The ability to write clearly, succinctly, and persuasively is essential to being an outstanding lawyer. Please join us via Zoom at 7:00pm-8:15pm, on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, for a panel discussion about strategies and tips for effective legal writing (with CLE credit), sponsored by the Academic Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY). The panel will be extremely useful for law students and lawyers starting out in private practice and public service, and valuable even for experienced lawyers seeking insight into their craft.

The discussants will be Judge Denny Chin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Joon Kim, a Partner at Cleary Gottlieb and former Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Sapna Palla, Partner at Allen & Overy and AABANY Immediate Past President; and Professor Thomas Lee of Fordham Law School, who will moderate.

Denny Chin is a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He was confirmed in April 2010 and took senior status in June 2021. From 1994 until his appointment to the Second Circuit, he served as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. From 1986 to 2020, he taught legal writing at Fordham Law School, where he is presently also a Distinguished Jurist in Residence. He also taught Asian Americans and the Law at Fordham, Harvard, and Yale Law Schools. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Fordham Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Law Review.

Joon Kim is a Partner at Cleary Gottlieb, whose practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, regulatory enforcement, and crisis management, as well as complex commercial litigation and arbitration. From March 2017 to January 2018, he served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As the most senior federal law enforcement officer in the district, he oversaw all criminal and civil litigation conducted on behalf of the United States and supervised the work of about 220 Assistant U.S. Attorneys handling a wide range of cases. Before becoming Acting U.S. Attorney, Joon served in various leadership positions in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District including Deputy U.S. Attorney, Chief of the Criminal Division, and Chief Counsel to the U.S. Attorney; he was also an Associate and then Partner at Cleary. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School.

Thomas Lee is Leitner Family Professor of International Law at Fordham Law School, where he was Director of Graduate and International Studies from 2006 to 2019. He is also Of Counsel at Hughes Hubbard & Reed. He has been a visiting law professor at Columbia, Harvard, and the University of Virginia; U.S. law adviser to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea; and Special Counsel to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to his legal career, Tom served as a U.S. naval cryptology officer. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Law School, where he was Articles Chair of the Law Review.

Sapna Palla is a Partner in Allen & Overy's Intellectual Property Litigation Department. She has spent over two decades representing clients in patent, trademark, copyright, and complex commercial matters, including successfully litigating disputes in a range of jurisdictions. She also has extensive experience with alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation. Sapna is the Immediate Past President of AABANY and co-founder of AABANY's Leadership Development Institute. She is a graduate of Pace University and of Pace University School of Law.