Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
5 Receive City Bar Legal Service Awards
Congratulations to Donna Chiu, AABANY Member and attorney at Asian Americans for Equality, on her recent honor from the New York City Bar Association. One of five recipients, Donna was honored at the City Bar’s 27th Annual Legal Services Awards recognizing those who provide full-time outstanding civil legal assistance to New York’s poor.
Click on the link above to see New York Law Journal’s article.
Ensuring Rights of Non- and Limited-English Speakers
Check out President Susan Shin’s New York Law Journal article, “Ensuring Rights of Non- and Limited-English Speakers,” published in the Law Day issue. In this Special Report, bench and bar leaders share their thoughts on the Miranda rights. Susan shares her thoughts about the challenges in protecting these rights for non- and limited-English speakers in particular:
Even I, a native English speaker, found the terms difficult to understand before becoming a lawyer. How much more difficult is it for a non-native English speaker who does not understand legal concepts and implications of, for example, the “right to remain silent,” “waiver,” and “consent”? Still, many respond in the affirmative when asked if they understand and consent to questioning and waive their rights, even if they failed to comprehend the words being communicated to them.
Read more at the link above to access Susan’s article. Click here for a PDF of the article. To view all the Law Day articles, including articles from Acting Presiding Justice Peter Tom and Presiding Justice Randall T. Eng, click here.
Former Board Member Vinoo Varghese was recently quoted in New York Law Journal. Check out the details from Varghese & Associates below.
The New York Law Journal sought Vinoo’s opinion on the highly-covered 76-day trial in which the government charged three former executives with fraud claiming their actions led to the demise of the white-shoe law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf. The judge declared a mistrial yesterday after 21 days of deliberations and the jury deadlocked on most counts against the three.
Vinoo described to the New York Law Journal the process of and history behind a judge’s instructions to a jury to continue deliberations when there’s no verdict. He also explained what a mistrial means for the defense and client.
Specifically Vinoo told the New York Law Journal:
If a jury hasn’t reached a verdict and sends notes declaring that it is deadlocked, the judge can read a so-called “Allen” charge instruction, derived from an 1896 U.S. Supreme Court case, that is basically a push from the judge to reach a verdict….
Some defense lawyers believe that a mistrial is good because you live to fight another day, but the question then becomes, does the client have the stomach for that. This isn’t a simple issue for a defense lawyer.
To read the article, click here.
The Special Sections Editor at the New York Law Journal is pulling together a chart of minority-owned law firms in New York, with 50% or more minority ownership. Last year’s chart can be viewed here for reference.
If you would like to be included, please email Angela E. Turturro, Esq. the following information: firm name, address/telephone number, the name of managing partner(s), the number of permanent, full-time attorneys as of December 31, 2014.
The New York Law Journal also has a women-owned law firms chart (50% or more female ownership, see here), in case your firm qualifies. Please respond by May 13, 2015 for inclusion.
In this year’s issue of the New York Law Journal’s Law Day, AABANY President Will Wang, AABANY Past President and current NYSBA President Glenn Lau-Kee, and AABANY Member Hon. Randall Eng were all published among other important voices discussing 800 Years of Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law.
President Will Wang in his article, “Fundamental Liberties Must be Protected,” related the legacy of the Magna Carta to the sordid history of discrimination, but left on the hopeful note of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s words: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
To check out this article, along with Glenn Lau-Kee’s “Sustaining a Beacon for the Course of our Nation,” Hon. Randall Eng’s “We Owe Gratitude to Due Process Precursor,” and more, click on the link in the title to see a PDF of the Special Report.
Head of National Bar Exam Group Defends UBE
Addressing a concern among some New York lawyers that adoption of the Uniform Bar Exam might negatively affect minorities, the president of the National Conf…
Congratulations to Past AABANY President Vincent Chang, quoted in New York Law Journal’s article “Head of National Bar Exam Group Defends UBE” published on March 6, 2015. Click on the link in the title to read the article (subscription required).
An excerpt from the article:
NYCLA released a report on Tuesday recommending a one-year delay for implementing the test (NYLJ, Mar. 4), but Vincent Chang, a member of the NYCLA board, testified Wednesday that the organization feels that a 2016 implementation may be on the “early side” and that delaying it until 2017 would give law schools more time to adjust curricula and law school students to “adjust their expectations.”
“We do believe there should be some period for transition,” Chang said.
Ona Wang: One of New York Law Journal’s 2014 Lawyers Who Lead By Example: Pro Bono
Ona Wang has a bifurcated pro bono career. In one stream, as vice chair of Baker & Hostetler’s pro bono committee, she rallies attorneys to volunteer the…
Congratulations to AABANY Member and Baker Hostetler Partner Ona Wang who has been featured in New York Law Journal as one of the 2014 Lawyers Who Lead by Example: Pro Bono. The article illustrates her exemplary career as a pro bono lawyer, where she tirelessly serves as vice chair of Baker Hostetler’s pro bono committee and individually challenges death sentences, serves LGBT youth, and fights abuse in the mental health system in her personal work.
To read more about her tremendous efforts for the public good, click on the above link. (Subscription may be required.)
NYLJ: Meet the Affinity Bar Group Presidents
New bar association leaders reveal their goals for the upcoming year.
On June 5, the New York Law Journal ran “Meet the Affinity Bar Group Presidents,” featuring our President Clara Ohr. Clara shares her vision for her term in office: “goals for the 1,000-member bar group are to launch the Don H. Liu scholarship program, named for the general counsel and secretary of Xerox Corporation; to increase membership and the number of committees, now at 29; and continue annual events such as a wine-tasting networking reception for in-house counsel and reenactments of notable trials in Asian-American history."
We look forward to continued growth and progress under Clara’s term. We are off to a good start!