SDNY offers Trial Advocacy Training for Pro Bono Lawyers

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is pleased to offer a full-day trial advocacy training for pro bono lawyers. Led by District Court judges and leading practitioners, this training is offered to lawyers who are admitted to practice in the Southern District and are interested in providing pro bono representation to pro se litigants.

The program takes place on Friday, January 11, 2013 and runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse (500 Pearl Street, Room 850).

The training is free and will offer participants an opportunity to receive CLE credit for their participation. For more information, please download the PDF here.

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On Monday, November 19, the AABANY Trial Re-enactment Team, led by the Hon. Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin, presented for the second time this year a re-enactment of the Vincent Chin Murder Trial.  The Hon. David F. Bauman, Presiding Judge, Civil Division, Superior Court of New Jersey, Monmouth County, saw the performance at the Eastern Super Regional in Atlantic City back in June and was so moved and riveted by it that he invited the team to present it at the New Jersey Judicial College, held at the Marriott Glenpointe in Teaneck, N.J., before an audience of New Jersey state court judges.

In the cast were the Hon. Denny Chin, John Bajit, Vincent Chang, Yang Chen, Francis Chin, Kathy Hirata Chin, Vinny Lee, Concepcion Montoya, Yasuhiro Saito, Vinoo Varghese, Ona Wang and David Weinberg.

The performance proved powerful yet again, with an especially moving turn by Ona Wang as Jimmy Choi, who held the dying Vincent Chin in his arms that fateful night thirty years ago in Detroit.

The Vincent Chin re-enactment script has been reprinted in a special edition of the AABANY Law Review that includes all the AABANY Trial Re-enactment scripts except for Heart Mountain, which was just performed at the NAPABA National Convention on November 17. (Photos here.) To find out how to obtain your copy go to http://lawreview.aabany.org/current-issue/.

Danny Chen Trial: Ryan J. Offutt pleads guilty

From OCA-NY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.       Contact: Elizabeth OuYang, (718) 650-1960

August 13, 2012

Facing charges of negligent homicide,  Specialist Ryan J. Offutt plead guilty to hazing and maltreatment at a court martial before the Trial Judge, Col. Michael Hargis at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.   Specialist Offut was also charged with calling Private Danny Chen racially derogatory names like “chink”, “gook”, “fortune cookie”, “slants”, “egg roll”, “Jackie Chen”, “dragon lady”, “squint eye”,  and “Jap”. He faced charges of maltreatment for kicking Danny in the chest, throwing rocks and water bottles at him, and grabbing by his vest and dragging him.

The Trial Judge sentenced him to six months confinement, discharge from the Army for bad misconduct, and reduction in rank to E1.

“Judge Hargis’ sentence sends a strong signal to superiors that they will be disciplined, including discharged from the Army if they engage in hazing and racial maltreatment.  The judge’s sentence recognized there is no place in the Army for a convicted soldier, especially a superior, who has been convicted of racial maltreatment and hazing. Hazing and racial maltreatment that drives a soldier to his death warrants this strong  sentence”, stated Elizabeth OuYang, president of OCA-NY, the lead advocacy organization advocating for justice for Private Danny Chen.

The contingency from New York attending the trial  includes Danny’s parents, aunt, uncle, and four cousins; Jing Mei Huang, danny’s middle-school classmate; Elizabeth OuYang, OCA-NY president and OCA-NY members Christina Lo- school teacher, Arvin Chin-doctor, Mackenzie Yang-voting rights intern, and Julia Chung-hate crimes prevention art project coordinator; Alan  Shing  Chan-electrician; Liang Guo-technology analyst; Xiao Min Zhao-policy associate and constituent service liaison for Councilwoman Margaret Chin; Taylor Clark-Starbucks barista; Crystal Chen-Wheaton College; and Hye Mee Na and Mansee Kong, independent film makers.  Members of the Fayetteville Chinese Association and Asian Americans for Progress-North Carolina chapter also attended the trial.