Congratulations to AABANY Immediate Past President William Ng on Being Named to the City & State’s 2023 Asian 100 List 

On May 1, City & State published their 2023 list of the Power Asian 100 in New York. As stated in the article: 

City & State’s Power of Diversity: Asian 100 list features these elected officials and also highlights other power brokers who are managing government agencies, running businesses, advocating for policy changes – and ensuring Asian Americans have a voice at the table.

AABANY is pleased to announce that our Immediate Past President William Ng has been named one of City & State’s Power Asian 100 at 56 on the list.

Please join AABANY in congratulating William Ng along with the following attorneys connected to AABANY (numbers in parentheses indicate ranking): 

Sandra Ung, New York City Council Member and Former AABANY Treasurer. (10)

Kevin Kim, Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services. Honored by AABANY with the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the 2022 Fall Conference, and past AABANY Board Officer. (10)

Frank Wu, Queens College’s first President of Asian descent. AABANY honored Frank Wu with the AABANY Impact Award at our 2021 Virtual Gala: Uniting for Justice and Equity. (22)

Faiza Saeed, Presiding Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a Sponsor of AABANY for many years. (40)

Asim Rehman, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Longtime AABANY Member. (46)

Preet Bharara, Partner, WilmerHale. AABANY honored Preet Bharara, when he was the United States Attorney of the Southern District of New York, at the Annual Dinner in 2015. (48)

Anna Mercado Clark, Partner, Phillips Lytle. Previously served as the Development Director of AABANY during FY2023 and currently President-elect of NAPABA. (78)

Tai Park, Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a long-time sponsor of AABANY. (91)

Vincent Chang, Partner, Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group, Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch. First Asian American President of the New York County Lawyers Association and past AABANY President 2007. (96)

AABANY congratulates all the accomplished individuals who appear in City & State’s 2023 Power Asian 100 List. 

To read the full article, please click here

In the News: AABANY Member Anna Mercado Clark Featured in The FilAm Article: “Lawyer Anna Mercado Clark’s Fork in the Road”

On June 30, The FilAm published a profile about AABANY Member Anna Mercado Clark, her decision to pursue the law, her professional background, and her Filipino identity. Born in the Philippines, Anna immigrated to the United States as a twelve-year-old and initially planned to pursue a career as a physician, even graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology. However,  she became interested in the law after learning about Bush v. Gore following the 2000 presidential election. Curious about the law and its “impact on society,” Anna attended Fordham University School of Law, where she interned for the Hon. Denny Chin, who was then a judge at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and who now serves in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. After graduating law school, Anna worked as a criminal prosecutor in the Queens District Attorney’s Office and then as an attorney for a private law firm, where she represented health care providers in medical malpractice cases. She currently is a partner at Phillips Lytle LLP, where she leads the Data Security and Private Practice Team and the eDiscovery and Digital Forensics Team. Anna also serves as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Fordham Law School.

Anna, who has described herself as “decidedly Filipino,” has always found ways to promote her Filipino identity. During her time at Rutgers, she served as president of the Rutgers Association of Philippine Students and helped plan the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue’s 2000 Conference. Currently, Anna serves in leadership roles in her law firm, in minority bar associations, and in the greater community. She credits her father, Dr. Daniel Mercado, for encouraging her to remain connected to and take pride in her Filipino identity. To read the full article, please click here.

Robert H. Jackson Center Commemorates the 75th Anniversary of Korematsu v. U.S.

In coordination with the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Asian American Bar Association of New York, Phillips Lytle LLP presented a two-day event at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York.  On May 13, 2019, the film “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story” was screened after a reception, and on May 14, 2019, Karen Korematsu (Fred’s daughter) introduced the powerful reenactment of “Korematsu v. U.S.: Justice Denied,” which was led by the Hon. Denny Chin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Kathy Hirata Chin, partner at Crowell & Moring LLP.  Thomas Loftus, a retired lawyer and Justice Jackson’s grandson, played the role of Justice Jackson. Prof. John Q. Barrett of St. John’s University, a Jackson biographer, closed out the program by speaking about the legal issues and historical events that led up to, and followed, the Korematsu v. U.S. decision.

To learn more about AABANY’s Trial Reenactments Project visit the website at reenactments.aabany.org.

Thanks to Anna Mercado Clark, Phillips Lytle Partner and AABANY member, for the photos and summary.

The Litigation Committee met on September 28, 2012 and was privileged to have the Honorable George A. Yanthis speak at the meeting.  Anna Mercado and the staff of Phillips Lytle LLP did a wonderful job hosting. 

The meeting was well attended thanks to Judge Yanthis, who discussed preferred practices, notable cases and his path to the Judiciary.  Judge Yanthis also shared the importance of diversity and public advocacy, as exemplified by his own experience.  Attendees had the opportunity to ask practical questions on how to better advocate for their clients.  Afterwards, attendees remained to continue networking with each other. 

Thanks to Francis Chin for the photos.