Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
Internship Program – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
NAPABA provides undergraduate and law students who are interested in the legal profession and advocacy within the Asian Pacific American community with the opportunity to work in Washington, D.C. The program develops leadership and professional skills and encourages political and civic engagement.
For Immediate Release
Sept. 28, 2016
For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
bschuster@napaba.org, 202-775-9555
WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has named Jenny R. Yang, chair of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as the recipient of the 2016 NAPABA Women’s Leadership Award. The award recognizes the accomplishments of women lawyers and is presented to an individual who has achieved professional excellence in her field, demonstrated leadership and understanding of women’s issues, and made significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American legal community.
The award will be presented at the Women’s Leadership Network Breakfast & Plenary at the 2016 NAPABA Convention in San Diego, California, on Nov. 5, 2016.
“Ms. Yang has a long and remarkable history of service and leadership to the Asian Pacific American community, and LGBTQ and women’s’ rights,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “We applaud her commitment to advancing equal opportunity and fairness in the workplace, and NAPABA is proud to honor Ms. Yang as the 2016 Women’s Leadership Award recipient.”
Ms. Yang is the first Asian American to be named EEOC chair on a permanent basis in its 50-year history, and is also the first Asian American woman to serve on the Commission. The EEOC is a five-member bi-partisan commission responsible for enforcing our nation’s laws against workplace discrimination. She leads an agency with over 2,200 employees in 53 offices around the country with a budget of over $365 million.
Throughout her career in the non-profit, private, and government sectors, she has worked to protect the legal rights of Asian Pacific Americans through enforcement of our nation’s civil rights and workplace laws and through her service to the community. From 2007 until her confirmation to the EEOC in 2013, Ms. Yang served as a board member and vice chair of the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, which is dedicated to providing linguistically and culturally appropriate legal services to Asian Pacific Americans in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. From 1998 to 2004, she served as co-chair and board member of the National Governing Board of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, the only national multi-issue Asian Pacific American women’s organization in the country.
As chair of the EEOC, Ms. Yang is leading the agency as it charts its path forward for the next 50 years. She is also leading efforts to ensure that, as the nation’s largest employer, the federal government serves as a model employer. Moreover, she is engaged in a broad effort to build stronger workplaces by exploring the root causes of persistent forms of discrimination and identifying effective strategies to prevent and remedy discrimination.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.
WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has selected the Orange County Asian American Bar Association (OCAABA) as its 2016 Affiliate of the Year. This award recognizes outstanding NAPABA affiliates for their best practices and accomplishments in their respective communities. OCAABA is one of approximately 75 national, state, and local bar associations that are affiliated with NAPABA.
The presentation of the 2016 Affiliate of the Year Award will take place at the NAPABA Anniversary Gala during the 2016 NAPABA Convention in San Diego, California, on Nov. 5, 2016.
“The Orange County Asian American Bar Association has the kind of energy and commitment we want to see in all of our bar associations,” said NAPABA President Jin Y. Hwang. “OCAABA has grown to become a role model for other bar associations, many of which have adopted their sponsorship and programming models. OCAABA also has a large presence within their community and a dedicated commitment to pro bono, partnering with Orange County’s Public Law Center to host monthly pro bono legal clinics for low-income, Asian language speaking residents of Orange County. I am proud of OCAABA’s strong collaboration with local organizations, and happy to name OCAABA as the 2016 NAPABA Affiliate of the Year.”
In 2016, a concerted effort was put forth to highlight OCAABA’s maturation and growth in the formerly homogenous Orange County legal community by increasing their partnerships with other local bar associations, reaching a wider part of the community through service events, and strengthening relationships with prominent bar members of all backgrounds.
OCAABA has organized innovative CLE programs to assist attorneys in the community in obtaining Ethics and Competence credits. For example, OCAABA partnered with the Newport Beach Police Department to educate attorneys on the dangers of drinking and driving through a hands-on, interactive "wet lab” that administered breathalyzer and field sobriety tests. OCAABA’s CLE programs have been so well received that the recently formed Thurgood Marshall Bar Association in Orange County, as well as AAAJ-LA, have reached out to OCAABA to collaborate on joint CLE events in the near future.
NAPABA is pleased to present its 2016 Affiliate of the Year Award to the Orange County Asian American Bar Association and congratulates its leaders on a successful year serving their members and community.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of almost 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.
NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, 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 color in the legal profession.
Pitch Session Program – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Law firm applications for the 2016 Pitch Sessions are now available!
The 8th Annual Pitch Sessions bring together in-house counsel and attorneys from NAPABA’s Premier, Diamond, Jade, Platinum, and Gold-level sponsor firms, and solo and small firms practitioners, including those owned by women and minorities. Each session brings a unique opportunity for in-house counsel to meet one-on-one with well qualified attorneys from an array of practice areas, all of whom have demonstrated a commitment to their profession and NAPABA. Numerous business development pitches have successfully taken place over the years. Last year, in-house counsel from various Fortune 500 companies, including Target, NBC Universal, and Microsoft, participated in the Pitch Sessions. The Pitch Sessions will take place at the 2016 NAPABA Convention from Nov. 3-6 in San Diego.
Law Firm Participant Eligibility
Although we encourage every in-house counsel participant in the Pitch Sessions program to meet with at least one eligible law firm participant based on their outside counsel needs, meetings with in-house counsel are not guaranteed. Participation in the program is based on in-house counsel selection of interested attorneys.
When will the pitch sessions take place and in what format?
In-house counsel and firm attorneys can determine the date, time, and length of the pitch sessions as long as it takes place on-site during the 2016 NAPABA Convention. Law firms may conduct the pitch with one person or a team from the firm dependent on your preference.
Is this a practice pitch?
No, in-house counsel will not view the pitch sessions as practice.
Will each in-house counsel have work to give out?
No. Because it is difficult for in-house counsel to predict their work needs, they are not required to have work to give out during the Pitch Sessions. But they will have full discretion to engage (or strongly recommend) outside law firms as needed.
NAPABA IHC Webinar, Sept. 29 at 3pm: Success and Career Development as an In-House Counsel
The day in a life as in-house counsel carries with it rewards and challenges as any other practice of law. That said, there are aspects that are arguably unique to in-house practice. During this one hour webinar, you will get a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what in-house practice is really like through the lens of Asian Pacific American attorneys.
Whether you are currently in-house or are interested in exploring an in-house career track, we invite you to join our webinar to hear from a trio of senior in-house counsel from a cross-section of industries: Justin Ruaysamran (Vice President, Corporate Counsel, Jennison Associates LLC), Shannon King (Senior Trademark Counsel, Chevron), and Jack Chen, (Assistant General Counsel, HR Legal Group, Microsoft Corp.) will share their motivations and aspirations which led them in-house, what a typical day looks like for them, how they think about career development, and their perspective on advancing diversity and inclusion in their respective companies.
This webinar is open to all NAPABA members and prospective members.
Click on the link above for more information.
NAPABA is aware of a highly unusual development in the judicial selection process in the State of New York. It is our understanding that, for the first time in the state’s history, a local screening committee has declined to vote a sitting judge, Justice Doris Ling-Cohan, out of committee, thereby denying her the opportunity to seek re-election, with the effect of removing her from the bench. While we are also aware of press reports of potential changes in this development, to our knowledge, the decision of the screening panel has not been reversed, and Justice Ling-Cohan is not on the ballot for the November election. Justice Ling-Cohan is the first and only Asian Pacific American woman on the appellate courts of New York. This statistic is particularly striking, as Asian Pacific Americans make up 7.3 percent of the population of New York. We encourage our local affiliates, who are closest to the process and to the relevant players, to closely investigate and monitor the situation, and for the New York legal community to take every step necessary to ensure that judges are treated fairly and on the merits, and are given the opportunity to confront and respond to any expressed concerns or objections.
For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of approximately 50,000 attorneys and approximately 75 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.
NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, 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 color in the legal profession.