In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor in 2020, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) expressed solidarity with the Black community.
On April 20, 2021, a jury in Minneapolis convicted Derek Chauvin on all counts in the killing of George Floyd. AABANY recognizes this guilty verdict as only a first step towards fighting for a future where justice prevails. AABANY
acknowledges the longstanding history of systemic injustice faced by the Black community, and we realize how far we all need to go to build a better, more equitable society. This trial should stand as a significant marker of a pivotal
point in our history in which police accountability and racial justice emerge as important measures of how our democracy has made progress.
AABANY’s theme this year is “Uniting for Justice and Equity.” As we work to promote
diversity, equity and inclusion, and continue our struggle against racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and hate crimes, AABANY stands steadfast in its solidarity with the Black community. When the justice system fails to protect the
civil liberties and human rights of the Black community, everyone suffers. Together, we must raise our voices against injustice and call for overdue reform in the criminal justice system.
On April 9, 2021, AABANY and a coalition of bar associations from across the country presented a CLE program titled, “The Surge in Anti-Asian Violence: Corporate Social Responsibility and Action.” About 500 attendees from all across the
United States joined an esteemed panel of corporate in-house leaders in a discussion on how corporate employers can address the surge in anti-Asian violence and support their Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) employees. The
panel included:
Sara Yang Bosco, Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Emerson
Sam Khichi, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Becton, Dickinson and Company
Sandra Leung, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Bristol Myers Squibb
Allen Lo, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Products, IP, and Legal Operations, Facebook
Susan Moon, Principal Counsel, The Walt Disney Company
Caroline Tsai, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Western Union
On April 15, AABANY’s Young Lawyers Committee (YLC) hosted a fireside chat titled “Attorney Well-Being During COVID-19.” In the face of isolating social distancing protocols and prolonged remote working arrangements, Committee Co-Chair
Janet Jun organized and moderated the event in hopes of spurring more dialogue on the subject of wellness in the legal profession. Janet was joined by former AABANY President Glenn Lau-Kee and YLC Co-Chair Jane Jeong, who also hosts
and produces The Whole Lawyer Podcast. At the intersection of law and wellness, Glenn serves as a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Attorney
Well-Being, and Jane is a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Wellness Committee. Together, the speakers led a candid discussion about the current state of mental health awareness, challenges in the legal
profession, and tips for achieving attorney wellness during COVID-19 and beyond.
On April 20th, 2021, AABANY Board Officer Margaret Ling was a speaker at the New York Law School Community Day Symposium entitled “The Pandemic and Structures of Inequality and Racism.” Margaret was invited by New York Law School faculty
members, Professors Ann Thomas and Penelope Andrews. Margaret focused on Racism and the Law and specifically how Asian lawyers are stereotyped by the Model Minority Myth. She highlighted and discussed the recent findings and recommendations
from the AABANY/Paul, Weiss report: A Rising Tide of Hate and Violence Against Asian Americans in New York During Covid-19.
The discussion was engaging and informative for all of the New York Law School faculty and law students. Margaret is a New York Law School alumna (Class of 1983) and a Board Director of the New York Law School Alumni Association.
On April 20, 2021, Board Director Chris Kwok was quoted in an article published by The City titled “Older Asians Face ‘A Whole Wave’ of Hate Hidden in Official NYPD Stats.”
The article reviewed the NYPD’s statistics on harassment reports and highlighted the 11% increase of second-degree harassment incidents against Asian New Yorkers older than 65 in 2020 compared to 2019. Further, the article describes
how reports of harassment are rarely investigated due to how hate crimes and harassment are classified under New York penal law and criminal procedural law. “For crimes against Asian Americans, it seems like there’s a default like
we begin with ‘It’s not a hate crime’ and we’re going to have to look for things that prove it is,” stated Chris. He believes that district attorneys should elevate the charges to more serious offenses, even if they cannot be designated
as hate crimes.
In the April 26 article “Columbia Law Students Participate in 2021 Virtual Spring Break Caravans,” Columbia Law School highlighted a few of the remote spring break pro bono caravans students participated in this year. One of the virtual
caravans featured was the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) Remote Clinic. During the spring break caravan, Columbia Law students helped update AABANY’s COVID-19 webpages, participated in client consultations with
volunteer attorneys, and did research on consumer debt/foreclosure, immigration, housing, employment, and family law in New York. AABANY Student Leader Jenny Park (CLS’21) organized the caravan with AABANY “because it allowed students
to become directly involved with COVID-19 relief efforts and address a specific need in a short period of time.”
To read more about participants’ experiences with the AABANY Spring Break Caravan and to read about other virtual
caravans, click here. Thanks to Jenny Park for bringing AABANY and the Columbia Law School community together
for this opportunity to provide pro bono resources for the community.
On April 19, 2021, San Jose Inside published an op-ed titled “Santa Clara County Deserves a New District Attorney” by Daniel M. Chung, formerly with the Bronx DA’s office and was an AABANY member. Daniel currently works as a Santa
Clara County Deputy District Attorney and in the op-ed, he voices the need for a new District Attorney in Santa Clara County who will celebrate the diversity of the community and speak out against injustice.
Voting in New York City elections is about to change. The primary elections this year will be the first time city elections will be conducted using ranked choice voting. We're hosting a conversation to cover how the system works and how
you can make your voice heard in the elections.
Attend This Discussion to Learn: *What is Ranked Choice Voting and how does it affect me? *How is RCV different than the way I vote now? *What do I need to know
to prepare myself to vote this way?
Do you have questions for the judges? Once registered, you will receive a Google Form link to submit your questions in advance! Judges will answer your questions LIVE during the event.
One of the benefits of being an AABANY member is that you get a FREE Affiliate Membership to NAPABA. The code is now available. Please contact margaret.langston@aabany.org to get the code
and instructions to activate your Affiliate Membership. Note that NAPABA's membership follows the calendar year, i.e., January 1 to December 31, so to maximize your membership, be sure to renew now.
Last fall, AABANY launched a legal referral and information service (“LRIS”) as a public service primarily to help the general public, and especially the Asian American community. The goals of the LRIS are to provide information and referrals,
to recommend lawyers or other resources to provide competent, ethical legal advice and representation, to educate the public about legal representation and to increase respect for the legal profession.
We are seeking qualified
and experienced lawyers to serve on the panels of lawyers eligible to receive referrals from AABANY’s LRIS.
This is a vital program for AABANY that we anticipate will greatly benefit our panelists and fellow members as
well as the public, and especially the Asian American community. If you would like to apply to be considered for the LRIS panel, please contact joinlris@aabany.org and we will send you an application
form. If you have any questions, please send them to the same address.
We hope you can join us in the launch of this important new AABANY initiative.
The Year End Report reviews the various events and initiatives undertaken by AABANY to further the interests of APA lawyers and recognizes the accomplishments of its members during the past year. Please click on the image below to read
the report.
AABANY’s Issues Committee is pleased to invite you to join the AABANY Community Response Task Force! The Community Response Task Force (CRTF) is AABANY’s answer to the rapidly changing legal landscape and the need for quick, effective, and
coordinated responses to the emergent issues that affect our communities. AABANY is firmly committed to being a strong voice and steadfast advocate on behalf of the Asian-American/Pacific-Islander community. During these challenging times,
we have all been witness to sweeping changes that necessitated powerful legal responses. While there have been some great triumphs, there were often times when it was difficult to obtain information, to find ways to contribute, or to organize
a response quickly enough to be effective.
The CRTF is specifically designed to address these needs. The CRTF will serve as a central clearinghouse for information and coordination – tailoring the alerts sent to each volunteer based on that volunteer’s preferences and the needs of the community. Alerts and actions will range from emergency legal services to direct non-legal service actions and from workshops to rallies.
PLEASE NOTE that the Community Response Task Force form has been updated. Even if you have already filled out the form, we kindly ask that you resubmit your interest here.
The Judiciary Committee has created a clerkship directory to gather information about our members who may be willing to act as future resources and/or ultimately want to become a judge. If you've ever clerked for a judge, please take a minute to fill out this survey and forward to others here. We appreciate your help!
The New York City Bar Association is offering discounted membership to AABANY members. They will waive your one-time admission fee and give you 20% off your first membership dues payment. Membership dues are dependent on your earliest
year of admission in any state or country. Click here to take advantage of this great deal.
Interested in future speaking opportunities? Join the confidential AABANY Speakers Bureau if you're open to raising your profile and sharing your expertise. Click here to access the form.
AABANY regularly receives requests from AABANY Committee Chairs and other bar associations for speakers to speak on various legal topics. This form is designed to collect information from our membership and engage those who
are most interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise with various legal audiences.
We respect your privacy. All information disclosed will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Email main@aabany.org if
you have any questions.
Interested in moving your legal career forward? Launched at the 2013 Fall Conference, the Career Placement Committee seeks to match qualified AABANY members with available legal positions.
The Career Placement Committee Intake
Form is now available. Click here to help us help you. Feel free to also email your resumes and CVs to resume@aabany.org. All information disclosed
will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Career Placement Committee at careers@aabany.org.
Applications are now being accepted for AABANY’s 2021 Legal Internship Program. Open to college students, law students and law grads, AABANY is looking for a few talented, energetic and motivated interns to help plan and organize AABANY
programs and events, provide research and administrative assistance and perform other tasks and assignments to advance and promote AABANY’s mission. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. For full details and information
on how to apply go to bit.ly/Lgl_Intrn_Details.
Please direct any questions to Executive Director Yang Chen at yang.chen@aabany.org.
Fellowship announcements can be found on AABANY's website under Career Center, in the sub-menu item "Fellowships." Public Rights Project is now accepting applications for its 2021-2023 Public Rights Project Fellowship starting in September 2021. To see current announcements for Fellowships, click here.
Deputy Attorney General 2 (Deputy Chief of Training), Department of Law & Public Safety, Trenton, NJ
Assistant Attorney General, New York State Office of the Attorney General, NYC
Director of Post-Conviction Litigation, Innocence Project, NYC
Criminal Defense Clinic Faculty, St. John's University School of Law, Jamaica, NY
For more information on these listings and other open positions go to the AABANY Career Center. Members must be signed in to have access to the Career Center. Either search by keyword or just hit "Search" at the bottom of the form to see a
complete listing of jobs.
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