On Wednesday, February 27, 2019, AABANY hosted its 30th Anniversary Annual Dinner: United in Action and Vision: Towards 2020 Together at Cipriani Wall Street. The dinner attracted over 700 attorneys, judges, prosecutors, in-house counsel, government officials, and dignitaries and sponsorships from more than 55 law firms and corporations.
This year AABANY was proud to honor:
Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, with the Public Service Leadership Award
Gabrielle Lyse Brown, Executive Director, Diversity and Inclusion for Morgan Stanley, with the Women’s Leadership Award
Deneen Donnley, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of USAA, with the Corporate Leadership Award
Davis Polk & Wardwell with the 2019 Law Firm Diversity Award
In addition, we were also pleased to present scholarships to this year’s class of Don Liu Scholars.
We thank all of the AABANY Annual Dinner Planning Committee members and volunteers for their hard work in making this year’s celebration a huge success.
We extend sincere thanks to all of our sponsors. Their generous sponsorships make it possible for us to pursue our mission to advance the interests of the Asian Pacific American (APA) legal community and the communities we serve and support our many activities and signature events throughout the year.
Lastly, we thank everyone that attended the 30th Annual Dinner and celebrated with us.
WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the Asian Pacific America Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ) congratulate Gurbir S. Grewal on his nomination by New Jersey Governor-Elect Phil Murphy to serve as the attorney general of New Jersey. When confirmed, Grewal will be the first Asian Pacific American to serve as the attorney general of New Jersey and the first Sikh American to serve as a state’s attorney general in the nation.
“We congratulate Gurbir Grewal on his historic nomination to serve as attorney general of New Jersey,” said Pankit J. Doshi, president of NAPABA. “An accomplished lawyer and public servant, Mr. Grewal has demonstrated his commitment to the community and the skills needed to lead the state’s law enforcement agency. Following the recent xenophobic incidents in New Jersey, his appointment is a reminder that diversity is something we all value. As a member of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey, he serves as a role model to attorneys and law students around the nation.”
“This is truly a historic moment,” said Jack Chan, president-elect of APALA-NJ. “APALA-NJ congratulates Prosecutor Grewal on this well-deserved accomplishment, and we applaud Governor-Elect Murphy for making the nomination.”
Grewal currently serves as the Bergen County prosecutor, a position to which he was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie in 2016. From 2010 to 2016, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, including two years as the chief of the Economic Crimes Unit. Previously, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York and in private practice at Howrey LLP.
Grewal is a member of APALA-NJ and a 2017 recipient of the APALA-NJ Trailblazer Award for his leadership in the legal community. Grewal graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1995. He obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, 202-775-9555, [email protected]; or Arupa Barua, APALA-NJ vice president of communications, at[email protected].
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of almost 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.
The Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ) founded in 1985 and incorporated in 1993, is the largest specialty bar association that collectively represents the interests of Asian and Pacific American lawyers in the State of New Jersey. APALA-NJ educates its members and the community about issues of critical concern to Asian Americans, and it supports the entrance and advancement of Asian Americans into and within the legal profession.
