On November 4, 2023, the IP Committee gathered for a relaxing afternoon of board games at the Uncommons board game cafe in the Village. On this beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, we were glad to be able to welcome several newcomers – both practicing attorneys and law students – as well as familiar faces, over classic board games such as Catan, Unstable Unicorns, Sorry! and more. We had a cozy private room in the back just to ourselves within this bustling venue as the several board game aficionados amongst the group explained the rules of our games and led us through two hours of fun! We had such a great time that many attendees expressed interest in extending our time or, even better, holding a board game event on a regular basis (more to come on this, so please stay tuned!).
We would like to thank all of our attendees for joining us and making this event as enjoyable as it was. We are always looking forward to seeing more faces and welcoming newcomers and members alike. To learn more about the IP Committee, please click here.
The Judge Thomas Tang and Dr. Pearl Tang Moot Court Competition is an appellate advocacy competition to help law students develop advocacy skills and to foster legal talents of the future. This year, the competition will be a hybrid competition with regional oral arguments occurring virtually and the National Competition in person coinciding with the 2023 NAPABA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 9-10, 2023.
We are seeking judges for the upcoming Regional Rounds, which will take place virtually via Zoom. This year’s problem may be found here.
We are seeking attorneys with a minimum of 5 years of litigation or appellate experience. Please consider judging a few rounds as we are in need of judges to enable us to hold the regional competitions that will allow the winners to advance to the national competition in Indiana.
The regional competitions will be held online via Zoom on Friday, October 13 and Saturday, October 14. Please sign up for judging at the links below by 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday, October 3:
Everyone is invited to the award reception in Indianapolis on Saturday, November 11, 2023, after the conclusion of the final round of competition. Thank you so much for your support in helping to develop the future generation of lawyers.
On Thursday, September 7, 2023, students and practitioners alike attended the AABANY Oyster Happy Hour at Sagaponack NYC. Nearly thirty folks attended for a night of oysters, bar bites, and networking. The Membership Committee annually hosts this Oyster Happy Hour at Sagaponack NYC and, this year, strategically partnered with the Student Outreach and Young Lawyers Committees to give law students an opportunity to network with practitioners as they kicked off their fall semesters. Thank you to everyone who attended and to our co-sponsoring committees including the Military & Veteran Affairs Committee. And a special thanks to the folks at Sagaponack NYC for the great food and service as always. If you have any ideas for fun AABANY membership events, please email [email protected].
Registration is open for the 2023 Judge Thomas Tang and Dr. Pearl Tang Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the NAPABA Law Foundation. This year marks the 30th anniversary of an annual tradition that fosters crucial advocacy skills among law students nationwide. A total of $10,000 in scholarships is being offered to the top law student competitors in brief writing and oral advocacy.
The registration fee is $550 per team and each law school may enter up to two teams. Click here to learn more and register. The registration deadline is September 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM PST.
Apply Now: The online application for the Attorney General’s Honors Program (HP) and the Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) is open. The deadline for law students and eligible graduates to apply is Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET. The HP is the nation’s premier entry-level federal attorney hiring program. You will find more detailed information online, including eligibility requirements, participating components, application tips, and a link to the application!
On July 6, 2023, AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee hosted a Students Meet Firms event, connecting law students with attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis. The Students Meet Firms series aims to connect rising second-year law students and other students pursuing law degrees with a range of diverse law firms, providing both insight into the legal profession and valuable networking opportunities.
The event, held at Kirkland & Ellis’ New York office, was moderated by Catherine Tran, J.D. Candidate, Columbia Law School ’25, and featured Partners Shaun Mathew and Kevin Lam, and Associates Keli Huang and Chrissy Pak. The panelists shared their personal experiences leading up to their current roles, what drew them to their particular practice areas, and insight into navigating on campus interviewing (OCI) in law school.
The event kicked off with panelists giving an overview the following practice areas: investment funds, shareholder activism and hostile takeover defense, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate. The panelists agreed that the culture of Kirkland played a major role in fostering a collaborative environment. In particular, Keli highlighted how the partners of the firm welcomed associates to take on early responsibilities and were receptive to hearing her ideas. Chrissy also added that through her intensive research in law school, Kirkland stood out as one of the most diverse firms and its AAPI attorneys are represented at the highest leadership levels. Kevin underscored that Kirkland truly believes in meritocracy and has a willingness to put its resources into entrepreneurial ideas available to all its attorneys. As an example, Shaun recounted when he first joined the firm and noticed the lack of a South Asian affinity group and led the way in creating firm-wide events to bring South Asian attorneys at the firm together.
The panelists then shared their advice for the OCI process and the importance of finding the right fit. Kevin kicked off the discussion by highlighting that as much as the law firms are interviewing candidates, the students are also interviewing the law firms. Chrissy agreed by giving sample questions one could ask the interviewer to really understand the firm’s value and use the interview as an opportunity to learn whether your goals align with the firm’s. While intensive research into Kirkland and its practice areas are vital, the panelists noted how outstanding candidates demonstrated the ability to ask tailored questions. Keli recommended treating networking opportunities as building both insight into the firm and connections with people you may work with in the future. Shaun also reiterated that you are never working alone, and you never know who might be of importance to your goals.
Another factor that Kevin believes separates candidates from the crowd is having passion and authenticity in what they are doing. As the panelists stated at the introduction of the discussion, the culture at Kirkland is built on its people. By showing your critical thinking skills and authentically portraying yourself in an interview, a compelling narrative could come through in a way that is unique to each candidate. Finally, the panelists shared their experience as attorneys at Kirkland and the type of questions they would ask interviewees.
After the discussion, the panelists and participants connected over an array of hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
Thank you to the Student Outreach Committee and Kirkland & Ellis for organizing this informative program. To learn more about the Student Outreach Committee, click here. Click here to read about the prior Students Meet Firms event featuring Cleary.
On June 22nd, 2023, AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee hosted a Students Meet Firms event, connecting law students with attorneys at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. The Students Meet Firms event series aims to connect rising second-year law students (2Ls) and other students pursuing law degrees with a range of diverse law firms, providing both insight into the legal profession and valuable networking opportunities.
The panel, held on Zoom from 7:00- 8:00pm EDT, was moderated by Siqi Li (AABANY Student Leader, Seton Hall Law School ‘24), and featured associates Chihiro Isozaki, Sharon Wang, Samson Lim, and Long Dang. The panelists gave detailed insight into navigating Cleary’s recruitment process, summer associate program, and life at Cleary as a lawyer.
The event kicked off with panelists sharing useful tips on how to succeed in the interview process. In particular, they highlighted the importance of creating a compelling narrative of yourself as an applicant. While intensive research into Cleary and its practice areas are vital, the associates noted how outstanding candidates demonstrated connections between themselves and the firm that went beyond surface superficialities. To best accomplish this, the panelists recommended that interviewees reach out for coffee chats with Cleary attorneys working in the practice areas they are interested in, building both insight into the firm and comfortability with conversations.
The panelists then shared their own experience as summer associates and highlighted Cleary’s unique global rotation program. Through the program, summer associates are given the opportunity to spend four weeks in one of Cleary’s many overseas offices, including Beijing, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Milan, Paris, Rome, São Paulo, and Seoul. Cleary also provides many other unique opportunities for professional development, such as their “miniMBA” training program and comprehensive mentorship system.
The associates also discussed the workplace culture at Cleary and how they were drawn to the firm because of its friendly, collaborative, and intellectually stimulating environment. The panelists emphasized that work is equitably distributed at Cleary, through a central staffing system. Many associates were also attracted to Cleary’s strong international presence and the opportunity to work with sovereign governments and international institutions.
Finally, the panelists emphasized Cleary’s strong mentorship system, both on a formal and informal level. Panelist Samsom Lim shared how his relationship with his mentor continued months after he finished the summer associate program. Expanding on this point, panelist Sharon Wang discussed the diverse range of opportunities she has encountered in her day-to-day work to connect with more experienced lawyers as an associate at Cleary.
Ultimately, panelist Chihiro Isozaki emphasized that the interview process is a two-way street, where applicants are also given a glimpse into Cleary and the chance to determine if it is the right fit for them. She gives the advice for future Cleary associates to be open, honest, and vulnerable; they should really get to know people on a deeper level.
Thank you to the Student Outreach Committee and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP for organizing this informative program. To learn more about the Student Outreach Committee, click here.
Interested in attending a Students Meet Firms event? Upcoming events include:
Kirkland & Ellis: July 6th, 2023 at 6:00pm, with registration closing on July 3rd
The Labor & Employment Law (“L&E”) Committee of AABANY held its kick-off meeting on the evening of June 8, 2023 in person at Littler Mendelson, P.C.’s New York City office. 20 people attended the kick-off meeting: practicing attorneys (including the L&E Committee chairs), law students, and recent law school graduates. At this kick-off meeting, the L&E Committee chairs and all attendees introduced themselves to the rest of the group; firm attorneys, in-house counsel, a mediator/arbitrator, and other legal professionals shared their respective experiences in the profession to provide some advice to the law students, recent graduates, and junior attorneys in the room. Following this initial portion of the kick-off event, all attendees networked and conversed over light refreshments for the rest of the evening.
The L&E Committee will be creating more networking opportunities by hosting more meetings, informational panels or sessions, and social events throughout the rest of the year. The next event is currently being planned. Once the details for the next L&E Committee event are finalized, we will update the AABANY calendar and send email updates. If you are interested in attending our future L&E Committee events (which are sometimes also co-hosted by other AABANY committees), please check AABANY’s calendar and update your email preference in your account to receive the L&E Committee’s emails.
For more information on the L&E Committee, click here. Additionally, if you have any ideas or suggestions for an event through the L&E Committee, please fill out AABANY’s “Contact Us” form.
On March 31, 2023, the Student Outreach and Corporate Law Committees presented the panel: “What Do Corporate Lawyers Do?” at Orrick’s New York office. Moderators Long Dang (litigation associate at Cleary) and Jay Hawlader (law student at Brooklyn Law School) spoke to corporate attorneys Alice Hsu (Capital Markets partner at Orrick), Chris Min (Finance partner at Orrick), Cherry Liu (M&A/PE associate at Paul, Weiss), and Ashley Wong (M&A/PE and Capital Markets associate at Sidley).
In a relaxed setting with pizza and soft drinks, students listened to Alice and Chris speak about building relationships with clients, managing associates, and how they succeeded in becoming partner at their firm. Cherry and Ashley gave advice on how law students should judiciously select practical law classes, how they can ace the law firm interview process, and how to be resourceful, self-starting junior associates.
The panelists also shared what drew them into their respective fields. Ashley, for example, was inspired by purchasing Teavana tea from a Starbucks menu and was then intrigued by high-level transactions that affected consumers. Chris was drawn into her group because she enjoyed the personalities and the work combination.
Students on Zoom and in person listened closely as Alice described her day in a life as a partner and when Cherry gave advice on interviewing with law firms. The event concluded with Q&A and light mingling among the panelists and students.
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.
