Asian American Bar Association of New York Year End Report 2017 / Asian American Bar Association of New York 29 / 76
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Asian American Bar Association of New York YEAR END REPORT 2017 YEAR END REPORT Year End Report 2017 / ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK BAR ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ASIAN YEAR END REPORT 2017 1 / 76 All Ofcers and Directors, except for the Executive Director, serve as volunteers in their personal capacities and the Who We Are listing of their employers is only for identification purposes. AABANY Ofcers and Directors President President-Elect Immediate Past Vice President Vice President Development President of Programs of Programs Director Dwight Yoo James Cho and Operations and Operations Susan L. Shin Kevin Kim Skadden, Arps, U.S. Attorney’s Jef Ikejiri Naf Kwun Slate, Meagher & Ofce, EDNY Arnold & Porter LLP Tactile Brain, LLC Flom LLP UnitedLex Lee Anav Chung White Kim Ruger ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK BAR ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ASIAN / & Richter LLP Technology Treasurer Membership Secretary Jung Choi Marianne Chow YEAR END REPORT 2017 YEAR END REPORT Director Director Amy Ngai Dai Wai Chin Bristol-Myers Hearst Francis Chin Tristan Loanzon Feman Squibb Corporation ONE Group Brooklyn Hospitality, Inc. Loanzon LLP Dorsey & Law School Whitney LLP Diane Gujarati Suhana Han Bobby Liu Sonia Low Sapna Palla Terrence Shen U.S. Attorney’s Sullivan & M.D. Sass ONE Group Wiggin and Kramer Levin Ofce, SDNY Cromwell LLP Hospitality, Inc. Dana LLP Naftalis & Frankel LLP Brian Song Manisha Sheth Irene Tan Larry Wee Executive Director Baker Hostetler New York AIG Paul, Weiss, LLP Attorney Rifind, Wharton Yang Chen General’s Ofce & Garrison LLP AABANY 76 / 2 Thanks to Corky Lee for the photos of Bobby Liu, Sonia Low, Terrence Shen, Brian Song, Irene Tan. Thanks to Karen Zhou for the photos of Dwight Yoo, Susan Shin, Jef Ikejiri, Francis Chin, Amy Ngai, Jung Choi, Diane Gujarati, Sapna Palla, Manisha Sheth, Larry Wee, Yang Chen. YEAR END REPORT 2017 YEAR END REPORT Unless otherwise indicated, all photos appearing in the Contents Year End Report were taken by AABANY staf and volunteers. 4 Message from the President / 5 Mission Statement OF NEW YORK BAR ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ASIAN 5 History 6 Awards & Recognitions 8 Sponsors / Community Partners 10 Membership Director’s Report 11 Treasurer’s Report 12 Year In Review 29 Committee Chairs List 30 Standing Committees 32 Academic Committee 33 Asia Practice Committee 34 Career Placement Committee 36 Commercial Bankruptcy & Restructuring Committee 37 Corporate Law Committee 39 Government Service & Public Interest Committee 42 Immigration Law Committee 45 In-House Counsel Committee 46 Intellectual Property Committee 47 Issues Committee 49 Judiciary Committee 51 Labor & Employment Law Committee 52 LGBT Committee 54 Litigation Committee 55 Military & Veterans Afairs Committee 56 Pro Bono & Community Service Committee 58 Professional Development Committee 60 Prosecutors’ Committee 62 Real Estate Committee 64 Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee 65 Student Outreach Committee 66 Tax Committee 68 Women’s Committee 70 Young Lawyers Committee 71 Mentorship Program 3 / 76 72 AABANY Advocate 73 In Appreciation 74 Bar Association Partners / In Memoriam Message from the President February 13, 2018 Dear AABANY members and supporters: I feel privileged to have served as President of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) this past year. One of the largest and most active minority state bar associations, AABANY continues to be a leading voice for Asian Pacifi c Americans (APA) and instrumental in advocating for and executing positive changes in law fi rms, companies, the judicial branch, government and the public sector, law schools and the broader APA community. I want to say thank you to our talented and driven board of directors, committee chairs and staf . While it has not been easy for me balancing the demands of a law fi rm partner, family life, volunteer commitments and faith with the demands of this leadership position, your passion and dedication have consistently inspired me and kept the organization Photo credit: Corky Lee moving forward. AABANY should be proud of the many accomplishments it achieved over the past year, many of which are described in detail in AABANY’s 2017 Year End Report and on its website www.aabany.org. We, however, should be cognizant that there is still work to be done. I am encouraged by the signifi cant interest expressed by our members and supporters to lead or participate in our many initiatives, including a soon-to-be- launched initiative to address the disproportionate underrepresentation of APAs in law fi rm partnerships and to help talented APAs achieve the promotion their talent deserves. I believe AABANY is in a much stronger place today compared with where it was in the past, and similarly will be in an even stronger position next year under the leadership of James Cho, our incoming President. I look forward to working with you on AABANY initiatives in AABANY’s new fi scal year and seeing fi rsthand the progress AABANY makes. Respectfully, 80 / 4 Dwight S. Yoo Mission Statement 2017 YEAR END REPORT The Asian American Bar Association of New York was formed in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to represent the interests of New York Asian American attorneys, judges, law professors, legal professionals, legal assistants, paralegals, and law students. The mission of AABANY is to improve the study and practice of law, and the fair administration of justice for / all by ensuring the meaningful participation of Asian Americans in the legal profession. OF NEW YORK BAR ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ASIAN History In 1988, the New York State Judicial Commission AABANY, operating under an interim board during on Minorities, headed by noted African American its first year, hosted further receptions, including attorney Franklin Hall Williams, examined the evening social events, as well as a meeting at treatment of minority litigants and court employees. Brooklyn Law School at which Hoyt Zia, then the Following hearings in New York City on June 29th first President of NAPABA, spoke. Newly formed and 30th of that year, Rockwell Chin approached committees also sprang into action. The Issues Commissioner Serene K. Nakano to discuss the Committee, co-chaired by Rockwell Chin and need for an organization for Asian American Marilyn Go, began research on redistricting, assisted attorneys. While Chinese and Korean American lobbying for bias crimes legislation and spoke out lawyer associations existed, there had never been an against bias incidents. The Business Law Committee, association of Asian American lawyers in New York. co-chaired by Ken Chin and Marilyn Go, established a speaker series of prominent Asian Further impetus came when the National Asian American attorneys. The Events Committee hosted American Bar Association (later called NAPABA) a fall picnic. Prompted by concerns raised by Planning Committee invited various attorneys in New law students at the picnic, Chin Fong and James York City to Chicago in October 1988. A core group, Minamoto established a student mentor program, including Rockwell Chin, Glenn Ikeda, Yat T. Man, presenting a job skills workshop to help law students Steve Min and Serene K. Nakano, worked to found hone interviewing skills. a formal association of Asian American lawyers: drafting organizational documents, reaching out to On January 12, 1991, AABANY held its first annual New York and nationwide bar groups, and contacting meeting, electing Serene Nakano, Doris Ling-Cohan, other Asian American attorneys. Steve Min, Glenn Ikeda and Marilyn Go as ofcers and Rockwell Chin, Sylvia Fung Chin, Merlin Liu, Announcing AABANY’s incorporation on October Stanley Mark, Qazi Moid and Judge Peter Tom 20, 1989, the group invited attorneys to an inaugural as directors. reception at New York University Law School on November 9, 1989. Among the speakers were Judge Now one of the most prominent and active minority Dorothy Chin Brandt, Judge Randall Eng, Judge Peter bar associations in New York, AABANY has Tom, past president of the American Immigration approximately 1,000 members, including practicing Law Association Benjamin Gim, Professor Sharon attorneys in the private and public sectors, in-house Hom, AALDEF Program Director Stanley Mark, and lawyers, judges, professors and law students. former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Hugh Mo. All of the speakers emphasized the unfulfilled need for AABANY. The reception was a resounding success, with over 180 attorneys and law students attending. Before the meeting concluded, over 60 people had joined AABANY. 5 / 76 Awards and Recognitions Hon. Denny Chin, United States Hon. Phillip Hom was inducted into Andy Hahn, Partner at Duane Morris, Court of Appeals for the Second the Civil Court in Queens County. and former AABANY, KALAGNY Circuit, was presented the New York and NAPABA President, was named Intellectual Property Law Association Hon. Charles Y.J. Liu was inducted one of the New York Law Journal’s (NYIPLA) Outstanding Public Service into the New York City Civil Court. Distinguished Leaders of 2017. Award at NYIPLA’s 95th Annual Dinner in honor of the Federal Hon. Frances Wang was inducted Glenn Lau-Kee, Partner at Kee & Judiciary. into the New York City Civil Court. Lau-Kee, PLLC and past AABANY and NYSBA President, was Hon. Randall T. Eng, Presiding Preet Bharara, former United States honored at MOCA’s 6th annual Justice, Appellate Division, Second Attorney for the Southern District of Celebration of Community Heroes. Department, received the Norman New York, was honored at the Asian MOCA recognized Glenn for his Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at the American Pacific Islander Heritage immeasurable contributions “to 2018 AABANY Fall Conference held Month Celebration hosted by the the Chinese American community, ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK BAR ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ASIAN / at Fordham University School of Law. Ofce of Queens District Attorney the legal community, and the world Richard A. Brown on May 16. around him.” Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan received NAPABA’s Women’s Leadership Kathy Hirata Chin, AABANY Nelson Mar, a senior staf attorney Award at the 2017 NAPABA member and leader of the AABANY and education specialist at Bronx National Convention.