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Thank you to all those who attended our Fifth Annual Fall Conference: Empowering Unity and Progress, hosted at Morgan Lewis on September 20, 2014.
With over 300 people registered, the full day of CLE programs and Trial Advocacy Program (hosted at Alston & Bird LLP) were highly informative, productive, and engaging with truly something for everyone. We had panels addressing topics from Asian Americans in the Civil Rights Movement to How to Make it Rain and Keep It Raining. The invite-only In-House Counsel and Judicial Forums provided productive environments for candid discussion.
Gurinder Singh, Vice President of Programs and Operations, kicked off the lunch session by introducing Brad Edmister, Partner at Morgan Lewis, who offered welcoming remarks on behalf of the firm. At the lunch, we were excited to present our inaugural awards. We were honored to present the inaugural Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award to Hon. Marilyn Go and the inaugural Law Firm Diversity Award to Perkins Coie LLP.
Executive Director Yang Chen presented the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer award, recognizing Norman Lau Kee who was present at the event, and then introducing Judge Go. When accepting her award, Judge Go spoke on the importance of being at right place at the right time, most notably on how expectations of Asian Americans have shaped her personal journey and the most opportune times to break barriers. As a trailblazer in the Asian American legal community, she is the first Asian American female to serve as a federal judge and is a founding member of AABANY.
President Clara Ohr presented the Law Firm Diversity Award and introduced Dennis Hopkins, Partner at Perkins Coie, who accepted the Law Firm Diversity Award on behalf of the firm. Dennis remarked on how Perkins is perceived as a leader, but noted humbly that they are “just doing what they should do” and are glad to be receiving acknowledgment.
Gurinder then introduced Helen Wan who spoke about her book The Partner Track and she too spoke of Asian Americans in law, specifically navigating the corporate world. Copies of her just-released paperback edition of her book were available for purchase at the event, and many attendees took the opportunity to pick up a copy and have it inscribed by Helen.
President-elect Will Wang offered closing remarks at the lunch. He reminded everyone to save the date for the 2015 Annual Dinner, to be held on February 25 at Cipriani Wall Street.
We hope all those who attended the Cocktail Reception and Committee Dinners enjoyed some well-deserved refreshment in some good company. We were happy to welcome 185 attendees at the Cocktail Reception hosted one block away at Park Avenue Tavern.
This year, there were five Committee Dinners hosted: Government Service & Public Interest/Litigation/Labor and Employment/Young Lawyers Committees Dinner at Aperitivo; In-House Counsel at Izakaya NoMad; Real Estate and Small & Solo Firm Practice Committees at Cibo; Intellectual Property Comittee at Radiance Tea House and Fine Asian Cuisine; and Tax and Bankruptcy & Restructuring Committees at Capital Grille.
We thank all those who made the day possible: Brad Edmister, Morgan Lewis staff, moderators and panelists, our sponsors for their continuing support, honorees, Helen Wan for speaking, volunteers, and especially you for attending.
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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