AABANY Dumplings & Discussion Series Features Suemyra Shah 

On May 1, Suemyra Shah, Head of Content Legal Affairs at Audible joined AABANY’s Dumpling & Discussion Series.  The series brings notable AAPI leaders in the legal industry, with a fireside chat in a casual, intimate setting.  Attendees enjoyed a wide selection of delicious dumplings and other Chinese food.  

Suemyra discussed her background and her pathway to legal profession.  She shared candidly about her career journey that led her through various law firm and in-house positions, before landing at her current position at Audible.   

Suemyra also talked about how she leads her team and has tackled challenges that she has faced in her career.

The evening ended with more food and drinks, as attendees formed new connections and fostered existing ones.      

Check the AABANY calendar for future editions of the Dumplings & Discussion series.

AABANY’s Co-Vice Presidents of Programs & Operations Host the Second Quarterly Committee Co-Chairs Meeting at King & Spalding

On July 28, 2022, Co-Vice Presidents of Programs & Operations Joseph Eng, Jr. and Beatrice Leong hosted the Second Quarterly Committee Co-Chairs Meeting at King & Spalding. The Quarterly Meetings are a chance for all Co-Chairs, whether new or well-experienced, to learn about their roles as leaders in AABANY, brainstorm on future events and CLEs, and learn best practices. 

The Co-Chairs were joined by the following Board members: President Will Ng, Membership Director Christopher Bae, Treasurer Evelyn Gong, Secretary Shirley Bi, Director of Technology Francis Chin and Board Directors Gigio Ninan and William Hao as well as Executive Director Yang Chen via video.

23 committees each sent a Chair to represent their group, share their thoughts, and collaborate with different committees. Immediately following the Committee Co-Chairs meeting was AABANY’s Membership Open House. To read more about AABANY’s Membership Open House, please click here.

Thank you to King & Spalding LLP for hosting AABANY’s FY2023 Q2 Committee Chair Meeting and Open House, and for providing food and beverages throughout the night!

In the News: AABANY President and Members, Community Partners, and Sponsors Listed Among City & State’s Power of Diversity List of New York’s Top 100 Asian American Leaders

AABANY is excited to announce that President Terrence (Terry) Shen was featured in the 2021 Power of Diversity list of New York’s Top 100 Asian American Leaders published by City & State on July 19, 2021. Terry was recognized as 53rd on the list.

City & State wrote:

As partner at the law firm Kramer Levin, Terrence Shen represents New York’s top corporate interest clients like MVC Capital in its merger with Barings BDC, which represents more than $1.5 billion of assets. Shen is also the president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York. Under his leadership, the association released Know-Your-Rights literature, hosted public forums on rising anti-Asian hate crimes and organized candidate forums for New York’s district attorney races.

Congratulations and thank you to Terry for representing AABANY among New York’s most influential Asian American leaders.

In addition to Terry, several others featured on City & State’s list have worked with or been associated with AABANY, as members, community partners, or sponsors. We extend our congratulations to them as well.

AABANY has had the pleasure of working with Grace Meng, number one on City & State’s list and New York’s first Asian American member of Congress. At the forefront of fighting anti-Asian hate by spearheading COVID-19 hate crimes legislation, she was a speaker at AABANY’s press conference following the release of our anti-Asian violence report A Rising Tide of Hate and Violence against Asian Americans in New York During COVID-19: Impact, Causes, Solutions in February.

Among the others in the top 10, AABANY has worked with Ron Kim (2), State Assembly Member; John Liu (3), State Senator and first Asian American to serve on the City Council; and Margaret Chin (9), New York City Council Member.

AABANY also congratulates:

  • Sandra Ung (16), New York City Council Primary Winner for District 20 and former AABANY treasurer;
  • Shekar Krishnan (16), New York City Council Primary Winner for District 25 and former AABANY member;
  • Frank Wu (23), President of Queens College, co-author of our most performed trial reenactment, Building Our Legacy: The Murder of Vincent Chin, honoree at the 2021 Virtual Gala, and author of the foreword to our anti-Asian violence report;
  • Carmelyn Malalis (28), Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights and plenary session speaker at our Fall Conference last year;
  • Faiza Saeed (34), a Presiding Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a Gold Sponsor of AABANY for many years;
  • John Park (35), Executive Director of the MinKwon Center for Community Action, one of our longtime community partners;
  • Margaret Fung (38), Co-founder and Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, one of our longtime community partners;
  • Preet Bharara (52), as the first AAPI United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, a regular speaker at our annual Prosecutors Reception and an honoree at our Annual Dinner in 2015;
  • My Chi To (54), Executive Deputy Superintendent of the Insurance Division at the New York State Department of Financial Services and former AABANY member;
  • Ruchi Shah (65), President of SABANY, a sister bar association and longtime collaborator with AABANY;
  • Justin Yu (80), Chair of the New York Chinese Chamber of Commerce, an AABANY partner of many years for our walk-in Pro Bono Clinic; and
  • Thomas and Jill Sung (88), Chair and President/CEO, respectively, of Abacus Federal Savings Bank. Thomas’s daughter and Jill’s sister, Vera, is currently an AABANY member.

AABANY is privileged and honored to have worked closely with so many of New York’s most influential AAPI leaders. Congratulations to everyone who made the list, and we look forward to continuing our collaborations and partnerships in the future.

The full City & State article can be found here, starting on page 17.

Don H. Liu Scholars Program 2019

Don H. Liu Scholars Program 2019

JUDGE MARILYN D. GO TO RECEIVE INAUGURAL NORMAN LAU KEE TRAILBLAZER AWARD FROM ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2014 

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(718) 228-7206 

NEW YORK – September 15, 2014 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that United States District Court Magistrate Judge Marilyn D. Go, Eastern District New York, will receive the inaugural Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award. Judge Go will be honored at AABANY’s Fifth Annual Fall Conference held at the law firm Morgan Lewis Bockius on September 20, 2014.

Named for Norman Lau Kee, a revered legal and community pillar of New York City’s Chinatown for decades, this Trailblazer Award honors an accomplished leader in the legal profession of Asian Pacific American (APA) descent or dedicated to APA issues who has carved a path for others to follow, served the community as a mentor and role model, and has made a lasting impact on the APA community through his or her dedication and commitment.

Marilyn D. Go, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York, was the first Asian American woman to serve as a judge in a federal court.  After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1977, she clerked for the late Honorable William M. Marutani in Philadelphia, who was the only Asian American judge on the East Coast at the time. She then served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EDNY and was later a partner at Baden Kramer Huffman Brodsky & Go, P.C.  Committed to promoting diversity and professionalism in the bar, Judge Go was a founding member, officer and director of the Asian American Bar Association of New York; chair of the Voting Rights Committee of NAPABA; Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary of the American Bar Association; and a member of Governor Cuomo’s Task Force on Minority Representation on the Bench.

 “Judge Go is a true trailblazer in our community,” Yang Chen, AABANY’s Executive Director, states. “She rose to the top of the legal profession as an attorney and judge at a time when women leaders, particularly APA women, were few and far between. Through her achievements, accomplishments and leadership, she has paved the way for future generations of lawyers to succeed and attain prominence. As one of the founding Board members of AABANY, she helped to lay the foundation for future leaders to grow the organization into the great bar association it is today. Because of the trails she has blazed, Judge Go has made a real difference for APA attorneys and the legal profession. We are proud to count her as a leading member of our association and our community.”

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For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community.  Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole.  AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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WFPG IS NOW ACCEPTING INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2014! Washington, DC

The Women’s Foreign Policy Group believes that it is crucial to ensure that women’s voices are heard and that women leaders are fully engaged in finding new approaches and solutions. WFPG is committed to global engagement and the promotion of the leadership, visibility and participation of women in international affairs. The organization advances women’s leadership and highlights their contributions through international issues programs and mentoring.

Interns work as part of the WFPG team and are given the opportunity to improve their knowledge of international issues, as well as to learn how a small nonprofit organization operates.  At our programs, interns meet with accomplished international affairs professionals and learn from their career paths. Part-time internships are unpaid or for college credit. Full-time interns who commit to 3.5 months during the school year or 3 months during the summer are eligible for a $1,000 stipend.

WFPG is seeking four interns to assist them in Washington, DC during the upcoming semester:

General Internship:
WFPG is looking for responsible and motivated interns to focus on planning and outreach for programs featuring international affairs officials and experts. In addition to assisting with our Author and Embassy Series programs, interns contribute to benefit luncheons and mentoring fairs. Interns will also research foreign policy topics before events, update the WFPG database, and complete other office tasks as assigned.

Communications Internship:
WFPG is also looking for a specialized intern to focus on our website and communications materials, including our invitations and newsletters. The communications intern will also assist at events, conduct foreign policy research, and complete other office duties as assigned. A demonstrated interest in and knowledge of basic HTML and photo editing/layout software is helpful, but not required.

Qualifications:
Competitive candidates for both positions should have a demonstrated interest in foreign affairs and excellent computer skills. Interns must possess outstanding office and phone manners, and excellent writing skills, in addition to being well-organized, punctual, dependable, flexible, attentive to detail, and able to work both independently and as part of a team. 

Applicants must be available to work a minimum of two full days per week.

To Apply:
Please send a cover letter (including your availability), resume, two-page writing sample (short paper or excerpt), contact information for three references, and an unofficial copy of your transcript to [email protected].  Applications can also be mailed to:

Women’s Foreign Policy Group
Attn: Ms. Kimberly Kahnhauser
1615 M St. NW, Suite 210
Washington, DC 20036

Apply before August 8th!

NAPABA Annual Lobby Day and APA Heritage Month Congressional Reception

NAPABA Annual Lobby Day
and
APA Heritage Month Congressional Reception

NAPABA invites you to participate in the 4th Annual Lobby Day and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Congressional Reception on May 19-20, 2014, in Washington, DC.

Lobby Day is less than a month away! This is your opportunity to educate members of Congress and congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community and to meet other NAPABA leaders from around the country.

Lobby Day Event Schedule:

Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Lobby Day Training Webinar (part one of three)

Monday, May 19, 2014
Lobby Day Onsite Training (part two of three)
NAPABA’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Congressional Reception with Honorary Chair and Featured Speaker, Senator Mazie Hirono
Confirmed speakers also include Congresswoman Grace Meng and Congressman Mark Takano
Click here to RSVP for the Reception.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 
NAPABA Lobby Day: Onsite Training Breakfast (part three of three)
Member Visits, Participant Debriefing & Happy Hour
*Breakfast and Happy Hour hosted by Jones Day

Register Online

There is no cost to attend.

Please visit our website for more information or email Melanie Robinson at [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to seeing you in May!