AABANY’s Government Service & Public Interest Committee and the Student Outreach Committee Present a Meet-and-Greet with Government Service and Public Interest Attorneys

Again showing AABANY’s commitment to raising up the next generation of Asian American lawyers, the Government Service and Public Interest (GSPI) committee teamed up with the Student Outreach Committee (SOC) and Mayer Brown LLP to host the first ever “AABANY Students Meet Government and Public Interest Lawyers” event. The program was held on the evening of February 23 and was very successful, featuring a room packed with students and mentors, and two professional panels, followed by a networking reception.

The panels showcased how Asian Americans have succeeded as lawyers in government service and in the public interest. The panels featured:

  • Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief Counsel from the Office of Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall; 
  • Sofia Khan, Director of the Family Law Unit from Legal Services NYC (LSNYC); 
  • Belinda Luu, Staff Attorney from Mobilization for Justice’s (MFJ) Special Litigation Project; 
  • Frank Ng, Deputy General Counsel from the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH); 
  • Kwok Ng, Associate Court Attorney from New York City Civil Court; 
  • Nakeeb Siddique, Director of Housing from the Legal Aid Society’s Brooklyn Neighborhood Office; 
  • Marti Weithman, Assistant Commissioner from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (DHPD); and 
  • Annie Wang, Director of Immigrant Justice Project from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education (AALDEF).  

The panels showed students what it is like to work in a variety of fields in government and public interest and what it takes for students to get a foot in the door.

The panel discussions were followed by a networking reception with more government service and public interest lawyers. In attendance were, Ernie Collete from MFJ, Kevin Hsi from DHPD (also GSPI Committee’s Co-Chair), Jonathan Rosen from New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), May Wong (Pro Bono & Community Service Committee Co-Chair) from DC 37 Legal Services. Also, in attendance were AABANY’s Executive Director Yang Chen, Vice President of Programs and Operations Beatrice Leong, and Treasurer and Co-Chair of the GSPI Committee Evelyn Gong.

Thank you to AABANY student leaders Stephanie Sun (Fordham Law) and Alex Lao (Pace Law), SOC Vice Chair Justin Lee (NYU Law), SOC Co-Chair William Lee (Associate, Mayer Brown LLP) and GSPI Committee Co-Chair Rina Gurung (Associate Court Attorney, Housing Court) for leading the charge.

Special thank you to Mayer Brown LLP for sponsoring and hosting this event.

To learn more about the GSPI Committee, click here. To learn more about the SOC, click here.

Opportunities in New York City’s Office of Administrative Tribunals and Hearings (OATH)

OATH is New York City’s central, independent administrative law court. From disciplinary matters involving city employees to civil summonses for various violations, OATH typically conducts more than 200,000 hearings and trials annually, making it one of the busiest tribunals in the country.  OATH’s mission is to ensure that everyone who appears before it receives both a fair opportunity to be heard and a timely resolution of their case.  It is a unique place within City government and a wonderful place to work.  You can learn more about OATH here.

And OATH is hiring!  OATH has a broad range of opportunities available for lawyers, from junior level attorney positions to Administrative Law Judge positions for seasoned professionals.  They have positions in the General Counsel unit for individuals interested in in-house work, adjudicator positions for those who want to serve as neutrals in the Hearings Division, as well as specialist positions such as those in the new Special Education Hearings Division.  A full list of openings can be found here on OATH’s website.

OATH also has a pro bono program that pairs volunteer lawyers with legal service organizations to provide free representation to indigent respondents who appear before OATH.  More information is available here.

Questions? Direct them to [email protected]

“On the Menu for Asian Pacific Heritage Month: Two Career Perspectives and Tables of Delicious Fare”

In honor of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Month, the Diversity Committee hosted a dialogue and lunch reception last week with Peggy Kuo, General Counsel for the City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, and Alan Chang, Deputy General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs for the New York Yankees.

Mr. Chang, who grew up in Queens, began his legal career as a litigator in Los Angeles before joining cable sports giant ESPN. A longtime Yankees fan, he recalled telling his wife that ESPN was his “number two dream job,” with the Yankees occupying the top spot. Two years into his role at ESPN, Mr. Chang learned that the Yankees were seeking an attorney with cable sports news experience. He had just bought a home and was feeling settled, but the job was an opportunity he felt he couldn’t pass up.

“And 13 years later, they can’t trade me,” he joked. “I feel like I found my dream job.” When he joined the team, Mr. Chang was one of just four Asian-American attorneys in Major League Baseball (one of whom worked for the Mets). He has done significant work on a Yankees cable television venture and the team’s new Bronx stadium. “It’s never boring,” he said.

Ms. Kuo cited the importance of her City roots. Her father, an immigrant from Taiwan in the 1960s, worked for the Department of Environmental Protection for 44 years, where he designed sewers for the City, and Ms. Kuo was a product of the City’s public school system. Unlike her father, however, she was eager to explore many different careers.

“I have a curious mind, a restless spirit, and no aversion to risk taking,” she said. “Opportunities come up, and you have to be ready to take them.”

Following law school, she pursued trial work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “It’s a job I would have done for free,” she said. Years later, she was getting settled into Washington, D.C. and about to buy a home, when she learned of the chance to prosecute crimes stemming from the war in Yugoslavia. Ms. Kuo journeyed to The Hague, where she prosecuted the only mass-rape case in Bosnia, as well as a torture and murder case against a camp commander.

Her return to New York four years later felt like a homecoming. “I always think of the City like a family,” she said. After work in private practice and with the New York Stock Exchange, she took her present role at OATH (which involved an interview with the Corp. Counsel.)

During the Q&A, Mr. Chang and Ms. Kuo were asked what qualities they feel their cultural and ethnic backgrounds contribute to their respective legal careers.

Mr. Chang said that he felt his background lent him an increased sense of cultural sensitivity and understanding that could be applied to the Yankees’ diverse fanbase.

Ms. Kuo noted, “I can see things from more than one viewpoint. My mom struggles with English, and when I was making arguments to the jury, I’d, in my mind, be making those arguments to my mom. I’d say, ‘Would my mom understand this?’”

Editor’s Note: The discussion was complemented by two tables of delicious food. Thanks to the Asian American Bar Association of New York, the South Asian Bar Association of New York, and the Korean American Bar Association of Greater New York, which graciously provided the refreshments.

Thanks also to Andrea Chan, William Ng, Tanisha Byron, Stuart Smith, Michael Wasser, and Raju Sundaran of the Diversity Committee – and Lisa Forrester-Campos, Stephen Kim, Keith Miloscia, Connie Pankratz, Madhu Parthasarathy, Liza Sohn, Peter Tsai, and Gloria Yi.

-NYC Law Department, HEARSAY

– reprinted with permission from NYC Law Dept