Tag: NAPABA

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Press Release: NAPABA Applauds Nomination of Jennifer Choe Groves to U.S. Court of International Trade

For Immediate Release
July 30, 2015

WASHINGTON – Today, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds President Barack Obama’s nomination of Jennifer Choe Groves to the U.S. Court of International Trade. If confirmed, Groves will be the first Asian Pacific American (APA) judge to serve on this court.

“We commend President Obama for his continued commitment to judicial diversity with this historic nomination,” said NAPABA President George C. Chen. “As a longtime NAPABA member and a NAPABA Law Foundation Board member, Ms. Groves is an esteemed leader in the APA legal community. NAPABA looks forward to continuing to support her nomination.”

The U.S. Court of International Trade, an Article III court, has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws.

Groves is currently the chief executive officer of Titanium Law Group PLLC and Choe Groves Consulting LLC, where she provides consulting and legal services in the areas of international trade and intellectual property. Previously, she was a partner at the law firms of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC, and Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP. Groves also has served as the Senior Director of Intellectual Property and Innovation in the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President. Earlier in her career, she was an attorney at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Fisher & Neave LLP (now Ropes & Gray LLP) and the District Attorney’s Office of New York County.    

For More Information, Contact:
Brett Schuster, Communications Manager
(202) 775-9555, 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 over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 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.

To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).

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Press Release: NAPABA Files Amicus Brief in Federal Circuit Case Affecting Trademark Registration of Disparaging Marks

For Immediate Release
July 28, 2015

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

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C., (SABA-DC) and the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality (Korematsu Center) jointly filed an amicus brief to support the U.S. government’s denial of trademark registration to an Asian American rock band in a case before the Federal Circuit. Amici were represented by Charanjit (Charan) Brahma, Michael Hobbs, and Daniel Sharpe at Troutman Sanders LLP.

Simon Shiao Tam applied to register a federal trademark for his band, “The Slants.” The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied his application based on Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act that permits it to deny registration of disparaging marks. Though Tam’s appeal was rejected by a panel of the Federal Circuit, the en banc court on its own accord vacated that decision and ordered an en banc hearing on whether Section 2(a) violates the First Amendment.

“Asian Pacific Americans are all too familiar with the harm, including violence, that often accompanies racial slurs and epithets,” said NAPABA President George C. Chen. “Although I recognize the band’s intent to reclaim a historically disparaging term, as an intellectual property attorney, I also am cognizant that changing the U.S. trademark regulations to allow the registration of ‘The Slants’ could result in the trademarking of offensive terms by individuals and groups without similarly positive intentions.”

“SABA-DC deplores the use of racial slurs and epithets, and while the particular epithet involved in this case is not one that is usually directed to our South Asian constituency, we believe slurs against any racial or ethnic group are damaging to us all,” added SABA-DC President Habib F. Ilahi. “The First Amendment protects free speech, but it does not entitle those who wish to use such derogatory terms for branding purposes to receive the stamp of government approval that comes with federal trademark registration.”

The amicus brief urges the court to recognize that federal registration of a disparaging mark implicates the government. It argues that the federal registry can be compared to county deed recording systems, under which property owners were permitted to record racially restrictive covenants. Until the 1948 case of Shelley v. Kraemer, courts enforced these private acts of discrimination. The amicus brief urges the Federal Circuit to not make the federal trademark registry a place where racism is recorded and authorized, and to not require our government to perpetuate racism.

Robert Chang, executive director of the Korematsu Center, commented, “While Mr. Tam seeks to embrace a derogatory racial term and to subvert it, a laudatory goal, a ruling against the government in this case would leave the government powerless to deny federal registration of trademarks to hate groups.”

“Troutman Sanders is pleased to be able to lend our experience in intellectual property and Federal Circuit appellate issues to aid NAPABA, SABA-DC and the Korematsu Center in this important case,” added Charan Brahma, a partner in Troutman Sanders’ Intellectual Property practice in the San Francisco office, and former president-elect of SABA-DC. 

The case, In re Tam, will be heard en banc by the Federal Circuit on Oct. 2, 2015.

The amicus brief is available HERE.

Contacts:         DC)
                        Kaamil@kmkhan.com
                        571-483-0074

                        Brett Schuster, Communications Manager (NAPABA)
                        bschuster@napaba.org
                        202-775-9555                              

                        Robert S. Chang (Korematsu Center)
                        changro@seattleu.edu
                        206-398-4025

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Press Release: NAPABA Commends White House Plans to Reunite Filipino American WWII Veterans with Their Families

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2015

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

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds the White House for announcing plans on Wednesday for a parole program that would allow Filipino American World War II veterans to be reunited with their families. This program was announced as part of a Visa Modernization Task Force report.

“NAPABA commends the Administration for improving our immigration system and for honoring the sacrifices many Filipino veterans have made for our country,” said George C. Chen, president of NAPABA. “This action has been long overdue as these World War II veterans have waited decades to be reunited with their families, including their children.”  

During World War II, more than 260,000 Filipino soldiers fought for the United States and were promised citizenship and benefits in honor of their service. After finally being granted eligibility for citizenship decades after their wartime service, these veterans were able to petition for family members to immigrate to the United States. However, family visa backlogs have kept many of these families separated for more than 20 years.

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 over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 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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NAPABA Voter Eligibility: Deadline Extension July 22

To be eligible to vote in this year’s elections, you must be a direct NAPABA member OR activate your NAPABA affiliate membership online. NAPABA has extended the deadline to July 22!

AABANY is an affiliate of NAPABA. If you are an active member of AABANY and eligible to vote, you should have received information from us about how to activate your NAPABA affiliate membership. If you did not receive this email, contact Margaret Langston at margaret.langston@aabany.org.

Being an active affiliate member will not be sufficient for voting purposes beginning this year! You must activate your NAPABA membership! For more information about NAPABA’s membership changes, click here. Please also consider reviewing NAPABA’s Membership FAQs Sheet.

If you have already received a code from AABANY, please proceed to activation with the following instructions.

  1. Visit: http://www.napaba.org/login.aspx
  2. Enter your email address and the password [password1]
  3. Click manage profile to renew your membership.
  4. Follow the steps to update your profile.
  5. On the last and final page enter the code from your affiliate in the promotional code box. Click “apply code”.

Congratulations, you have successfully renewed your NAPABA membership through 12/31/2015!

If you receive an error that says username and password combination not found, please click here to register and proceed with the following instructions:

  1. Select the following options from the bottom of the page: Affiliate, Affiliate with Partners Directory ($250), Affiliate Associate, or Affiliate Law Student.
  2. Follow the registration prompts to create a new profile. Please note that you can waive the $100 fee on the last page of the registration form.
  3. On the last and final page enter the code from your affiliate in the promotional code box. Click “apply code”.

Congratulations, you have successfully renewed your membership through 12/31/2015!

Please note that the deadline has been extended to 11:59 pm PDT on July 22, 2015.

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Press Release: NAPABA Applauds U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Marriage Equality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2015

Contact: Tina Matsuoka
(202) 775-9555

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which requires states to license marriages between same-sex couples or recognize such marriages performed in other states.

“NAPABA has been a longstanding supporter of marriage equality because Asian Pacific Americans were long denied equal access to fundamental rights, including the fundamental right to marry. Today’s landmark decision is an important step toward eliminating discrimination and achieving equality under the law for all Americans.” said NAPABA President George C. Chen.

Obergefell is the consolidation of four separate lawsuits from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee in which same-sex couples challenged their states’ refusal to recognize their marriages or permit them to marry in those states. The Court’s decision nullifies the bans against marriage equality in 14 states.

NAPABA has joined numerous amicus briefs supporting the marriage rights of same-sex couples, including in the cases consolidated in Obergefell. Recognizing that broader equality for the LGBT community has yet to be achieved, NAPABA is committed to challenging other laws that deny equal rights for LGBT Americans.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and approximately 70 national, state, and local 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 engages in legislative and policy advocacy, promotes APA political leadership and political appointments, and builds coalitions within the legal profession and the community at large. NAPABA also serves as a resource for government agencies, members of Congress, and public service organizations about APAs in the legal profession, civil rights, and diversity in the courts.

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NAPABA 2015-16 Board Elections Call for Nominations

Call for Nominations

Apply by July 13

The NAPABA Nominating and Elections Committee is now accepting nominations for election to the officer positions of NAPABA’s Board of Governors for the 2015-16 term. All nominations are due on or before Monday, July 13, 2015, at midnight PDT. The officer positions subject to election are the following:

  • President-Elect
  • Vice-President for Finance and Development
  • Vice-President for Programs and Operations
  • Vice-President for Membership
  • Vice-President for Communications
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary

Additional information about these positions, as well as a complete explanation about candidate qualifications and nomination requirements, is available at http://www.napaba.org/?Elections

To be eligible for election to an officer position, a candidate must complete and submit the following information and documents online on or before Monday, July 13, 2015, at midnight PDT:

  • Online Candidate Information Form
  • Nomination Petition with Signature Pages
  • Personal Statement
  • High-resolution Digital Photograph (optional)
  • Short Bio (optional)

Late submissions will not be accepted.

Please contact NAPABA Executive Director Tina Matsuoka at tmatsuoka@napaba.org or 202-775-9555, ext. 4, with any questions.

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2015 Bryan Cave / NAPABA Law Foundation Community Service Scholarship

Deadline: May 29, 2015 at 9 pm ET

Diversity is a core value of Bryan Cave LLP and an engrained part of our culture. Bryan Cave LLP has partnered with the NAPABA Law Foundation to offer the Bryan Cave / NLF Community Service Scholarship, which will provide a $2,500 scholarship award for one law student who is a summer law intern that works on issues on behalf of, or that benefits, the Asian Pacific American community. Click here to apply or for more information.

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Scholarship Application – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Scholarship Application – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Deadline to Apply: July 13, 2015 at 11:59 pm PDT

NAPABA strives to keep the Convention affordable for our members and offers one of the best values among legal education conferences. Apply today and take advantage of NAPABA’s scholarship fund to help defray costs for attendees through registration fee waivers, travel stipends, and lodging stipends.

Application Requirements

  • Submission of this application is not a guarantee of assistance. The decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
  • If you are awarded a scholarship, you must be or become a direct member of NAPABA. To become a member, please click here.
  • Scholarships are non-transferable.
  • Group applications will not be accepted.
  • Please note that all monetary stipends shall be awarded in the form of reimbursements. Please fill out the reimbursement form, attach original receipts, and return by December 31, 2015.  

Registration Fees

To estimate your registration costs, please use the early-bird rates below:

  • Attorney: $595
  • Government/Judges/Public Interest: $325
  • Student: $150
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Speaker Resources – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Speaker Resources – National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Missed your opportunity to submit a CLE panel discussion? It’s not too late. Fill out the Call for Speakers form below and show your interest in lending your expertise to a CLE panel. Please note that your submission does not guarantee that you will be put on a panel, but you may be contacted if there is an opening.

Before you Arrive

  • Register for the NAPABA Convention. All speakers receive a complimentary registration the day of their speaking engagement. If you plan on attending more than one day, please register for the entire Convention.
  • Make your hotel reservation.
  • Apply for a scholarship.
  • Take part in a call with your Program Chair or Moderator to review the expectations of your particular panel.
  • All NAPABA CLE panels are allotted 75 minutes. Rehearse your presentation and be sure to stay within the time allotted so that all speakers have an opportunity to speak. A Q&A session with audience members should be slated for the end of the presentation.

On-Site Tips

  • Arrive on-site early and pick up your badge and registration packet.
  • Report to the room in which your presentation will take place 10 minutes early.

Follow the link in the title to fill out the Call for Speakers.

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