Jean Lee has made AABANY proud. Read Above the Law’s article on “What Being a Lawyer Means to Jean Lee.” As a role model and trailblazer, Jean is sure to do well in her new role as President and CEO of Minority Corporate Counsel Association and we wish her luck.
Check out all these news outlets sharing the good news about the next step in her journey:
Lee, a trailblazer in the legal profession, becomes first Asian American to head the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
The Board of Directors of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association is happy to announce the appointment of Jean Lee as the association’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Lee currently serves as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase & Co and brings more than a dozen years of relevant industry experience in the legal profession, including her work as a member of the Global Legal Diversity Committee at JPMorgan Chase. Ms. Lee will officially begin her tenure in mid-March.
Ms. Lee has demonstrated her leadership skills throughout her personal and professional life having been honored as a Trailblazer by the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York and a Catalyst Agent by the Council of Urban Professionals. As a member of the largest affinity bar in New York State since 2008, she served as the President of the Asian American Bar Association of New York in 2012 and continues serving on its Board of Directors to this day. Prior to her role at JP Morgan Chase, she was a Senior Litigation Associate and member of the firm-wide Diversity Committee at Milberg LLP and, earlier in her career, served as a law clerk to the Honorable John J. Hughes (retired), United States Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey. Ms. Lee also serves as a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award Selection Committee.
“Among her many assets, Jean brings to the role an extensive knowledge of MCCA having been an active board member as well as a demonstrated commitment to leadership in diversity within the profession. Her experience and relationships with corporations, law firms, and bar associations make her well equipped to continue the great work MCCA does, advocating for the expanded hiring, retention and promotion of diverse attorneys across the profession,” said Michelle Banks, Global General Counsel of GAP Inc. and Chair of MCCA’s Board of Directors.
Jean Lee graduated from New York University with a B.A. degree in politics and psychology and a M.S.W. in social work. Ms. Lee received her J.D. degree from Rutgers School of Law. During law school, Ms. Lee was a Senior Editor of the Rutgers Law Record.
“I am deeply honored by this opportunity to build on the legacy of MCCA as an organization that not only impacts the lives of diverse legal professionals, but also has a direct impact within the decision-making offices of corporate America,” said Jean Lee. “As an MCCA board member for several years, I have always admired the dedication of its staff in helping diverse attorneys at all stages of their careers to excel within our profession. As CEO, I look forward to building on our success and furthering our mission to inspire all people to achieve a diverse and inclusive legal community.”
Congratulations to Jean Lee on this historic appointment!
Thank you to Minority Corporate Counsel Association for sharing this announcement on February 11, 2016.
The National Asian Pacific Bar Association (NAPABA) celebrated its 25th Annual Convention in Kansas City, MO, last November. The four-day convention was themed Momentum to celebrate the continuing growth and progress in the Asian Pacific American (APA) legal community, and brought more than 1,200 attendees to the show-me state. Among awards given out at the annual convention is the highly coveted NAPABA Best Lawyers Under 40 (BU40) Award. MCCA’s bi-monthly publication, Diversity & the Bar, profiled these award recipients, including AABANY members and leaders, Mike Huang, Michael Park and Asim Rehman, in the January/February 2014 issue. Read more here.
NEW YORK – May 24, 2013 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Jean Lee, Immediate Past President of AABANY, on being elected to the Board of Directors of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”) was founded in 1997 to advance the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them.
We are delighted that numerous Community Partners are helping us get the word out about “Iva: The Myth of Tokyo Rose – Allegiance on Trial,” opening on Thursday, May 16, at the Asia Society.
Please join us in recognizing and thanking our Community Sponsors:
AARP AsianinNY A/P/A Institute, NYU AAARI AAIFF/Asian Cinevision AALDEF APEX Asian American Federation Asian American Journalists Association – NY Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA) Debevoise & Plimpton Duane Morris Dynasty Project JAA (Japanese American Association of New York) KALAGNY (Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater NY) KALCA Kee & Lau-Kee Kelley Drye Kenyon & Kenyon Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (KCS) MetLife Morgan Stanley MuBANY (The Muslim Bar Association of New York) New York Foundation for the Arts NYAWC New York State Bar Association Project by Project SABANY (South Asian Bar Association of New York) Skadden Arps Sullivan & Cromwell Time Warner Varghese & Associates, P.C. White & Case
We also thank our grantors:
The New York Council for the Humanities
Minority Corporate Counsel Association
We thank Asia Society for use of their beautiful auditorium and facilities, and for all their kind assistance.
We thank all our donors for their generous contributions to the production.
Thanks to you all for helping to make this special APA Heritage Month event possible.
We look forward to seeing everyone at Asian Society on opening night!
AABANY APPLAUDS SELECTION OF BLOSSOM KAN AND TEENA-ANN V. SANKOORIKAL AS MINORITY CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION’S RISING STARS
NEW YORK – April 4, 2013 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) applauds the selection of Blossom Kan and Teena-Ann V. Sankoorikal for being named one of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Rising Stars for 2013.
The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”) was founded in 1997 to advance the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. In the March/April 2013 issue of “Diversity & the Bar Magazine,” MCCA recognized Ms. Kan and Ms. Sankoorikal as “Rising Stars” based on their extraordinary legal accomplishments, demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and their emergence as major players in the legal world.
“We are thrilled that both Blossom and Teena-Ann were named one of MCCA’s ‘Rising Stars’ for 2013. Their selection to this exclusive group is a testament to their outstanding legal work, commitment to diversity and leadership abilities, and we congratulate them for this well-deserved honor,” said Mike Huang, AABANY President.
Blossom Kan is an Assistant General Counsel at MetLife Inc in New York, NY. Ms. Kan handles complex litigation matters and represents MetLife on regulatory matters with both federal and state regulatory authorities. Ms. Kan currently serves as the co-chair of AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee. Prior to joining MetLife, Ms. Kan was a litigation counsel at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Previous to that, she was a litigation associate at the law firm of Orrick Herrington and Sutcliffe. Her practice focused on complex financial litigation. Ms. Kan received a Bachelors of Arts in English and History from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, where she was a member of the Environmental Law Journal. Ms. Kan has also co-authored two women’s fiction novels published by St. Martin’s Press, China Dolls (2007) and Young, Restless and Broke (2010).
Teena-Ann V. Sankoorikal is currently a litigation partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Ms. Sankoorikal has a broad litigation practice, with particular experience in copyright, patent and trade secret matters, as well as experience with antitrust law, securities, Alien Tort Statute and internal investigations. In 2013, Ms. Sankoorikal was elected to the Board of Directors of AABANY. Ms. Sankoorikal received a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry cum laude from Yale University in 1996 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999, where she was the Research Editor for the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.
