On July 16, 2024, through a collaboration between AABANY, the LGBT Bar NY (LeGal), the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association of New York, we had over 40 collective members and friends who signed up to watch the NY Liberty vs. CT Sun game at the Barclays Center. The crowd was ecstatic and vibrant! We congratulate our home team for winning the game (82-74) and wish them great success at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. We were fortunate to see them in action, since they won’t be playing another organized WNBA matchup until Aug. 15.
We hope to convene at another joint collaborative bar association event to support minority bar associations and their causes, such as hosting pro bono legal clinics, awarding scholarships, and providing mentorship and training programs to attorneys and judges.
If you would like to learn more about the participating bar associations, please visit them at:
On January 16, a chilly winter evening in the heart of midtown Manhattan, AABANY’s Student Outreach, Career Placement, and Mentorship Committees came together to host a memorable event that combined artistry, camaraderie, and a dash of culture. It was the much-anticipated “Paint & Sip Night” held at the Painting Lounge. The event brought together a vibrant mix of practicing attorneys and enthusiastic law students, all eager to unwind and tap into their creative sides. The focal point of the evening: capturing the iconic New York City skyline on canvas while indulging in fine wine and delectable Korean cuisine.
As the attendees gathered, the Painting Lounge provided the perfect ambiance for the creative journey that lay ahead. Easels, canvases, and an array of vibrant paints awaited the eager participants. Under the guidance of an expert instructor, everyone had the opportunity to channel their inner artists and bring their visions of the NYC skyline to life. Sipping on wine and enjoying the company of fellow legal professionals and aspiring lawyers, the atmosphere was filled with laughter, shared stories, and a palpable sense of community. Korean cuisine enhanced the evening’s festivities. Attendees savored a variety of mouthwatering dishes that reflected the rich flavors of Korean culture. From savory bulgogi to spicy cucumber kimchi, the culinary journey was a treat for the taste buds, providing a culinary complement to the artistic expressions taking shape on canvas.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Student Outreach, Career Placement, and Mentorship Committees for organizing this fantastic event, and to all the attendees who made it an evening to remember.
Application Deadline: Friday, August 18 at 8:00 pm ET
If you are a senior associate or of counsel at a major law firm who is approaching consideration for partnership, the NAPABA Prospective Partners Program (PPP) is designed for you. PPP is hosted on Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10 during the 2023 NAPABA Convention and you are invited to apply for this exclusive program.
Here are the top four reasons to apply:
• Meet senior in-house counsel and general counsels. • Fine tune your pitch and receive real-time feedback from decision-makers who hire attorneys. • Network and form meaningful connections with similarly situated attorneys on the cusp of partnership. • Gain mentorship from a partner at a different law firm and get a fresh perspective on your career trajectory.
Are you ready to boost your career? Apply for the PPP by 8:00 pm ET on Friday, August 18.
Application Deadline: Friday, August 18 at 8:00 pm ET
The NAPABA Prospective Partners Program (PPP) application is now open! If you are a senior associate or of counsel at a major law firm who is approaching consideration for partnership, the PPP is designed for you. The PPP aims to increase the number of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander partners at major law firms through introduction, mentorship, and relationship building. Sessions will take place at the 2023 NAPABA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, November 9-12.
Prospective partners will receive mentorship and guidance on their career development and connect with senior in-house counsel where they will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and the services of their firms.
Additionally, prospective partners will be paired with a partner mentor from a different law firm who will provide feedback and guidance on the prospective partner’s introduction presentation and career development.
The deadline to apply for this program is 8:00 pm ET on Friday, August 18.
Mark your calendars and save the date for NAPABA’s 2023 In-House Counsel (IHC) Summit, August 10-11, taking place in New York. We are proud to announce that hosted in conjunction with the IHC Summit is the inaugural Partners Summit. These two distinct gatherings will bring together senior Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) attorneys who seek to advance and influence the profession. Space is limited for each program; applications will open mid-April.
In-House Counsel Summit The IHC Summit is a career and skills development program designed to help current and former public company senior and experienced in-house attorneys make the jump into the C-Suite, with a focus on diversifying the legal leadership of Fortune 1000 companies. Drawing on the collective experience of senior leaders in the AAPI community, participants will receive tailored guidance and training necessary to successfully climb up, and thrive on top of, the corporate ladder.
The focus during the 2023 IHC Summit is to bolster efforts to reach the 50×25 Initiative (of at least 50 General Counsels in Fortune 1000 companies by 2025). Participants will be exposed to experienced and established faculty, including current and former General Counsels, C-Suite Executives, and senior professionals from search firms. Through a series of panels and support that offer practical learnings including soft skills, participants will learn how to get a seat at the Fortune 1000 table and thrive as a legal leader once they get there. For eligibility requirements, learn more here.
Partners Summit The Partners Summit is an interactive program designed to deepen relationships and bolster the collective impact of AAPI law firm partners. Participants will collaborate on issues facing AAPI partners, strategies to successfully lead and progress within law firms, and how to forge meaningful connections with the next generation of AAPI partners. While hosted in conjunction with the In-House Summit, this program provides law firm partners an opportunity to expand their network and demonstrate support for current and former public company senior and experienced in-house AAPI attorneys who seek to elevate into general counsel positions at Fortune 1000 companies.
During the 2023 Partners Summit, NAPABA and law firm leaders will facilitate collaborative conversations providing participants key insights and strategies on business development, origination credit, and advancement and mentorship. For eligibility requirements, learn more here.
AABANY hosted for the second time the Columbia Law School’s Spring Break Caravan. This year, Caravan representative Angel Li (CLS ’23) reached out to the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS) and Student Outreach Committee (SOC) to supervise six students during the week of March 14, 2022. During this program, students shadowed volunteer attorneys at the Queens pro bono clinics held on Saturdays, researched and drafted legal training materials for the pro bono clinics, attended a legal community presentation about bankruptcy, and met with various mentors from law firms and SOC graduates.
On behalf of PBCS, we want to thank these law students for creating much-needed training materials to help volunteer attorneys in recognizing common issues in housing, family, wills and estates, and immigration law with flowcharts and outlines. These pro bono clinics act like triages in which attorneys spot issues for the individuals and provide legal information and referrals within a 30-minute session. We’ve been quite fortunate to have the support of our volunteer attorneys who are willing to teach each other and to open the eyes of these young law students about the problems many indigent and limited English proficient clients face daily.
On behalf of SOC, we are grateful for the not-for profit and biglaw corporate attorneys coming together to mentor these law students. Despite their different backgrounds and areas of practice, members of AABANY are always generously contributing their time, resources, and efforts to aid the AAPI community and leading these law students to a career of their own choosing.
Rather than picking just one essay from the Caravan, we believe it’s best to share with you all a snippet of these law students’ thoughts about the Caravan. We wish them the best in completing their studies and continue the AABANY’s spirit of giving back to the community.
Regards,
Eugene Kim, PBCS
William Lee, SOC
May Wong, PBCS
Supervisors of the Caravan
“In the first instance, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the texts that were assigned preparatory to the start of the Caravan. The excerpt from How Do You Live? was especially memorable as a means of getting me into the right mindset before the program even formally began. It goes without saying that behind every law student and lawyer lies a sizable aggregation of resources: years of schooling, various internship opportunities, and votes of confidence from a network of supportive people. Law students and lawyers are the products of considerable societal investment; as such, it is incumbent upon them to give back and to give generously.”
-Andrew Chang –
“While I knew that our society had those problems, I realized that knowing problems is different from helping people facing the problems. I also understood that volunteer attorneys need to deal with various issues in different legal areas in a limited time in the clinic. Therefore, clients’ problems are not entirely solved there, but clients are given helpful advice on the following steps to solve the problems.”
– Nobuko Ikeda –
“Overall, I really valued not only peeking into the issues faced by the community, but also into how Asian American attorneys are helping combat those issues through the clinic. This caravan has inspired me to participate in the pro bono clinic as a future attorney, and I look forward to exploring even more ways to make the sessions efficient and to help the clients legally and emotionally.”
-Angel Li –
“What I found during the research was that massive amounts of materials and resources are already provided by municipal bodies, government officials, and private law firms on the internet. However, people who are not legal professionals would have difficulty utilizing these public resources. The difficulty arises from a language barrier and complexity in understanding and applying legal standards to one’s own situation.”
– Shota Sugiura-
“I appreciated all the genuine and candid advice I received from our Caravan supervisors, and am especially grateful for the wisdom from my AABANY mentor. It was an amazing opportunity to hear from lawyers from a range of backgrounds: those working in public service, those at firms, those who have transitioned to in-house. It was an equally exciting chance to build bonds with other Columbia APALSA members who felt passionate about giving back to our community.”
In “For Asian American Lawyers, Good Mentorship Is Crucial,” a Law360 Guest Column published on August 16, Paul, Weiss partners Jeannie Rhee, Lawrence Wee, and Jennifer Wu discussed the importance of mentorships and common setbacks and stereotypes faced by Asian American lawyers. Wee and Wu are both AABANY members. Wee is a co-chair of AABANY’s Corporate Law Committee and a former AABANY Board Director, while Wu is a co-chair of the AABANY’s Women’s Committee. Rhee, Wee, and Wu stated that finding good mentors is vital for professional development and career advancement, but also took care to note that the mentor-mentee relationship is two-sided. The authors recommended that mentees find ways to anticipate their mentors’ needs and assist them, while also encouraging mentors to be good listeners and step into their mentees’ shoes. While they maintained that these relationships can help young lawyers learn to manage some challenges associated with being an Asian American in the legal profession, they also recommended that Asian American lawyers should seek out a range of mentors, whether they share the same cultural background or not.
As mentors, Rhee, Wee, and Wu encouraged younger lawyers to take risks, speak up during meetings and challenging cases, and actively seek out promotions and leadership opportunities, especially since Asian Americans can be seen as risk-averse and face obstacles such as the bamboo ceiling. The authors also cautioned young Asian American lawyers, warning them that they will encounter stereotypes and that not everyone would acknowledge that they are minorities. However, they urged young Asian American lawyers to be their best, most authentic selves and to engage in positive, open communication about race-related issues. They also encouraged Asian American lawyers to become active in affinity groups and seek out organizations dedicated to the Asian American community and the career advancement of Asian American lawyers. The link to the full article is here.
The deadline to apply for the NAPABA Prospective Partners Program (PPP) is two weeks away! PPP aims to increase the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander partners at major law firms through introduction, mentorship, and relationship building. In anticipation of the program’s eleventh year, the PPP is inviting candidate applications and nominations for participation in PPP sessions taking place at the 2021 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., from December 9-12, 2021.
The NAPABA Prospective Partners Program (PPP) aims to increase the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander partners at major law firms through introduction, mentorship, and relationship building. In anticipation of the program’s eleventh year, the PPP is inviting candidate applications and nominations for participation in PPP sessions taking place at the 2021 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., from December 9-12, 2021.
Invited prospective partners will have the opportunity to meet with a panel of senior in-house counsel (GCs or others with outside counsel hiring authority) during one of two sessions at the Convention on either Thursday, December 9, or Friday, December 10. Additionally, the PPP will pair prospective partners with a “partner mentor” from a different law firm to provide feedback and guidance on the prospective partner’s introduction presentation and career development.
WASHINGTON – This morning, NAPABA President A.B. Cruz III testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property at a hearing entitled, “The Importance of a Diverse Federal Judiciary, Part 2: The Selection and Confirmation Process.” President Cruz’s testimony on behalf of NAPABA highlighted the challenges that Asian Pacific American attorneys often encounter as they attempt to advance in the legal profession. According to the 2017 landmark study “A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law” (“Portrait Project”) published jointly by NAPABA and Yale Law School, the most often cited issues are lack of mentorship and role models, lack of leadership training, and work going unrecognized. President Cruz’s testimony also drew on the Portrait Projects finding that the selection process for clerkships or law firm promotion – often a prerequisite for judicial consideration, involves not only measures of objective criteria but also access to mentorship and subjective criteria which are often amorphous factors that decision makers rely on to determine whom they regard as their proteges. President Cruz was joined on the panel by his Coalition of Bar Associations of Color (CBAC) colleague and Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) President Elia Diaz Yeager.
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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), represents the interests of over 60,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting APA communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession..
