AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Dim Sum Palace

The AABANY IP Committee gathered once again for a night of authentic Cantonese Chinese soul food at Dim Sum Palace on Wednesday, September 14. We started off with the traditional and all-favorite Peking Duck, which was served in small pieces wrapped in pillow-soft buns with cucumber and scallion, moved on to Deep-Fried Shrimp and Scallop, Beef Chow Fun and Shanghai Fried Rice, among other dishes, and finished off with the perfect dessert: Sweet Egg Yolk Creamy Bun.


With the seemingly endless stream of soul food spinning around on the Lazy Susans, the IP Committee welcomed a wide range of folks in the legal community: law students with a background in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, law firm associates with an expertise in IP litigation and in-house counsel practicing entertainment and media law, to name a few. As always, long-time members and familiar faces of the IP Committee gave a warm welcome to first-time attendees to discuss career trajectories, different environments of law firms and in-house roles and more. This event was the first dinner held since late July, and it was certainly worth the wait!


The AABANY IP Committee always welcomes first-time attendees and familiar faces alike. If you are interested in joining us for our next event, whether it be a movie showing, musical performance or dinner gathering, please join the IP Committee’s mailing list by contacting main@aabany.org, and also keep an eye out for IP Committee events on AABANY’s Calendar page. To learn more about the AABANY IP Committee, take a couple minutes to look over our committee’s subpage on AABANY’s website.

AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee Hosts Movie Night at the AAIFF

On August 5, 2022, AABANY’S Intellectual Property Committee led a group to the 45th Asian American International Film Festival. The group saw the U.S. premier of Chosen, a documentary about five Korean Americans of vastly diverse backgrounds running for U.S. Congress in 2020.

A mix of AABANY members, including those who were new to the IP Committee attended. As always, new members are welcome at the IP Committee events. We hope to see you at the next one. Also, if you have any event ideas, please do not hesitate to reach out.

To learn more about the IP Committee, you can visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145.

AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Barn Joo Nomad

On July 19, 2022, the IP Committee gathered at Barn Joo Nomad near Koreatown in a cozy, private second-floor dining area. Dishes were ordered family-style, and a seemingly endless stream of food accompanied lively conversations throughout the night. Featured delicacies included Braised Pork Belly, Seafood Krispy Paella, Nomad Bite, and many more. New connections were formed among the diverse group of attendees, which included law firm attorneys, in-house counsel, and students. Over dishes of Silky Tofu and Chili Shrimp, the lively conversations ranged from Post-Grant Reviews (PGR) and International Trade Commission (ITC) Patent Litigation to important considerations when choosing a law school and firm. Thanks to everyone who attended.

Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list, and look out for the committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145.

AABANY’s IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Sabai Thai

On June 8, 2022, the IP Committee convened at Sabai Thai in Midtown under a beautiful canopy of flowers and fairy lights. Congee artisan, lifelong Toronto Blue Jays fan and Co-Chair of the IP Committee Jeffrey Mok graciously ordered family-style dishes for everyone to share, featuring delicacies such as Thai-Style Sea Bass, Crying Tiger Beef, and many more. New connections were formed among the diverse group of attendees, which included law firm attorneys, in-house counsel, and students. Over dishes of Pad Thai Gai Yang and Yum Mamaung, the lively conversations ranged from Broadway show recommendations (Co-Chair Benjamin Hsing – a Broadway and opera aficionado – recommends “Hamilton” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”) and new Return to Office (RTO) policies to stories about career paths and side hustles. For example, did you know that Co-Chair Greg Pan designs and sells toys?

Thanks to everyone who attended the first IP Committee dinner of the fiscal year. There will surely be many more to come. Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list and look out for the committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145.

AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Laut Singapura

On March 17, the IP Committee enjoyed a delicious Singaporean feast at Laut Singapura for its final meeting of the fiscal year.  New connections were made over dishes such as Hainanese Chicken, Laksa, Nasi Lemak, and many more.  Attendees, ranging from law firm attorneys, students, and in-house counsel chatted about their careers, classes at school, and upcoming plans, among many other topics.  Thanks to everyone who attended.

Please sign up for the IP Committee mailing list and look out for the committee’s next event! To learn more about the IP Committee, please visit https://www.aabany.org/page/145

IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Dhaba Indian Cuisine

On December 15, AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee hosted a Committee Dinner at Dhaba Indian Cuisine on East 28th Street.  A mix of law students (some who just completed their law school final exams!) and practitioners attended.  Conversation topics included career transitions, life as an IP litigator, life as in-house counsel, and upcoming holiday plans.  As always, new members are always welcome at the IP Committee dinners.  We hope to see you at the next one.  Please also reach out with event ideas!  To learn more about the IP Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145

AABANY IP Committee Hosts Dinner at Mama Fina’s

On October 27, the IP Committee held a group dinner at the Filipino restaurant Mama Fina’s in the East Village.  For a number of attendees, it was their first in-person group activity since the beginning of the pandemic.  Many delicious Filipino dishes, like Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, Squid Sisig, were enjoyed while attendees connected with old and new IP Committee members.  Attendees included students, law firm practitioners, and in-house counsel.  Thanks to everyone who attended.  Look out for more group dinners and other events from the IP Committee throughout the year.  New members always welcome.

To learn more about the IP Committee and to get involved, please go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145

NAPABA President A.B. Cruz III Testifies before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property on the Importance of a Diverse Federal Judiciary

For Immediate Release: 
Date: July 12, 2021

Contact: Edgar Chen, Policy Director

Click here for Testimony.

WASHINGTON – This morning, NAPABA President A.B. Cruz III testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property at a hearing entitled, “The Importance of a Diverse Federal Judiciary, Part 2: The Selection and Confirmation Process.” President Cruz’s testimony on behalf of NAPABA highlighted the challenges that Asian Pacific American attorneys often encounter as they attempt to advance in the legal profession. According to the 2017 landmark study “A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law” (“Portrait Project”) published jointly by NAPABA and Yale Law School, the most often cited issues are lack of mentorship and role models, lack of leadership training, and work going unrecognized. President Cruz’s testimony also drew on the Portrait Projects finding that the selection process for clerkships or law firm promotion – often a prerequisite for judicial consideration, involves not only measures of objective criteria but also access to mentorship and subjective criteria which are often amorphous factors that decision makers rely on to determine whom they regard as their proteges. President Cruz was joined on the panel by his Coalition of Bar Associations of Color (CBAC) colleague and Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) President Elia Diaz Yeager.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 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 APA 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..

Intellectual Property Committee End of Year Dinner

On December 16, new and regular members of IP Committee gathered to celebrate the end of 2019 at Nom Wah – Nolita.  The group, comprised of a mix of members who are in-house, in private practice, and in law school, networked over juicy pork dumplings, shu mai, and scallion pancakes, among other dim sum delicacies.  Members discussed issues they face in their practice, updates on their careers, and plans for the holidays.   

Please look out for upcoming IP Committee events in 2020, including a panel on video streaming services, a Careers in IP event for those looking to enter the field, and additional social events.  For more information about the IP Committee or to get involved, please see https://www.aabany.org/page/145, and contact one of the co-chairs – Greg Pan, Ben Hsing, or Jeff Mok.

IP Committee Dinner at Mama Fina’s House of Filipino Sisig

On August 28, 2019, IP Committee members gathered for a Filipino dinner at Mama Fina’s House of Filipino Sisig. 

A mix of old and new members attended.  Some were just learning about IP, while others had years of experience in the industry.  We dined on delicious dishes such as pork sisig, crispy pata, and kare-kare as we networked.  

We also previewed the IP Committee’s upcoming NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference panel: Far From Home: Cultural and Legal Considerations When Bringing Your Brand To New Territories.   

To learn more about the IP Committee and to get involved, please go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145