OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates’ Youth and College Track workshops on Thursday, July 21st and Friday, July 22nd at 2016 National Convention in Jersey City, NJ

Dear Friends,

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates invites you to attend our Youth and College Track workshops on Thursday, July 21st and Friday, July 22nd at our 2016 National Convention in Jersey City, NJ. The free registration provides admission to all workshops, including free breakfast and lunch! Come join us to learn more about APA history, issues affecting the APA community, and what it means to be an advocate.

Students who attend on behalf of their student group will earn $20 per student who RSVPs and attends Convention (a minimum of 5 students must attend in order to get reimbursed).

Highlights from our Youth Track include:

Getting out of Your Comfort Zone – Participate in activities that will lead students to confidently step out of their own self-created boundaries.

Maximizing Your Time in High School – High school provides many opportunities to begin deepening your involvement in extracurricular activities and developing leadership skills, and this workshop will provide students with the tools to make the most of their time there.

High School to College Transition 101 – Whether it’s finding the money to pay for school or choosing the right college or major, this workshop will provide you the knowledge and resources to help ensure your transition is as smooth as possible.

College Success: What to Do When You Get There – This workshop will help students gain a better understanding of what to expect and how to set yourself up for success within your first year.

And highlights from our College Track include:

Joint MFHA Showcase of the Stars – Discover the multitude of APA career opportunities in the food and hospitality industry from industry professionals of diverse backgrounds.

APA History 101 – Dive into a discussion on APA history through a hands-on APA historic timeline activity. Explore the issues that affect us and what to do about them.

Ballin’ on a Budget – Don’t let financial pitfalls get in the way of your success! Learn to navigate around budget obstacles with our hands-on activity, and pay close attention – the most financially savvy team wins gift card prizes of up to $50!

Power and Privilege: Understanding a New Way Forward – Participate in an activity illustrating how power and privilege disparities shape our world, and gain the tools to combat it as you embark on your professional journey.

For more information regarding the convention, click here. To register for free, or to read more about the Youth and College Tracks, please see the attached flyers or visit the registration page bit.ly/OCAYTRACK for Youth Track and bit.ly/OCACollege16 for College Track. If you have any questions, please contact our Program Associate Monica Lee at MLee@ocanational.org or 202.223.5500 ext. 114.

Thank you for your time, we hope you can join us!

Niles Wilson

Program Intern

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates

National Center

NAPABA ANNOUNCES 2014 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN-OWNED LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               Contact: Tina Matsuoka
August 21, 2014                                                                                           (202) 775-9555

NAPABA ANNOUNCES 2014 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN-OWNED LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has named Lim, Ruger & Kim LLP (Lim Ruger) as the 2014 Asian Pacific American (APA)-Owned Law Firm of the Year. NAPABA created the APA-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award to recognize APA-owned law firms that have achieved prominence and distinction while maintaining the highest ethical and legal standards in the profession, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to the APA community. The Award also celebrates growing APA ownership and entrepreneurship in the legal marketplace. The 2014 APA-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award will be presented at the 2014 NAPABA Annual Convention onNovember 8, 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Lim Ruger has over twenty lawyers with expertise in areas including sophisticated real estate and corporate transactions that covers high-profile commercial developments, mergers and acquisitions, financing, and international business transactions. Lim Ruger’s successful legal practice includes work from Fortune 500 companies, Global 1000 companies, multinational corporations, governments, and private entrepreneurs. The firm actively supports a number of organizations that advocate for diversity in the legal profession, including NAPABA. Lim Ruger is deeply committed to giving back to the community by providing pro bono legal services and scholarships, sponsoring and supporting events for non-profit organizations, and supporting its attorneys as community leaders. Lim Ruger has also been the recipient of the NAPABA Law Firm Diversity Award, the Western Justice Center Builders of Peace Award, and the California Minority Counsel Program Client Service Award.

NAPABA is proud to honor Lim, Ruger & Kim LLP with the Asian Pacific American-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award and applauds their continued commitment to excellence within and outside the legal arena.

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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.

Press Release from the Hispanic National Bar Association: Pulling Participation in the 2015 Annual Convention

Contact: Alba Cruz-Hacker, HNBA Executive Director
acruzhacker@hnba.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Hispanic National Bar Association Pulls its 2015 Annual Convention From Phoenix in Response to Arizona’s SB 1062

February 26, 2014

Washington, D.C. – The HNBA announced today that it has pulled its 40th Annual Convention previously scheduled for Phoenix, Arizona in September 2015.

On Monday, February 24th, the HNBA denounced the Arizona legislature’s passage of SB 1062. The HNBA also called for Governor Jan Brewer to veto the legislation and still hopes that she will do so. As set forth in its February 24th press release, SB 1062 discriminates against members of Arizona’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The proposed legislation also impacts other citizens that are either traveling through Arizona or that are doing business or have business interests in the state. Accordingly, the HNBA’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to immediately pull the Annual Convention.

“The HNBA views this as a civil rights issue. As a national association of lawyers committed to promoting the ideals of equal protection, equal opportunity, tolerance, and inclusiveness, it is imperative that we speak up and take immediate action in the presence of injustice,” stated HNBA National President Miguel Alexander Pozo. As the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said more than 50 years ago, writing from a Birmingham, AL jail cell, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.“

As lawyers, we have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution as well as the laws of our respective states. “In our view, SB 1062 violates the Equal Protection and the Commerce Clauses of the U.S. Constitution, and offends the anti-discrimination protections found in Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” said Mr. Pozo.

While the HNBA will remain steadfast, and stand in solidarity with our Affiliate Los Abogados and our HNBA members in Arizona, by taking this action we are sending a clear message to Arizona lawmakers. “Laws that return us to a darker time in the nation’s history simply cannot be tolerated. SB 1062 and SB 1070 are two such laws,” said Mr. Pozo. 

About the Hispanic National Bar Association

The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership association that represents the interests of Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, law students, and legal professionals in the United States and its territories. Since 1972, the HNBA has acted as a force for positive change within the legal profession by creating opportunities for Hispanic lawyers and by helping generations of lawyers to succeed. The HNBA has also effectively advocated on issues of importance to the national Hispanic community. While we are proud of our accomplishments, we are mindful that our mission is as vital today as it was four decades ago, especially as the U.S. Hispanic population continues to grow.

For more information, please visit http://www.hnba.com.

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On Thursday, January 30, the AABANY Re-enactment Team performed “22 Lewd Chinese Women: Chy Lung v. Freeman” at Cadwalader in New York City.  Because not all the cast members who were part of the original production in Kansas City at the NAPABA National Convention were available, we welcomed John Bajit, Yasu Saito, Janicelynn Asamoto and the Hon. Kiyo Matsumoto to the New York staging. More than 250 people registered to attend this event, which played to a full house. After the performance, the audience engaged in a lively Q&A, followed by a reception. Thanks to everyone who came out to see the re-enactment!

News from NAPABA: 25th Annual Convention Follow-up

Thank you to everyone who attended 25th Annual NAPABA Convention in Kansas City, MO. Without sponsors and members like you, we could not continue to serve as the national voice for the Asian Pacific American (APA) legal profession and to promote justice, equity, and opportunity for the APA community. We truly appreciate your commitment to NAPABA and to diversity in the legal profession.

Please take a few moments to read these convention updates:

Survey: Your feedback is very important to us. Click here to take our convention survey and you may be eligible to receive an iPad mini!
CLE Credits: Click here to confirm your bar number, jurisdiction, sessions attended, and to download your certificate(s) of attendance. Please note that approval is still pending in New Hampshire and Virginia. Kansas attorneys must submit an affidavit to the Kansas Continuing Legal Education Commission. The form is available on our online CLE site. If you have any questions, please email mrobinson@napaba.org.
Attendee List: Click here for a list of the 2013 Convention attendees.
Photos: Conventions photos have been posted online on NAPABA’s Facebook Page.

I look forward to continuing our relationship as we plan our 26th Annual NAPABA Convention, which will be held on November 6-9, 2014, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. Stay tuned for information about how you can get involved in the 2014 Annual Convention.

I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a very prosperous 2014!

Sincerely,

Tina Matsuoka
Executive Director

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AABANY turned out in force for the 25th annual NAPABA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

Among the highlights was the highly popular trial re-enactment “22 Lewd Chinese Women: Chy Lung v. Freeman,” led by Hon. Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin, with a cast that included AABANY members Vince Chang, Yang Chen, Theo Cheng, Francis Chin, Andy Hahn, Lauren U.Y. Lee, Linda Lin, Anna R. Mercado, Vinoo Varghese, Ona T. Wang, and Jessica C. Wong.

Other speakers from AABANY during the convention included: Hon. Pamela K.M. Chen, James R. Cho, Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, Don Liu, Hugh H. Mo, Chul Pak, Sapna Palla, Helen Wan, Michael Wu, Pauline Yeung-Ha, Michael Yim and James Yu.

AABANY congratulates its Best Under 40 Award Recipients, Mike Huang, Michael Park and Asim Rehman.

All the attendees enjoyed terrific program offerings, well-attended social events, sightseeing excursions, re-connecting with old friends, making new ones, and plenty of barbeque.

Next year’s convention will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nov. 6-9, 2014.

NCVAA Dinner at NAPABA Convention Kansas City

NCVAA logo

Invites you to:

Dinner at Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge

Friday, November 8th, 2013

For those of you who will be attending the NAPABA Convention in Kansas City, please join us on Friday, November 8th, at Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge.  Details are as follows:

Location:
Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge 
1333 Walnut Street 
Kansas City, MO 64105 
Date:
Friday, November 8, 2013

Time:
8:00 p.m. (after Trailblazer Reception)

Cost:
Approximately $20-25 per person (people will pay individually after dinner)

RSVP to Catherine Than at cthan@aol.com or Hoang Quan Vu at hvu@gardere.com by November 5, 2013.  Guests are also invited.