Tag: Kwok Ng

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AABANY’s Government Service & Public Interest Committee and the Student Outreach Committee Present a Meet-and-Greet with Government Service and Public Interest Attorneys

Again showing AABANY’s commitment to raising up the next generation of Asian American lawyers, the Government Service and Public Interest (GSPI) committee teamed up with the Student Outreach Committee (SOC) and Mayer Brown LLP to host the first ever “AABANY Students Meet Government and Public Interest Lawyers” event. The program was held on the evening of February 23 and was very successful, featuring a room packed with students and mentors, and two professional panels, followed by a networking reception.

The panels showcased how Asian Americans have succeeded as lawyers in government service and in the public interest. The panels featured:

  • Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief Counsel from the Office of Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall; 
  • Sofia Khan, Director of the Family Law Unit from Legal Services NYC (LSNYC); 
  • Belinda Luu, Staff Attorney from Mobilization for Justice’s (MFJ) Special Litigation Project; 
  • Frank Ng, Deputy General Counsel from the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH); 
  • Kwok Ng, Associate Court Attorney from New York City Civil Court; 
  • Nakeeb Siddique, Director of Housing from the Legal Aid Society’s Brooklyn Neighborhood Office; 
  • Marti Weithman, Assistant Commissioner from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (DHPD); and 
  • Annie Wang, Director of Immigrant Justice Project from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education (AALDEF).  

The panels showed students what it is like to work in a variety of fields in government and public interest and what it takes for students to get a foot in the door.

The panel discussions were followed by a networking reception with more government service and public interest lawyers. In attendance were, Ernie Collete from MFJ, Kevin Hsi from DHPD (also GSPI Committee’s Co-Chair), Jonathan Rosen from New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), May Wong (Pro Bono & Community Service Committee Co-Chair) from DC 37 Legal Services. Also, in attendance were AABANY’s Executive Director Yang Chen, Vice President of Programs and Operations Beatrice Leong, and Treasurer and Co-Chair of the GSPI Committee Evelyn Gong.

Thank you to AABANY student leaders Stephanie Sun (Fordham Law) and Alex Lao (Pace Law), SOC Vice Chair Justin Lee (NYU Law), SOC Co-Chair William Lee (Associate, Mayer Brown LLP) and GSPI Committee Co-Chair Rina Gurung (Associate Court Attorney, Housing Court) for leading the charge.

Special thank you to Mayer Brown LLP for sponsoring and hosting this event.

To learn more about the GSPI Committee, click here. To learn more about the SOC, click here.

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AABANY Hosts Talent Show and Weekly Mixer on July 17

On July 17, 2020, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly Zoom Membership Mixer, with 26 participants in attendance.  The icebreaker question posed to the participants was: “What is your talent, or if you don’t have a talent, what talent do you wish you had?” Members overwhelmingly said they were piano players. For the people who didn’t have special talents, they wished they could speak foreign languages, sing, play musical instruments or code their own video games. 

This week, AABANY’s most talented members displayed their skills virtually. We want to give our love and appreciation to the performers: 

  • Steven Lau performed “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show, singing and playing guitar. 
  • Wen Zhang performed a traditional Chinese dance in a beautiful dress. 
  • Andrew Kao performed a standup comedy routine (sitting down).
  • Kwok Ng performed “The Thrill Is Gone” by B.B. King, singing and playing the guitar. 

For the Mixer afterparty, Kwok performed an encore, singing and playing “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals, and those who stayed were able to sing along.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID, we have moved online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but people have regularly stayed on after 7:30pm to continue chatting.

Membership Committee will continue to host weekly Zoom mixers until it is safe to gather together again in person. 

We have been giving away door prizes at some of the Mixers. To win, you must be a member and must RSVP on the calendar entry at aabany.org to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the Zoom Mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize. 

Mixers are not recorded, and are LIVE, so don’t miss out.

This Friday’s Mixer will be done in collaboration with KALAGNY (the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York). To join us, please register by Thursday, July 23, at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1366645

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AABANY Pro Bono Clinic Leaders Meet Taipei Commissioner of Law

On Tuesday, September 3, 2019, AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Chair Karen Kithan Yau and Vice-Chair Kwok Ng had an opportunity to meet with the Commissioner of Law from Taipei City, Hsiu-Hui Yuan, and her staff in a meeting arranged by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of NY Inc., a  long-time community partner for the Monthly Pro Bono Legal Advice and Referral Clinic in Manhattan at Confucius Plaza. Commissioner Yuan and her team had expressed interest in learning from the AABANY Pro Bono Clinic’s experience to best meet the legal needs of the ordinary citizen. In addition to meeting with AABANY, Commissioner Yuan and her team will also met with Pro Bono Net, New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), and Office of Legal Policy for US Department of Justice.

Commissioner Yuan and her staff members asked Karen and Kwok, members of the Clinic’s leadership team, about the Clinic’s history, challenges, and successes in serving limited English proficient, low-income community members. The discussion was substantive and far-reaching, ranging from overcoming barriers to justice that community members experienced, to legal policies and mechanisms to encourage positive use of the law, effective distribution of legal resources, use of mediation to protect consumers, and ways to encourage more volunteerism among extraordinarily busy lawyers.

AABANY thanks the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of NY and Commissioner of Law Yuan of Taipei City for this wonderful opportunity to exchange information and experience. To read about the meeting in the World Journal, click here (in Chinese). To learn more about AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinic, go to https://www.aabany.org/page/648