has been appointed to the newly created position of General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary effective July 5, 2016.
So joins from Heraeus Incorporated, where he served most recently as Division General Counsel and Secretary of this Fortune Global 500 manufacturing conglomerate, leading a team of lawyers in Germany, China and the U.S. Among his many roles at Heraeus, So managed all U.S. litigation and international litigation involving U.S. entities. He negotiated a broad range of commercial agreements, helped support global M&A and other transactions and oversaw compliance for various divisions on company code of conduct, antitrust, export control and other issues. Prior to joining Heraeus, So practiced both corporate transactional law and litigation at top New York law firms. He was recently named by the MCCA (Minority Corporate Counsel Association) as a 2016 Rising Star.
Larry Miller, President and CEO of StoneMor Partners said, “We are thrilled to have Austin join the StoneMor team. The newly created position will provide a key perspective on the execution of our business plan. Austin’s broad legal background as both in-house counsel and outside attorney makes him uniquely qualified to provide legal expertise and strategic counsel and we look forward to his contributions.”
About StoneMor Partners L.P.
StoneMor Partners L.P., headquartered in Trevose, Pennsylvania, is an owner and operator of cemeteries and funeral homes in the United States, with 307 cemeteries and 104 funeral homes in 28 states and Puerto Rico.
StoneMor is the only publicly traded death care company structured as a partnership. StoneMor’s cemetery products and services, which are sold on both a pre-need (before death) and at-need (at death) basis, include: burial lots, lawn and mausoleum crypts, burial vaults, caskets, memorials, and all services which provide for the installation of this merchandise. For additional information about StoneMor Partners L.P., please visit StoneMor’s website, and the investors section, at http://www.stonemor.com.
Congratulations to Myung Kang-Huneke!

Myung Kang-Huneke, AABANY Advisory Committee Member, will be honored at KALAGNY’s 28th Anniversary Gala. Myung Kang-Huneke is Executive Vice President and General Counsel & Secretary at Sesame Workshop. She is being honored for her role as a Trailblazer within the Korean American legal community. The award will be presented on June 10th at the Harvard Club. For more information on KALAGNY’s 28th Annual Gala, please click here.
PRESS RELEASE: Xerox General Counsel and New York Asian Bar Association Advisory Committee Member Don Liu to Receive ‘Legend of Law’ Library of Congress Burton Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 7,2014 Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director (718) 228-7206
XEROX CORPORATION GENERAL COUNSEL AND ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER DON LIU TO RECEIVE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS “LEGEND OF LAW” BURTON AWARD
NEW YORK – May 7, 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 named one of the “Legends in Law” by the Burton Awards Program in association with the Library of Congress.
Nominated by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Don Liu was chosen among the general counsels nominated by managing partners of the nation’s 1,000 largest law firms. The winners are selected based on their reputation in the legal profession, demonstrated competence in a specialized area of law, extensive background and experience, complexity and scope of matters handled, success in global or national issues, and exemplary leadership in law. The Burton Awards were established in 1999 by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit academic effort devoted to recognizing excellence in the legal profession.
“AABANY congratulates Don Liu for this latest prestigious honor recognizing his exceptional legal career,” said AABANY President Clara Ohr. “As one of the numerous beneficiaries of Don’s tireless efforts to champion diversity and inclusion through his guidance, individual mentoring, and raising mainstream awareness, AABANY is pleased but not at all surprised the Burton Foundation has selected him as a ‘Legend in Law.’”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to main@aabany.org.
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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America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel | National Law Journal
America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel | National Law Journal
The National Law Journal recognizes lawyers who have what it takes to run exemplary in-house legal departments.
Congratulations to AABANY Advisory Committee members Don Liu of Xerox and Sandra Leung of Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company for being recognized as being among America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel!
Both Don Liu and Sandra Leung have been recognized as AABANY’s Annual Dinner Honorees in 2009 and 2010, respectively. AABANY also extends congratulations to other AABANY Annual Dinner Honorees in the 50 Outstanding General Counsel list: Ivan Fong (1998), Thomas Sager (2010), Susan Blount (2012), and Randal Milch (2014).
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The 2013 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference hosted by Weil Gotshal featured a packed afternoon with several CLEs to keep attendees busy. Session 3 commenced at 2:30 pm and CLE topics included: “How do GCs Manage Crisis and Government Investigations,” “E-discovery and the New Ethical Rules for Non-Litigators,” “The Right to Vote: Asian Americans and the Struggle Over who Can Vote and How,” and much more, including the afternoon portion of the all-day Trial Advocacy Program (TAP).
“How do GCs Manage Crisis and Government Investigations” was one of our most popular CLE programs. The panel was moderated by Don Liu, Corporate Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Xerox. Panelists included Stuart Alderoty, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel at HSBC, Bruce Bettigole, Partner at Sutherland, Katy Choo, Chief Investigative & Anti-Corruption Counsel at General Electric, and Sandra Leung, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Session 4 started at 4PM with well-attended CLEs: “The Partner Track: Fiction v. Reality,” “Common Sense Immigration Reform,” and “General Counsel Roundtable.”
Outside of the CLE programs, Robert Leung, Michael Park, and Gurinder Singh, of the newly formed AABANY Career Placement Committee, held one-on-one meetings throughout the day, in the morning and afternoon, with many individuals interested in the participating in the committee and the AABANY Career Exchange.
Many thanks to all of our speakers and moderators for contributing their time in preparing for and serving on their panels. AABANY would like to thank all staff, volunteers and attendees for participating in the conference.










