Tag: NAPABA

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NAPABA Announces Orange County Asian American Bar Association as Its 2016 Affiliate of the Year

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.

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Pitch Session Program – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Pitch Session Program – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

NAPABA 8th Annual Pitch Sessions
Application Deadline | Oct. 14, 2016

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

  • Participants must be from a Premier, Diamond, Jade, Platinum or Gold-level sponsor firm OR from firms with 25 or less attorneys. Please email Priya Purandare at ppurandare@napaba.org if you are interested in sponsoring or upgrading your current level of sponsorship.
  • Solo and small firm practitioners (attorneys who work at law firms with 25 or less attorneys) must be individual Platinum level members of NAPABA (annual membership contribution of $500). Log in to your member profile to check your membership status or become a Platinum member by joining today!
  • Participants must be registered for the 2016 NAPABA Convention.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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NAPABA IHC Webinar, Sept. 29 at 3pm: Success and Career Development as an In-House Counsel

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.

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Organizational Statement | Judicial Selection Process in New York

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.

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CLE Webinar, Sept. 20 | Self-Grooming for a Public Company Board Seat: An Intentional Approach

Have you ever wondered about what it might take for you to be invited to join the board of directors of a Fortune 500 company? If so, then please join us for a webinar designed to help you on that journey.

During this free one-hour session, you will get a behind-the-scenes peek at what goes on inside the corporate boardroom and learn how Fortune 500 company boards evaluate director, board and committee performance, and what they are primarily looking for in board member candidates. In addition, we will explore ideas on how to get noticed by decision makers.

Public companies are looking for highly analytical individuals like you who have what it takes to join and be strong performers on their boards of directors. With external pressures from institutional investors, proxy companies and others on public companies to increase the number of directors who are from outside the company (as well as upcoming guideline changes that reduce the number of corporate boards on which individual directors may concurrently serve), that need will continue to grow.

Led by Curtis Hom, the founding attorney of Innova Legal Group (and former SSF Committee co-chair and former board member of NAPABA and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, APAICS.org), this webinar is ideally suited for attorneys and other professionals who are serious about taking their careers to the next level and are committed to getting that done.

Curtis Hom works directly with boards of Fortune 500 companies on their annual director, board and committee performance evaluation processes. Drawing from a unique combination of real world experience and lessons learned from engaging in discussions and interviews with board members of public and private companies across different industries (as well as leading executive recruiters), Curtis Hom is willing to share his insights about the director selection process, evaluation criteria and what distinguishes finalists from other highly impressive candidates.

*CLE certificates offered only for current NAPABA members.

Register here

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PRESS RELEASE | NAPABA Applauds Nomination of Diane Gujarati to U.S. District Court – E.D.N.Y.

For Immediate Release
Sept. 13, 2016

For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
bschuster@napaba.org, 202-775-9555

WASHINGTON — Today, President Obama nominated Diane Gujarati to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. If confirmed, Gujarati will be the first Indian American to serve as an Article III federal judge in New York. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds her nomination and encourages the Senate to swiftly confirm her to the bench.

“Diane Gujarati has a long and distinguished record of service in the U.S. attorney’s office that prepares her to be an asset to the District Court for the Eastern District of New York,” said Jin Y. Hwang, president of NAPABA. “I urge the Senate to quickly confirm Ms. Gujarati to the district court.”

Ms. Gujarati is currently the deputy chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York. An experienced litigator, she has been an assistant U.S. attorney for 17 years, and worked on a range of criminal prosecutions and appellate matters, including: economic, violent, narcotics, trafficking, and exploitation crimes.

Ms. Gujarati is an adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law and was previously a litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell. She clerked for the Honorable John M. Walker, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She is a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University and Yale Law School.

NAPABA commends President Obama for nominating Ms. Gujarati to the bench. NAPABA thanks Senators Gillibrand and Schumer for recommending Ms. Gujarati to the White House.

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 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.

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Did you know that the NAPABA Convention offers programming for current and prospective law students?

National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference | Friday, Nov. 4 | 12–5 p.m.
The National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference offers prospective law students the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the law school admissions process and the legal profession. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with current law students, admissions professionals, and attorneys in various practice areas. For more information on the pre-law conference and to register, please visit our website. Registration for the conference is free and will close on Oct. 21.

NAPABA is also offering scholarships to pre-law attendees to defray the cost of travel and lodging. Scholarships are awarded based on demonstrated financial need and interest in attending the conference. Application for the scholarship is available on our website and will close on Oct. 31.

NAPALSA Conference | Nov. 3–6
Since 2002, the National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (NAPALSA) Conference occurs in conjunction with the NAPABA Convention. Law students have the opportunity to attend workshops and events specifically catered to law students, as well as workshops and events at the general NAPABA Convention. The partnership gives law students the opportunity to develop skills as law students, future attorneys, and the chance network with and learn from current attorney from various sectors. Register for the NAPALSA Conference here.    

For questions/inquiries regarding the conference, please email Martina Chun at conference.napalsa@gmail.com.

Registration for the 2016 NAPABA Convention will close on Oct. 21. NAPABA members save an additional $200 off the non-member rate. Not a member? Become a member today and save!

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