NAPABA Announces Launch of New Program: The NAPABA ADR Institute

November 6-7, 2024 | Seattle, WA
Application Opens July 9, 2024

NAPABA is proud to launch its newest program, the NAPABA ADR Institute. This multi-day career and skills development program will provide a broad overview of the practice and substantive, hands-on training to members who are interested in pursuing a career in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). This program aims to diversify the pool of mediators and arbitrators in the United States and to increase the use of mediation and arbitration by those who attend the training.

The training is designed for:

  • those interested in incorporating work as a mediator or arbitrator while still advocating;
  • those who are interested in pursuing a judicial career and will benefit from serving as a neutral to gain valuable experience before applying for or running for a judicial position; and
  • those who wish to pursue a career as a full-time mediator and/or arbitrator, either ad hoc or by joining an ADR provider.

Learn more about this exciting new program and add a calendar reminder for July 9, when applications open.

Add a reminder to your calendar:

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AABANY Judiciary and Litigation Committees Present “Why Can’t We Just Get Along?” CLE

On March 20, 2024, AABANY, with thanks to AAJANY for their co-sponsorship, hosted a CLE entitled “Why Can’t We Just Get Along?” covering how judicial and attorney wellness – as well as civility and professionalism – promote good bench-bar relations, in and out of court. 

Thank you to our distinguished panel for sharing their time, experiences, and perspectives:

  • Hon. Gerald Lebovits, New York Supreme Court, 1st Judicial District
  • Hon. Pamela Chen, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • Karen R. King, Partner, Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC
  • William H. Ng, Shareholder, Littler Mendelson P.C. (Immediate Past President of AABANY, FY24)

Recognizing the stress and responsibilities of judges, as well as litigators, the panel discussed why some judges and attorneys are difficult and what can be done about it.  The panel explored judicial and attorney preferences and pet peeves and offered strategies for judges and attorneys to enhance their litigation experience, personal well-being, and professional happiness. This program was organized in line with the theme for this fiscal year, “Embracing Wellness and Well-Being: Strengthening the Legal Profession by Investing in Ourselves.” 

Thank you to AABANY’s Judiciary and Litigation Committees for co-presenting this event and to Karen King and Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC for hosting. Attendees enjoyed lively discussions and networking, together with great food from Joe’s Shanghai. To learn more about the Judiciary Committee go here. To learn more about the Litigation Committee go here.

If you have ideas for programs or speakers on the topic of wellness and well-being, please contact Immediate Past President Karen Kim at [email protected]. AABANY’s Wellness Resources Guide provides a variety of information, including links to free assistance programs, trainings and hotlines, which can be accessed here.

NY Judicial Institute on Professionalism in the Law and the NY Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts 2021 Convocation: Watchdogs or Lapdogs? The Ethical Challenges Facing Government Lawyers

In our highly charged political climate today, government lawyers face unprecedented ethical challenges; they must often make decisions that clash between ethical rules and what their superiors demand. There is a growing consensus that rules are frequently unclear, but there is no agreement in how to revise them. 

On October 14th, 2021, 11:00 a.m-4:00 p.m ET, the New York State Judicial Institute on Professionalism in the Law and the Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts will be holding a virtual Convocation that will bring together outstanding professionals who have had decades of experience in government to address these critical issues and provide much needed reforms. 

The Convocation will kick off with Paul D. Clement and Neal Katyal, both leading members of the Supreme Court bar who have led the U.S. Solicitor General’s office. They will speak on the ethical challenges facing today’s government lawyers and whether the government lawyer can (or should) represent both the client and the public’s interest. Three additional panels will follow and will touch on a variety of topics. 

The first panel titled, “How are Government Lawyers Different from Their Private Sector Counterparts in Their Ethical Responsibilities? Let Us Count the Ways” will examine conflicts government lawyers may face when advising decision makers in the executive branch and/or the agencies they serve. The second panel titled, “The Right Recipe for Independent Candid Advice: What Should Get Thrown In? What Should Get Left Out?” will discuss what it means for lawyers to exercise independent professional judgment and render candid advice. The final panel titled “ Recalcitrant Clients: What to do When the ‘Client’ Rejects Your Advice (or Worse)” will dive deep into questions such as, “With whom does the government lawyer have an attorney-client privilege?” and “Whose confidential information should be protected?”

Please note that this event is free of charge. To register for the event please click here

To learn more about the Convocation, please click here. 

For more information regarding the Convocation Agenda, please click here. 

Please direct any questions to [email protected]

Federal Judicial Clerkship Opportunity with Hon. Dora L. Irizarry

The Honorable Dora L. Irizarry, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, is currently accepting applications for a Clerkship, starting in October 2021.

Qualifications:

  • At least two years of practice as an attorney prior to start date of clerkship.
  • Excellent grades.
  • Excellent research, writing, and analytical skills, although participation in Law Review or a Journal is not a prerequisite.
  • Military and/or other life/career experience is a plus.
  • Excellent organizational, administrative, and time management skills.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the delay in delivery and processing of U.S. mail, interested applicants must forward their application package in PDF format via email to [email protected].

Application package must include:

  • Cover letter explaining your interest in a clerkship with Judge Irizarry and career goals.
  • Resume.
  • Official law school transcript.
  • One writing sample of recent vintage, no longer than 15 pages. Journal or research articles will NOT be accepted.
  • Three letters of recommendation, including at least one from a recent employer.

The deadline for receipt of materials is May 17, 2021.

If you have further questions, please contact chambers at: 718-613-2150.

NAPABA | Presidential Appointments in the Next Administration

The next President of the United States will need to appoint talented and dedicated individuals to high-visibility jobs, including Cabinet and sub-Cabinet positions, as well as mid- and entry-level positions. Although the selection of individuals for career positions and appointments for non-career positions is an ongoing process that will continue year-round, the elections mark a special point at which opportunities may become available and when individuals may become particularly motivated to seek positions in government.

NAPABA is committed to supporting its members who are interested in seeking appointments in the next presidential administration and to ensuring that individuals from diverse background are considered and appointed to positions at all levels of government.

The NAPABA Judicial and Executive Appointments Project is accepting applicants to recommend to presidential administrations for:
1) Article III Judicial Appointments and DC (state) Courts;
2) Executive Branch Appointments: Senate Confirmed (PAS) and Non-Senate Confirmed Presidential Appointments; and
3) Boards and Commissions.

Please note there are some offices that are bi-partisan that will require the applicant to be a registered Democrat, Republican, or Independent, e.g. U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, etc.

Be sure to visit our website for more information.

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

Join AABANY in Supporting Portrait Project 2.0

A recent Law360 article entitled “Why Are Law Clerks So White” reported:

Take any five federal law clerks, and at least four of them would probably be white. And nobody can be certain why.

California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu has some guesses about the reasons black, Asian and Latino lawyers are largely shut out of these prestigious positions that can turbocharge a lawyer’s early career. But he says it’s impossible to pinpoint reasons or patterns because so little data exists.

“We actually don’t even know the most basic things about those opportunities,” Justice Liu told Law360. “It would be interesting if we could know even basic things, like do women judges get more women clerks? We have impressions of that, but we don’t know with any precision whether these things are true.”

The article went on to talk about how Justice Liu plans to address these questions in Portrait Project 2.0. AABANY is supporting this research as a Silver Sponsor. AABANY challenges its members to donate to Portrait Project 2.0. AABANY will match member donations up to $5,000. Join AABANY in advancing the work of Portrait Project 2.0. Read more at https://www.aabany.org/page/PortraitProject20

To read the full Law360 article go to https://www.law360.com/articles/1156019?utm_source=ios-shared&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=ios-shared

Judicial Campaign Ethics Handbook

Judicial Campaign Ethics Handbook

Congratulations to Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan

Justice Doris Ling-Cohan, a member of AABANY’s first Board elected in 1991, has been appointed to the Appellate Term of the First Department. This court hears appeals from New York’s Civil and Criminal Courts.

Justice Ling-Cohan is the first APA woman to serve on an appellate panel in New York state. In 2002, she became the first APA woman elected to New York State Supreme Court. In 2005, she authored the groundbreaking decision in Hernandez v Robles, becoming the first New York state trial judge to rule in favor of same sex marriage.

Please join AABANY in congratulating Justice Doris Ling-Cohan on this major milestone in her judicial career.

Justices D’Emic, Chun appointed to administrative posts in Brooklyn | Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Justices D’Emic, Chun appointed to administrative posts in Brooklyn | Brooklyn Daily Eagle

PRESS RELEASE: NAPABA Celebrates Confirmation of Vince Chhabria to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                 March 5, 2014

Contact: Emily Chatterjee                                                   (202) 775-9555

NAPABA Celebrates Confirmation of Vince Chhabria
to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

WASHINGTON — On March 5, 2014, the Senate confirmed Vince Chhabria by a 58-41 vote to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He is the first person of South Asian descent to serve as an Article III judge in California’s history, and only the third South Asian American federal district court judge nationwide.

“NAPABA congratulates Vince Chhabria on his historic confirmation and is proud to have supported him in the nomination and confirmation process,” said William J. Simonitsch, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “We applaud President Obama, Senator Boxer, and Senator Feinstein for their continued commitment to diversity on the federal judiciary, and their support of this nomination.”

Since 2005, Judge Chhabria has served as a deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where he is the co-chief of appellate litigation. Prior to public service, Judge Chhabria spent several years working in the private sector in San Francisco. After law school, he clerked at all three levels of the federal courts, including clerkships with Judge Charles R. Breyer on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge James R. Browning on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and for Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Chhabria has distinguished himself during his career, receiving honors from the California Daily Journal, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, and NAPABA. He is a longstanding member of SABA-NC, an affiliate of NAPABA, which has strongly supported Chhabria’s nomination.

Judge Chhabria’s confirmation increases the number of active Asian Pacific American Article III judges to 22 nationwide: 4 federal appellate court judges and 18 federal district court judges.

Three more Asian Pacific American Article III judicial nominees are pending in the U.S. Senate: Manish Shah, nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Indira Talwani, nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts; and Theodore Chuang, nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. NAPABA urges the Senate to move quickly to confirm these well- qualified individuals.

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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 over 40,000 attorneys and 67 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, 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 color in the legal profession.