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.
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.
###
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..
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.
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.
On Thursday, June 13, 2019, AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee hosted a Summer Mixer at Gu Japanese Fusion Sushi & Bar on East 52nd Street.
IP lawyers, law students, AABANY members, and non-members gathered together to share appetizers of agedashi tofu, karaage, and shrimp tempura at the back of the busy izakaya. The special rolls included ones amusingly named Spicy Girl, Dinosaur, and Dancing Eel—alongside the usual American staple of the California roll.
Under the restaurant’s blue light, beads of ikura gleamed as members whose practices focus on different areas of IP exchanged lively stories about their work. One attendee shared a little on his background as an electrical engineer prior to entering the legal field. Another remarked that it was her first AABANY event—she wanted to know more about the organization’s work. Wooden trays of special rolls were fluidly passed up and down the table as members enjoyed the meal and company.
Among the varied topics discussed were the Avengers: Endgame’s conclusion, Huawei, Midtown’s Jollibee location, as well as deeper discussions about diversity, identity, and community. Ideas for future events were discussed—potentially including paintballing—and the Intellectual Property Committee is looking forward to hosting them over the next few months. Stay tuned for more!
Thank you to the IP Committee Co-Chairs Jeff Mok, Ben Hsing, and Greg Pan for organizing June’s IP Summer Mixer! To learn more about the IP Committee and how you can get involved, visit the Committee’s webpage here.
AABANY’s Intellectual Property Committee celebrated the end of the fiscal year with a dinner in Koreatown.
The IP Committee enjoyed classic and unique Korean dishes for dinner at Soju Haus in Koreatown on March 27, for their year-end celebration dinner.
Members networked and discussed their current positions, spanning private practice, in-house, law school, and clerkship. Members also shared stories about their experience as Asian American lawyers.
Thank you to members new and old for coming out. The new fiscal year starts on April 1, so be on the lookout for announcements of upcoming events. To learn more about the IP Committee and to get involved, please go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145
On Sunday, February 24, the IP Committee got together for a fun and relaxing evening of Axe Throwing at Kick Axe in Brooklyn. We had a good mix of members in various stages of their careers and practicing various aspects of intellectual property law. Thanks to everyone who attended!
On January 29, 2019, the IP Committee, along with the Asia Practice Committee and Commercial Bankruptcy and Restructuring Committee presented the panel: A Primer on U.S. Bankruptcy and Intellectual Property Transactions. The panel discussed the basics of intellectual property transactions involving distressed companies in the United States.
To learn more about each of the sponsoring committees, click on the links below.
IP Committee members braved the rain on January 24 to meet up for sushi and drinks and celebrate the start of the new year. Members whose practices focus on different areas of intellectual property such as copyright, trademark, entertainment, and patent exchanged stories about their work. Ideas for future events were discussed, and we are looking forward to planning them over the next few months.
Summary and photo provided by Jeffrey Mok. Jeffrey is a co-chair of AABANY’s IP Committee. To learn more, click here.
