Tag: professional development

Posted on

AABANY’s Trusts & Estates Committee Co-Hosts Two-Day Guardian ad Litem Training at New York City Bar Association

The Trusts & Estates Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) recently co-hosted a two-day Guardian ad Litem (GAL) training program at the New York City Bar Association. This highly successful event aimed to attract and certify more minority attorneys to serve as GALs, who represent the best interests of children in legal proceedings. Held in person on September 30 and October 1, 2024, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, the comprehensive training followed the Part 36 stipulations of New York State’s Unified Court System. It provided participating attorneys with the essential skills and certification needed to fulfill their roles as GALs in the courts.

In addition to AABANY, the training was co-sponsored by the Caribbean Attorneys Network, Dominican Bar Association, Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York, Jewish Lawyers Guild, Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY), LGBT Bar NY (LeGaL), Metropolitan Black Bar Association, New York Women’s Bar Association, South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens, Suffolk County Bar Association, and Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association. This collaboration showed the collective commitment to providing equitable opportunities for minority attorneys in New York’s legal system.

The program was led by a respected panel of surrogates, court attorneys, experienced trusts, and estates attorneys. Participants received detailed instruction on the GAL appointment process, ethical considerations, administration and probate proceedings, SCPA 17-A guardianship, kinship hearings, accounting proceedings, and the role of GALs in Supreme Court and other courts. The training materials included outlines and sample GAL reports to prepare attendees for future assignments.

Participants appreciated the accessibility of the training, which was offered at a fraction of the usual cost. Co-sponsoring organization members were charged $99, which is significantly lower than typical CLE rates for similar training programs and usually scheduled during work hours. The CLE achieved its objective of greater minority representation among Guardians ad Litem, an important and impactful step toward diversity in the legal profession. 

With over 60 participants, the event successfully created a more inclusive and diverse group of certified GALs. The feedback from attendees and faculty was overwhelmingly positive, with many noting that they had never seen a program with such extensive participation from court professionals, including seven surrogates addressing the ethical components. Surrogate Rita Mella and the Trusts & Estates Committee achieved their goal, providing minority attorneys a crucial step toward greater diversity of professionals serving in New York’s legal system.

Thanks to the Trusts & Estates Committee for organizing this important and impactful program aimed at advancing diversity and inclusion in the Surrogates’ Courts of New York. To learn more about the Trusts & Estates Committee and how you can get involved, go here.

Posted on

Get Involved with AABANY’s New Trusts & Estates Committee

AABANY is pleased to announce the launch of the Trusts & Estates Committee. This new committee serves as a professional and community network for AABANY members and non-members interested in the practice of Trusts & Estates law, which spans trusts, estates, and tax planning to Surrogate’s Court practice and litigation. The Committee is dedicated to providing a platform for networking, mentoring, and professional development, as well as opportunities for public service.

Pang-Mei Natasha Chang, Co-Chair of the Committee, is a member of Dunnington Bartholow & Miller LLP’s estates, trusts and private clients practice group, as well as its international France desk, and charitable, not-for-profit and religious institutions practice groups. She counsels both domestic and international individuals, businesses and charitable organizations in estate and trusts planning, and wealth transfer planning. She represents clients of all ages, and advises in insurance planning, IRA/retirement benefit planning and the use of trusts for not only estate planning but asset protection. She also serves on the Trusts, Estates and Surrogate’s Court Committee of the New York City Bar Association, where she has participated as a writer and presenter. 

Yi W. Stewart, the other Co-Chair of the Committee, works at the firm Farrell Fritz as a trusts and estates litigation associate. She performs pretrial discovery, conducts legal research, and prepares motions and memoranda of law for litigated Surrogate’s Court proceedings. Prior to joining Farrell Fritz, Yi served as associate law clerk to the Hon. Rita Mella for three years in New York County Surrogate’s Court, where she assisted the Surrogate with decisions on typical contested probate and accounting matters, complex issues of will construction and reformation, as well as novel issues such as a fiduciary’s authority to administer digital assets stored in Google and Apple accounts.

To contact the Committee Chairs for this Committee, click “Contact Us” at the top of the AABANY website and fill out the form, and tell us in the Comment field what in particular you would like to know about the Committee and its activities.

Posted on

Corporate Law, Membership & Bankruptcy Committees Presents Summer Happy Hour Mixer at Maru

On July 25, 2023, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) organized a successful Summer Happy Hour Mixer. Spearheaded by the Corporate Law Committee, Membership Committee, and Commercial Bankruptcy and Restructuring Committee, the mixer was sponsored by the renowned law firm, Allen & Overy. The event organization was effectively handled by Tracy Feng, a Structured Credit Partner at Paul Hastings; Ashley Wong, an M&A Associate at Sidley Austin; and Jinny Lim, a Summer Associate at Paul Hastings. Their meticulous planning resulted in a well-coordinated event that drew close to 50 attendees.

The environment encouraged the exchange of ideas and facilitated networking with experienced Partners and Associates from a variety of firms. The mixer provided a platform for attendees, which included Summer Associates from top law firms, in-house counsels, solo practitioners, and government attorneys, to engage in professional dialogues. As the event progressed, the atmosphere shifted from professional networking to shared entertainment, with karaoke serving as a fun conclusion. This shift emphasized the balance AABANY promotes between professional growth and community bonding.

The Summer Happy Hour Mixer effectively embodied AABANY’s commitment to community, professional development, and engagement. We extend our gratitude to the AABANY Committees and Allen & Overy for their contribution to this enjoyable event.

To learn more about the Corporate Law Committee, please click here.

To learn more about the Membership Committee, please click here.

To learn more about the Commercial Bankruptcy and Restructuring Committee, please click here.

Posted on

AABANY and NYU APALSA Present A Conversation: Asian Pacific American Engagement in Public Service

From left to right: Yang Chen (Executive Director of AABANY); Chris Kwok (AABANY Board Director and Issues Committee Chair); Prof. Suzanne Kim (Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School and Academic Committee Co-Chair); Josh Hsu (Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Kamala D. Harris); Marianne Chow (AABANY Board Director and Co-Chair of Professional Development Committee); Kevin Hsi (Co-Chair of Government Service and Public Interest Committee)

On March 15, AABANY and NYU APALSA hosted a conversation with Josh Hsu and Suzanne Kim in Furman Hall at NYU Law School. The discussion focused on Asian Pacific American attorneys’ engagement in public service.

Josh Hsu is the deputy chief of staff for Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA). The discussion was moderated by Suzanne Kim, Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School. Suzanne Kim is also a co-chair of AABANY’s Academic Committee.

Attendees filled a classroom at NYU Law School’s Furman Hall to hear Prof. Suzanne Kim in conversation with Josh Hsu on his experiences as an APA in public service.

Professor Kim interviewed Josh Hsu about various topics, including Hsu’s professional development, Hsu’s experience with working on the Hill and Asian American attorneys’ involvement in public service — mainly the lack thereof. Josh Hsu recounted how he received the clerkship offer from Judge Chin. As a law student, Josh drafted an article entitled “Asian American Judges: Identity, Their Narratives, & Diversity on the Bench” for Professor Mari Matsuda’s class, and to his surprise, he received Judge Chin’s comments on his draft, which is how Josh connected with Judge Chin and later received a clerkship offer from him. This experience made Josh realize that there is more than one way to make connections and enter into public service.

After the conversation, the floor was opened up for mingling. Attendees of the event actively engaged in more intimate and in-depth conversations with each other and with Josh Hsu.

Attendees continued the conversation after Prof. Kim and Josh Hsu concluded their conversation.

We thank Josh Hsu for sharing his insights and knowledge with us as an APA in public service and encouraging others to join him on his path. We wish him best of luck on the Hill. We thank Suzanne Kim for facilitating the conversation and NYU APALSA for co-sponsoring the event. Last but not least, we thank everyone who joined us on a Friday night and for sharing your enthusiasm about APA engagement in public service.

Posted on

LEAD – a Professional development program for young women immigrants – INFORMATION SESSION

LEAD – a Professional development program for young women immigrants – INFORMATION SESSION

8 free workshops

Learn about the job search process, resume writing, US workplace culture, job interviews, networking, public speaking, teamwork, and much more!  For more details, click on the link above.

For additional questions, please contact 

Vilma Álvarez-Steenwerth, 

Senior Librarian, at The New York Public Library at 

212.340.0839 or [email protected].

Posted on

Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy

Applications are now available for the fifth annual Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA) in Minneapolis on June 25-27, 2017. The CBLA is a collaborative effort among the American Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Bar Association, National Native American Bar Association, and NAPABA. The CBLA will strengthen the pipeline of diverse bar association leaders through leadership training and professional development programs.

The CBLA is intended for up-and-coming bar leaders who have been in practice for 5-15 years and have served as officers of a NAPABA affiliate and/or chair/co-chair of a NAPABA committee.

Apply by Friday, May 12

  • Applications can be found here.
  • Deadline to submit an application is Friday, May 12 at 8 p.m. EDT.
  • Applicants will be asked to submit a brief essay of 250-500 words, a CV/resume, and two letters of recommendation.

More information about the program can be found on the CBLA website. Please contact CBLA Steering Committee member Gary Zhao with any questions at [email protected] or at 312.894.3377.

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association | 1612 K St. NW, Suite 510 | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.napaba.org

Posted on

Manhattan Family Justice Center Hosting Training Sessions

The Manhattan Family Justice Center is happy to announce upcoming special trainings. The training program provides professional development for service providers, community leaders, and city agencies on relevant topics regarding intimate partner violence, sex trafficking, and elder abuse.

Please feel free to share widely.  All trainings are free and located at the MFJC: 80 Centre Street, 5th Floor Training Room.

REGISTER NOW !

Wednesday, 2/24 2-5 pm
Mental Health & Clients in Emotional Distress
Facilitated by STEPS to End Family Violence

  • Responding to clients in emotional distress
  • De-escalation and crisis counseling
  • Assessing suicidality
  • PTSD and trauma response
  • Mental health resources in NYC

Tuesday, 3/8 10 am – 12 pm
Youth and Dating Abuse
Facilitated by Day One

  • Dating abuse among youth and its impact
  • K-12 prevention education
  • Risk factors/red flags that youth will enter abusive relationships in the future
  • Mandated reporting and dating abuse
  • Legal rights of youth

Tuesday, 3/15 11 am – 2 pm
Family Planning with Implications for Reproductive Coercion
Facilitated by Planned Parenthood

  • Describing the range of birth control methods available, including how they work, effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages of each method
  • Key risk reduction messages related to birth control and reproductive coercion

Child Support 101
Facilitated by HRA Office of Child Support Enforcement & Sanctuary for Families
Tuesday, 3/29 2-4 pm

  • Petitioning for a child support order
  • Support collection
  • Paternity
  • Services for custodial and noncustodial parents

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Flatto at [email protected]

Posted on

NAPALSA CONFERENCE — CALL FOR ATTORNEY MENTORS

The National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (NAPALSA) has again partnered with NAPABA this year to create a unique networking and professional event for law students to interact and learn from current Asian Pacific American legal practitioners. NAPALSA is now seeking attorneys from all sectors to volunteer for Resume Reviews on Friday, November 7, and Mock Interviews on Saturday, November 8.

The purpose of these programs is to enhance and improve students’ professional development skills for the current job market. Each session would allow law students to have a one-on-one experience with an attorney for fifteen minutes either to have their resume critiqued or to conduct an interview. If you are interested in participating in the resume reviews, mock interviews, or both, please email your bio to NAPALSA Conference Chair Jeanna Lee at [email protected] by September 22, 2014.

Posted on

Columbia APALSA Third Annual Conference: On the Shoulders of Giants

image

The Columbia Asian Pacific America Law Students Association invites you to attend their third annual conference: On the Shoulders of Giants: New Horizons for Asian Americans in Law and Politics.  The conference will be held on Saturday, March 8 starting at 1pm.  Attend one of three panels on Immigration Reform, Minority Identity, and Professional Development or attend dinner with keynote speaker former NYC Comptroller John Liu.  Among the speakers at the conference will be AABANY President Mike Huang, President-Elect Clara Ohr and Board Member Karen Lim, who will be joining Helen Wan (author, The Partner Track) and Vivia Chen (blogger, The Careerist) on a panel entitled “Navigating the Career Ladder: Professional Development Strategies for Asian American Attorneys.”

CLE credit will be offered.  Tickets are available on our
website at http://blogs.law.columbia.edu/apalsaconference/.

Proudly powered by WordPress