Tag: honoree

Posted on

2024 NAPABA Awards | Announcing Don Liu as the NAPABA INSPIRE Award Honoree

For Immediate Release:
Date: August 28, 2024		Contact:
Maureen Gelwicks, Deputy Executive Director

NAPABA Honors Don Liu with the NAPABA INSPIRE Award

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to announce that Don Liu, who recently announced his retirement as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer of Target Corp., will receive the NAPABA INSPIRE Award. The NAPABA INSPIRE Award is presented to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions of national significance towards achieving representation and influence for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) in the legal profession and society. The NAPABA INSPIRE Award has been awarded only twice in NAPABA’s history — the first time to former Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakayue of the California Supreme Court in 2010, and the second to George Takei, actor, author, and activist, in 2016.

Don Liu, a nationally renowned leader and legal counsel for several of the Nation’s most recognized corporations, has made a steadfast, lifelong commitment to ensuring that AANHPI attorneys can thrive and advance to the highest levels of the legal profession. He co-founded NAPABA’s 10X10 Initiative and later the 20X20 Initiative, originally designed as an aspirational “stretch” five-year effort to place 20 AANHPI General Counsels at Fortune 500 companies by 2020. The initiative was so successful that it inspired the current 50X25 Initiative and the development of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Poder 25 Initiative, for which Don serves as a strategic advisor. Don Liu founded NAPABA’s In-House Counsel (IHC) Network, served as its first chair, spearheaded the creation of NAPABA’s IHC Summit and IHC Mentoring Program and continues to be active in its programs. Under Don’s leadership, the IHC Network has assisted countless AANHPI attorneys in gaining greater professional visibility and helped promote countless AANHPI lawyers into senior in-house counsel positions.  

“Don Liu recognized early on his career that the barriers he faced as a young attorney can be overcome, and he helped build an entire infrastructure to steer and guide AANHPI lawyers on a path to success,” said Anna Mercado Clark, President of NAPABA. “The NAPABA INSPIRE Award is a testament to Don’s dedication to increasing diversity in the profession, his courage in standing up for a more just society, creativity and vision, and his relentless dedication in mentoring hundreds of young attorneys.”

The NAPABA INSPIRE Award also recognizes Don Liu’s contributions towards improving our community on a national scale. Responding to the overwhelming need to deliver legal services to victims, Don Liu, together with several Asian American leaders within the legal profession, founded the Alliance for Asian American Justice. The Alliance brought together the collective power of both large law firms and legal departments to form a pro bono legal services network dedicated to ensuring that victims of hate would receive the legal assistance that they need. It provided opportunities not only for firms, but also for corporations to join the collective effort opposing anti-Asian hate.  For these reasons and many more, NAPABA is privileged to recognize the incredible work and dedication of Don Liu with the NAPABA INSPIRE Award.

NAPABA will formally present the award during the Gala at the 2024 NAPABA Convention in Seattle on Saturday, November 9.  

###

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 80,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.

Posted on

AABANY Co-Sponsors Inaugural Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program

AABANY co-sponsored the Inaugural Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program on May 31, 2023, organized by and held at the Appellate Division, Second Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

Congratulations to Hon. Randall T. Eng, Retired Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department for this award named in recognition of his tremendous and trailblazing career and impact on the AAPI community. 

Congratulations to Congresswoman Grace Meng, 6th Congressional District. As the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State, it is only fitting that she is the first recipient of the Hon. Randall T. Eng award. Congresswoman Meng’s advocacy for the AAPI community is impactful and far-reaching and AABANY applauds her tremendous work and service, including her work towards the creation of a national museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. 

Congratulations to Presiding Justice Hector D. LaSalle and the Appellate Division, Second Department with the successful launch of the Hon. Randall T. Eng Award Program. 

The Program included remarks from:

Hon. Lara J. Genovesi, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department

Hon. Hector D. LaSalle, Presiding Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department

Letitia James, New York State Attorney General

Melinda Katz, District Attorney of Queens

Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department

Karen Kim, President, AABANY

Chief Judge Hon. Rowan D. Wilson was also in attendance, as well as the distinguished judges of the Appellate Division, Second Department, and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. We would also like to extend our appreciation to the Associate Judges of the Court of Appeals, Hon. Madeline Singas, Michael Garcia, and Anthony Cannataro, for their attendance.

It was a privilege to collaborate with the Hon. Lillian Wan and the co-sponsoring bar associations: KALAGNY, FALANY, SABANY, MUBANY, and SAICBAQ. This event provided a meaningful and memorable way to celebrate and close out AAPI Heritage Month.

Posted on

Franklin H. Williams Presents: “Empowered Asian American Leadership” AAPI Heritage Month Program at 60 Centre Street

On May 18, 2023, the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission presented “Empowered Asian American Leadership” at the New York County Supreme Court at 60 Centre Street, in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The program was co-sponsored by AABANY, the New York State Unified Court Systems Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Asian American Judges Association of New York, and the Asian Jade Society of the New York State Courts. 

AABANY member Hon. Jeffrey Oing, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, introduced the Keynote Address, “The Model Minority Victim,” delivered by AABANY member and former Chair of the AABANY: Anti-Asian Violence Task Force, Professor Elaine M. Chiu of St. John’s University School of Law.

Pre-recorded remarks by Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson commenced the program. 

Welcome Remarks were provided by:

Hon. Shahabuddeen A. Ally, Supervising Judge, New York County Civil Court and Acting Justice of the New York Supreme Court; President of AAJANY; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, and AABANY member

Hon. Troy K. Webber, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Co-Chair, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Hon. Richard Rivera, Acting Supreme Court Justice and Supervising Judge of the Family Courts, Third Judicial District; Co-Chair, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Karen Kim, Senior Counsel at QBE North America; President, AABANY

The program also included CLE presentations, introduced by AABANY member Rina Gurung, Judge, Housing Part, New York City Civil Court; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission.

“The Path to Success and Overcoming Obstacles” was moderated by the Hon. Austin D’Souza, Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York Kings County and AABANY member. Panelists were:

Hon. Zainab A. Chaudhry – Judge, New York State Court of Claims, and AABANY member

Lieutenant Henry Chen– New York County Civil Court, Co-Founder and President, NYSC

Asian Jade Society; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Hon. Raja Rajeswari – Chair, NYC Criminal Court Equal Justice Committee; Chair,

NYS Unified Court System Advisory Committee on Language Access

Hon. Toko Serita– Statewide Coordinating Judge for Problem-Solving Courts, NYS Unified

Court System, and AABANY member

“Positive Action to Combat the Perpetual Foreigner Syndrome and Empowering the Community” was moderated by the AABANY member Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, former Associate Justice, Appellate Division, First Department; Commissioner, Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission. Panelists were:

Joseb “Joe” Gim, Esq. – Chief, Criminal Court Unit, Kings County District Attorney’s Office

Christina Seid – Community Activist, Entrepreneur, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and AABANY member

President Frank H. Wu – President, Queens College, The City University of New York (CUNY)

Tony Walters, Director, New York State Unified Court System’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion provided Closing Remarks.

AABANY was privileged and honored to co-sponsor this event and thanks the Franklin H. Williams Commission for organizing it. AABANY thanks the speakers for sharing their knowledge and insights on important issues affecting the AAPI community. For more information about the Williams Commission visit their website at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/ip/ethnic-fairness/index.shtml

Posted on

Congratulations to AABANY Immediate Past President William Ng on Being Named to the City & State’s 2023 Asian 100 List 

On May 1, City & State published their 2023 list of the Power Asian 100 in New York. As stated in the article: 

City & State’s Power of Diversity: Asian 100 list features these elected officials and also highlights other power brokers who are managing government agencies, running businesses, advocating for policy changes – and ensuring Asian Americans have a voice at the table.

AABANY is pleased to announce that our Immediate Past President William Ng has been named one of City & State’s Power Asian 100 at 56 on the list.

Please join AABANY in congratulating William Ng along with the following attorneys connected to AABANY (numbers in parentheses indicate ranking): 

Sandra Ung, New York City Council Member and Former AABANY Treasurer. (10)

Kevin Kim, Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services. Honored by AABANY with the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the 2022 Fall Conference, and past AABANY Board Officer. (10)

Frank Wu, Queens College’s first President of Asian descent. AABANY honored Frank Wu with the AABANY Impact Award at our 2021 Virtual Gala: Uniting for Justice and Equity. (22)

Faiza Saeed, Presiding Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a Sponsor of AABANY for many years. (40)

Asim Rehman, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Longtime AABANY Member. (46)

Preet Bharara, Partner, WilmerHale. AABANY honored Preet Bharara, when he was the United States Attorney of the Southern District of New York, at the Annual Dinner in 2015. (48)

Anna Mercado Clark, Partner, Phillips Lytle. Previously served as the Development Director of AABANY during FY2023 and currently President-elect of NAPABA. (78)

Tai Park, Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a long-time sponsor of AABANY. (91)

Vincent Chang, Partner, Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch. First Asian American President of the New York County Lawyers Association and past AABANY President 2007. (96)

AABANY congratulates all the accomplished individuals who appear in City & State’s 2023 Power Asian 100 List. 

To read the full article, please click here. 

Posted on

Judge Sri Srinivasan Will Be Presented with the Public Service Leadership Award at the 2020 AABANY Annual Dinner

AABANY is excited to announce that Judge Sri Srinivasan will be presented with the Public Service Leadership Award at the 2020 AABANY Annual Dinner being held on February 26, 2020, at Cipriani Wall Street.

Judge Srinivasan was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed 97-0 by the Senate on May 23, 2013 to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. With his confirmation, Judge Srinivasan became the first South Asian American federal appellate court judge in U.S. history. On February 12, 2020, Judge Srinivasan once again made history by becoming both the first Asian American and South Asian American to serve as Chief Judge for a circuit court in the United States. Judge Srinivasan grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and graduated from Stanford University in 1989 and Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995. Following graduation, he served as a law clerk to Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the U.S. Solicitor General, and as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In 1998, he joined the law firm O’Melveny & Myers. From 2002 to 2007, he served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General. In 2007 he returned to O’Melveny & Myers as a partner, later becoming chair of the firm’s appellate and Supreme Court practice. From 2011 until his appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Judge Srinivasan served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States. He has also taught appellate advocacy at Harvard Law School.

We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Dinner. For more information and tickets, click here on the following link: https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1223619

Posted on

Yen Chu, Chief Legal Officer at Equinox Holdings, Will Be Presented with the Women’s Leadership Award at the 2020 AABANY Annual Dinner

AABANY is excited to announce that Yen Chu will be presented with the Women’s Leadership Award at the 2020 AABANY Annual Dinner being held on February 26, 2020, at Cipriani Wall Street.

Yen D. Chu currently serves as Chief Legal Officer of Equinox Holdings, Inc., a global integrated fitness, wellness, and hospitality company, with a portfolio of brands/business interests in Equinox, Equinox Hotels, SoulCycle, Blink Fitness, PURE Yoga, Furthermore (a digital lifestyle magazine), and Equinox Media. She leads the Equinox legal department, and during her tenure, Ms. Chu has led business innovation and growth with the launch of new ventures and businesses, including Equinox Hotels, Equinox Media, and Equinox Explore.

Before joining Equinox, Ms. Chu spent over a decade as a vital member of the senior leadership team and advisor to the Board of Directors of Ralph Lauren Corporation. She also nearly a decade at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as a corporate attorney. Additionally, she has also been a champion of diversity and inclusion, dedicating her time and voice to multiple organizations that focus on advancing and empowering women, people of color, first-generation students, and other underrepresented groups, particularly in the legal profession.

Ms. Chu graduated from Columbia Law School and is currently a Board Member of the Columbia Law School Association.

We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Dinner. For more information and tickets, click here on the following link: https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1223619

Posted on

Alan Tse, Global Chief Legal Officer at Jones Lang LaSalle, Will Be Presented with the Corporate Leadership Award at the 2020 AABANY Annual Dinner

AABANY is excited to announce that Alan Tse will be presented with the Corporate Leadership Award at the 2020 Annual Dinner being held on February 26, 2020, at Cipriani Wall Street.

Alan K. Tse is the Global Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc (NYSE: JLL), the Fortune 200 Real Estate Services Company with 92,000 employees worldwide. Mr. Tse leads a team of 300 plus legal and compliance professionals worldwide and is a member of the global leadership team. In addition to his Legal and Compliance responsibilities, Mr. Tse also oversees Internal Audit and Insurance reports.

Mr. Tse started his career as a business and technology attorney at Brobeck Phleger and Harrison LLP in their Silicon Valley office, representing technology companies and venture capitalists. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel from 2013-2019 and served as Board Secretary and chaired the Membership Committee and Advocacy Committee during his tenure. Mr. Tse is the co-founder and serves on the Board of the Asian American Legal Foundation and was named one of the best lawyers under 40 by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association in 2005.

Mr. Tse holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned Phi Beta Kappa honors and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.

We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Dinner. For more information and tickets, click here on the following link: https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1223619

Proudly powered by WordPress