Tag: multi-association

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AABANY Co-Hosts the 3rd Annual Pre-Holiday Multi-Association Gathering Featuring Veterans Day Fireside Chat

AABANY gathered 20 other associations for the 3rd Annual Pre-Holiday Multi-Association Gathering, on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., at the New York City Bar Association. The evening featured a potluck dinner, and a CLE Program on Wellness Resources, which included a Fireside Chat focused on veterans in the legal profession since this year’s event fell on Veterans Day.

As the evening began, guests gathered around a vibrant potluck table featuring an array of dishes representing the diverse cultures of the co-sponsoring bar associations.

The spread included scallion pancakes, lo mein, samosas, roasted pork, dumplings, pigs-in-a-blanket, fried rice, Caribbean-spiced chicken, and homemade baked goods, among other offerings. 

Holidays can be emotionally and mentally challenging for many, especially those navigating identity transitions, loss, or professional pressures.  This year’s CLE focused on veteran experiences, resilience, mental health, and navigating civilian legal careers after military service.  Because this topic has often been neglected, it was especially meaningful to conduct this dialogue on Veterans Day.

The Fireside Chat featured a conversation between Amos Kim, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Military & Veteran Affairs Committee, litigation associate at Baker Hostetler, and Austin Cheng, U.S. Army veteran, attorney, and CEO of Gramercy Surgery Center. It was moderated by Benjamin Hsing, President of AABANY and Senior Counsel at Bayes PLLC. Meredith S. Heller, Attorney from the Law Office of Meredith S. Heller PLLC, also spoke to share wellness resources from the New York City Bar Association.  

Austin described the often invisible challenges of transitioning from military life to a legal career. Reflecting on his return from service, he shared: “In the military, I knew exactly what I was responsible for. Every day had structure. There was clarity, purpose, and a team. When I returned to civilian life, I suddenly had too many choices — too much freedom. And that can be overwhelming.” Without that structure, veterans are suddenly faced with what many of us take for granted — choice. But for those used to clear orders, set routines, and defined missions, choice can feel less like freedom and more like instability.

Austin also shared that when he returned from service, the emotional weight of reintegration was immense. He reflected, “I just remember getting back on a Sunday. I was happy to get back home to my family after four years. I can see my mother, she was very different from when I saw her last.” Returning home is often imagined as a moment of relief, closure, or celebration. Yet for many veterans, the process can also be challenging and even painful. They need to rebuild identity, redefine purpose, and adjust to a life no longer shaped by military structure, urgency, or routine. Austin shared that he was suddenly faced with family responsibilities, including taking over his mother’s business, while grappling with these changes. It was during this time that he decided to pursue a J.D.

The difference in adjustment, Austin noted, is not merely about finding a new job and life, but about perspectives.  While civilians may show respect and appreciation for service, understanding the mindset of military service requires more. And this goes both ways – veterans also may need to understand the perspective of the civilians, understanding that they are limited in their perspectives. As Austin stated:  “I don’t think civilians ever played the role of a military person. I think what was more important at that time when I was transitioning out was me being able to understand the mindset of a civilian.” This highlights a key shift: successful reintegration does not mean expecting others to fully understand the military experience, it means understanding others’ perspectives. 

Furthermore, cultural change can be difficult to get used to.  Rather than operating within a single shared purpose, veterans entering the legal profession must now find purpose, build teams, and cultivate trust in a system where perspectives differ, and where collaboration is shaped not by command, but by conversation. Amos stated, “In the military we’re made to have like-minds, whereas here, in the team-building process, we have similar minds.” In the military, unity comes from sameness: same mission, same standards, same purpose. In the legal profession, unity must be built through difference: through debate, collaboration, and shared understanding.

However, they also benefited much from their time in service. Reflecting on how military training shaped his sense of purpose and discipline, Austin said: “I think being in the military gave me a certain level of resilience and perspective…. It’s war, so you have to kind of do certain things under very stressful conditions.” That sense of resilience, formed through years of training, responsibility, and operating under high-stress conditions, would anchor him in both law and leadership. 

Amos added similar reflections, noting that even after transitioning into the legal field, many habits shaped by military life remain deeply ingrained. Attention to detail, strategic thinking, and discipline continue to guide his work. He shared that he still wakes up at 4:00 a.m. every day because his body and mind remain conditioned to that rhythm. The expectations in the military: precision, accountability, and intention, become part of who you are.

Amos also described the intensity of expectation, precision, and discipline expected in the military: “Operating in the military is more along the lines of what you’re doing to the right every time. There’s no room for error, and there’s no room for any other ideas on how to do it better. It’s the best way to do it, and that’s all.”

Austin’s and Amos’s experiences as service members not only shaped how they approached their mission, but how they later perceived work, purpose, and responsibility in civilian life and the legal profession.

After dinner and the Fireside Chat, attorneys, law students, judges, and professionals connected and exchanged stories during the networking time.  The conversations were not just about their work, but about their families, cultural backgrounds, and personal journeys. Several attendees shared that it was refreshing to step away from case files and deadlines to connect as people, not just as professionals. The connections built between attendees of different backgrounds were personal, heartfelt, and deeply meaningful.

We thank all co-sponsoring associations for their continued support and generosity in sharing the diverse food for this event: 

Events like these demonstrate AABANY’s ongoing commitment to wellness, community, inclusion, and shared storytelling within the legal profession. On this Veterans Day, we were proud to honor not only those who served, but also those who continue to serve through law, leadership, and empathy.

In addition to the associations and the speakers, we would like to thank Jonathan Nguyen, Gloria Tsui-Yip (AABANY Membership Committee Co-Chair) and Kwang Woo Andy Kim (law student from Rutgers Law School – Newark) for volunteering at this event.

Photos from the event can be found at this album here.

“Purpose doesn’t end when service does. It simply takes a new form.” -Jade Simmons, transformational speaker, author and former concert pianist, from her book Purpose the Remix

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AABANY Hosts 2nd Annual Pre-Holiday Multi-Association Gathering 

On November 19, 2024, AABANY held its 2nd Annual Pre-Holiday Multi-Association Gathering, hosted at the New York City Bar Association in Midtown Manhattan. The event featured a potluck dinner as well as a CLE program, titled “Building a Strong Legal Well-Being Foundation for a Brighter Future.” The dinner was co-sponsored by 12 different associations, each bringing ethnic cuisine and assorted goods for all to enjoy.

Recognizing that the holidays can be challenging for many, for various reasons, the gathering aimed to create a supportive community across multiple associations, to share wellness resources before the holiday season. The event began with participants helping themselves to a wide variety of food options, ranging from noodles to fried chicken to salad. As attendees ate, the CLE program began, which focused on wellness and mental health resources for members of the legal community. The program featured three speakers:

The CLE program was moderated by Karen Kim, Senior Counsel of QBE North America and AABANY’s Immediate Past President.

Eileen Travis began the discussion by emphasizing the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse issues within the legal profession, noting that attorneys were at an especially high risk because of their extensive work in “adversarial environments.” According to the American Bar Association, 19% of lawyers experience depression at some point in their career, while 11% experience suicidal ideation. Despite these numbers, Eileen noted that the “legal profession as a group is reluctant to ask for help… the number one reason is the stigma surrounding it.” Though Eileen believed that this stigma has significantly decreased in recent years, she asserted that there is still much more work to be done. For any attorneys facing mental health or substance abuse issues, Eileen suggested they reach out to the Lawyer Assistance Program, whose services are free and completely confidential.

Katherine Loanzon continued the timely dialogue by describing her role as a parent when her two daughters each lost close friends. When a close friend of Katherine’s first daughter committed suicide, she did not know what to do. She wondered, “What do you do? What happens now?” At the time, she had struggled with these questions but eventually learned that it was best to “give children their space” as well as connect them with a therapist. Katherine then recounted how her second daughter experienced a similarly traumatic experience when a classmate of hers suddenly passed from an undiagnosed brain tumor. She described the event as a “different type of pain,” and noted that “everyone grieves differently” and that every individual must be supported through that process, in whatever way that looks. For Katherine’s daughter, she used music to help overcome her grief. Katherine shared resources to find therapists for children, which can be challenging.

Finally, Micah Kessel shared his experience as the CEO of Empathable, a company focused on disseminating the practice of empathy. Micah related empathy specifically to the legal field, saying that he “works to help people relive their most important moments” so that they can learn from these experiences and progress in their professions. Through this work, Micah has sought to redefine empathy, noting that it does not mean “the ability to understand how other people feel,” as the dictionary states. Rather, empathy is “the ability to acknowledge the validity of another person’s experience to be as valid as your own.” Empathy, he concluded, is a skill that must be trained over time.

Thanks to the following co-sponsoring associations for their support and participation in this event: 

For more photos from the event, view the album here.

Thank you also to our event sponsors, Groombridge Wu Baughman & Stone and Edgar Agents, for their support in prioritizing the importance of wellness and well-being in the legal profession.  We appreciate everyone who attended this event and made it such an amazing experience! With events such as these, AABANY will continue to work to help destigmatize mental health and advance the importance of wellness and well-being in the legal profession. If you have ideas for programs or speakers on the topic of wellness and well-being, please contact AABANY at main@aabany.org. We hope to see you at future AABANY events.

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