lifetime achievement award Archives

December 19, 2024December 24, 2024

Prosecutors Committee Celebrates 16th Anniversary Reception at Appellate Division, First Department

The Prosecutors Committee of AABANY (Asian American Bar Association of New York) hosted its 16th Anniversary Reception on November 13, 2024, at the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department (27 Madison Avenue, Manhattan) from 5:30 to 9:00 PM. The Prosecutors Committee, founded in 2008, aims to support the advancement and professional development of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) prosecutors, to build a network between current and former APIDA prosecutors, recruit APIDA law students into the field, and create trust and communication between the APIDA community and local prosecutors’ offices. Bridget G. Brennan, Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding public service, commitment to diversity, and staunch support of the Prosecutors Committee since its inception in 2008.

The Committee, co-chaired by Kin Ng and Diana Wang, represents a community that includes over 100 APIDA prosecutors currently serving in New York. The AABANY Prosecutors Committee’s growing membership is comprised of prosecutors of APIDA heritage from all five New York City District Attorney’s Offices and Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, as well as Assistant Attorney Generals from the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and federal prosecutors from the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Around 150 attendees, including members of the Prosecutors Committee, District Attorney Executives, state and federal judges, and community leaders, filled the Appellate Division courthouse to capacity for this celebratory event. The evening featured distinguished guests who delivered heartfelt congratulatory remarks to Ms. Brennan, who was appointed as New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor in 1998 and is the first woman to hold that position.

Ms. Brennan oversees a staff of 200 lawyers, investigators, and professional personnel for an office that prosecutes serious narcotics offenses and related crime throughout New York City’s five boroughs. Ms. Brennan has been an Assistant District Attorney since 1983, when she joined the New York County District Attorney’s Office. During her tenure there, she was designated both a homicide and sex crimes prosecutor. She became a deputy chief in a financial crimes bureau before joining the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office in 1992. She first served as chief of the highly regarded Special Investigations Bureau, overseeing some of the nation’s most significant narcotics investigations, then as Chief Assistant from 1995 to 1997. Before her legal career, Ms. Brennan was a print, radio, and television reporter in her native Wisconsin, where she graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin.

The evening’s event, held in the stunning landmarked courtroom with its iconic stained-glass dome, began with welcome remarks from Hon. Dianne T. Renwick, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department. Like Ms. Brennan, Justice Renwick is herself a trailblazer, as the first woman of color to serve as Presiding Justice of any Appellate Division in New York State, and only the second woman to lead the First Department since its creation in 1894.

Thereafter, the speakers honoring Ms. Brennan included the following representatives from local prosecutors’ offices:

Hon. Michael E. McMahon, Richmond County District Attorney
Bronx County DA’s Office, Chief Assistant Derek Lynton
Kings County DA’s Office, Chief Assistant Nancy Hoppock
New York County DA’s Office, Chief Assistant Meg Reiss
Nassau County DA’s Office, Executive ADA Brian Lee
Queens County DA’s Office, Bureau Chief Rosemary Chao
Suffolk County DA’s Office, Bureau Chief Lucie Kwon
Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office, ADA Anju Malhotra, who introduced Ms. Brennan

AABANY thanks Prosecutors Committee Co-Chairs Kin Ng and Diana Wang, as well as Vice-Chairs Grace Vee, Sabeeha Madni and Chanterelle Sung, for organizing this memorable event. AABANY also thanks Justice Renwick and the Appellate Division, First Department, for providing the beautiful courthouse for this special celebration.

More photos from the event can be found here.

To learn more about the Prosecutors Committee, please click here.

October 23, 2023October 23, 2023

2023 NAPABA Awards: Announcing the Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award Honorees

The Trailblazer Award honors outstanding attorneys and organizations that make an impact in the legal profession and within the AANHPI community. This lifetime achievement award is NAPABA’s highest honor and recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of lawyers who have paved the way for the advancement of other AANHPI attorneys.

Trailblazers have demonstrated vision, courage, and tenacity in their practice. They have also made substantial and lasting contributions to the AANHPI legal profession, as well as the broader AANHPI community.

We’re proud to recognize these deserving honorees of the 2023 NAPABA Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award and look forward to celebrating their achievements at the 2023 NAPABA Convention in Indianapolis.

2023 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award Recipients

October 2, 2023October 17, 2023

AABANY Honored with OCA-NY Asian Pacific American Advocates of New York’s Community Award

On the evening of September 22, 2023, OCA-NY Asian Pacific American Advocates of New York presented a Community Award to AABANY. Honorees gathered in Chinatown to attend OCA-NY’s Community Service and Leadership Awards Gala, hosted at the House of Joy on Pell Street in Manhattan Chinatown.

OCA-NY is a national non-profit civil rights organization, dedicated to “promoting and protecting the political, economic, and cultural rights of Asian Pacific Americans in America.” Founded in 1973, OCA was established to advocate for Asian Americans on the national level, providing a robust platform for representation and change for Asian Americans across America. OCA’s New York Chapter hosts a variety of programs, focused on transforming public policy and engaging in active community advocacy.

This year’s Community Service and Leadership Awards Gala was the first in-person gala hosted by the New York chapter since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gala celebrated a wide range of renowned local leaders, as well as organizations that have made significant contributions to the community. AABANY congratulates our fellow honorees:

Tzi Ma, Lifetime Achievement Award
Assemblymember Steven Raga, Leadership Award
Mohamed Q. Amin, Trailblazer Award
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Community Award

As recognized by OCA-NY, AABANY has made significant contributions to the AAPI community through various initiatives and programs. Established in 2015, AABANY’s Pro Bono clinic has provided crucial legal assistance and support to members of the AAPI community who may be facing legal challenges but are hindered in finding legal advice and information that is linguistically and culturally accessible. This initiative has been supported by AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS), started in 2020. Since then, LRIS has served as a vital resource for individuals seeking legal representation, ensuring that community members have access to reliable legal information and can connect with qualified attorneys who can assist them with their legal needs by speaking their language and understanding their cultural background and context. Responding to rising incidents of anti-Asian hate and violence, AABANY has also established an Anti-Asian Violence Task Force. Active since 2021, the Task Force has worked tirelessly to raise awareness, advocate for policy change, and provide support to victims and their families. Collectively, these initiatives reflect AABANY’s unwavering commitment to serving and advocating for the AAPI community, making a positive impact on and advancing the well-being of the AAPI community in New York and beyond.

At the gala, former AABANY President Vince Chang presented the award to AABANY, which was accepted by Yang Chen, Executive Director. OCA-NY presented each honoree with a Chinese character, rendered in calligraphy and framed, which OCA-NY believes best represented each honoree. AABANY’s character was 廉 (lián), symbolizing “fairness and integrity.”

Many members of AABANY’s leadership attended the gala to commemorate our accomplishments alongside those of other distinguished community leaders. At AABANY’s table were:

Karen Kim, President
Yang Chen, Executive Director
Vince Chang, Former President (and Immediate Past President of the New York County Lawyers Association, its first AAPI President)
Beatrice Leong, Co-Vice President of Programing & Operations
Francis Chin, Director of Technology, Professional Development Committee Co-Chair
Nandar Win Kerr, Professional Development Committee Vice-Chair
May Wong, Pro Bono and Community Service Committee Vice-Chair
Kevin Hsi, Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chair

Also in attendance were: Yen-Yi Anderson, Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee Co-Chair; Glenn Magpantay, LGBT Committee Co-Chair; Richard In, active member; Tim Wong, former Treasurer.

The Community Service and Leadership Awards Gala at the House of Joy was a remarkable gathering that celebrated not only AABANY’s accomplishments, but also the collective strength of our community. AABANY extends our sincere appreciation to our colleagues, supporters, and the AABANY leadership who took part in the celebration. Together, our work reaffirms and reinforces our shared vision of building a brighter, more equitable future for New York’s AAPI community.

April 19, 2019

PRESS RELEASE: AABANY CONGRATULATES ITS FORMER PRESIDENT GLENN LAU-KEE ON RECEIVING SOLO AND SMALL FIRM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION

NEW YORK – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Glenn Lau-Kee, Partner at Lau-Kee Law Group PLLC and former AABANY President (1997-99), on receiving the American Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors solo and small firm attorneys who are widely accepted by their peers as having significant lifetime distinction, exceptional achievement, and distinction in an exemplary way. Mr. Lau-Kee and his fellow awardees will be honored on Friday, May 3, 2019 at the ABA Solo and Small Firms Award Luncheon at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.

Mr. Lau-Kee began his legal career as an associate in the Hong Kong and New York offices of Coudert Brothers LLP where he worked on bank financing, leasing, and corporate acquisition transactions. In 1977, he became a partner at Kee and Lau-Kee PLLC where he has developed a thriving real estate and bank financing practice. He was also a partner at Koo Larrabee Lau-Kee & Lane LLP for six years.

Aside from practicing real estate and business law, Mr. Lau-Kee has spent much of his legal career tirelessly serving the Asian American community of New York City. He helped found the Chinatown YMCA, as well as the US-Asia Institute. For his long-standing service to the YMCA, he received the Order of the Red Triangle, the highest honor bestowed by the organization. Along with his father, Norman Kee, Mr. Lau-Kee received the Hon. George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award in 2010, recognizing their outstanding record of public service and commitment to providing exceptional legal services to the Chinatown community in New York City. In 2017, Mr. Lau-Kee was honored as a Community Hero by the Museum of Chinese in America.

Mr. Lau-Kee made history as the first Asian American President of the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) for the 2014-15 term. He continues his involvement with NYSBA as a member of the Business Law, Health Law and Real Property Law sections. Mr. Lau-Kee has also been an active member of New York County Lawyers Association (“NYCLA”) since 2000, serving on the Board of Directors until 2004 and serving on various task forces and committees until 2010. He also served on the Board of Directors for the NYCLA Foundation and the New York Bar Foundation, which function as the charitable and philanthropic arms of their respective organizations.

Mr. Lau-Kee has been an active leader in AABANY for over twenty years. He served as President from 1997-1999 and on the Board of Directors from 1994-2000. He has served on the Nominations Committee, contributing to the promotion of future leaders for AABANY.

Mr. Lau-Kee is a graduate of Yale College and Boston University School of Law.

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 a New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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Director Kiran A. Ahuja U.S. Office of Personnel Management	Kiran A. Ahuja serves as the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). After more than two decades in public service and executive nonprofit work, she was nominated by President Joe Biden for her current role before being confirmed by the United States Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Director Ahuja is the first South Asian American and first Asian American woman to lead OPM. Learn more about Kiran.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta U.S. Department of Justice	Vanita Gupta is the 19th United States Associate Attorney General and has served as the third-ranking official at the Department of Justice since her confirmation by the Senate on April 21, 2021. Associate Attorney General Gupta supervises the Department of Justice’s civil litigating divisions. She also oversees the grantmaking components of the Department. Learn more about Vanita.
Lisa Loo Senior Vice President and General Counsel	Lisa S. Loo, as Vice President for Legal Affairs and Deputy General Counsel at Arizona State University, focuses on special projects and initiatives, commercial transactions, procurement, real estate and immigration matters. Lisa is a founding board member of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association. Learn more about Lisa.
Florence T. Nakakuni Former U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii	Florence T. Nakakuni is the former United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii. She was appointed in 2009 by President Barack Obama, replacing Edward H. Kubo Jr. who left to become a Judge on the Hawaii First Circuit Court. She is the first female United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii. Learn more about Florence.
Ambassador Katherine C. Tai U.S. Trade Representative	Ambassador Katherine C. Tai was sworn in as the 19th United States Trade Representative on March 18, 2021. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, Ambassador Tai is the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy. Prior to her unanimous Senate confirmation, Ambassador Tai spent most of her career in public service focusing on international economic diplomacy, monitoring, and enforcement. Learn more about Katherine.
Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission	Mark T. Uyeda was sworn into office on June 30, 2022, after being nominated by President Joseph Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Commissioner Uyeda has served on the staff of the SEC since 2006. He most recently served on detail from the SEC to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs as a securities counsel to the committee’s minority staff. He is the first Asian Pacific American to serve as a Commissioner at the SEC. Learn more about Mark.