September 24, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is deeply concerned by the September 19, 2025 Presidential Proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on the entry of H-1B workers, effective for petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025. This measure will disproportionately impact the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, harm both the New York and national economy, and raise serious legal and policy concerns.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – September 8, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that the 2026 applications for the Don H. Liu Scholars Program (“Program”) are now open.  The Program was founded in 2014 by two past presidents of AABANY and seeks to identify and cultivate future leaders in the legal community to address the single most important reality facing diverse professionals today: the barrier to advancement.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK, September 8, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) proudly congratulates four exceptional Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) judges for their nominations to New York State Supreme Court: Honorable Judy Kim, Honorable Kris Singh, Honorable Soma Syed, and Honorable Frances Wang. These trailblazing jurists represent the highest standards of judicial excellence while bringing vital diversity and lived experience to New York's court system.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK, August 28, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is excited to announce that Hon. Judy Kim will receive the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at AABANY’s Fall Conference, to be held on September 27, 2025, at New York Law School. 

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – July 25, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) congratulates the Honorable Margaret Chan, an AABANY member, on her historic designation by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Appellate Division, First Department of the New York State Supreme Court. Justice Chan is the first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) woman to serve on this appellate court, continuing her legacy as a trailblazer, mentor, and respected jurist.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – July 10, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) congratulates Sheridan Chu and Eve Cho Guillergan on securing the Democratic nominations for Judge of the New York City Civil Court in Queens County following the June 2025 primary elections. Their victories mark a significant step forward in the pursuit of greater representation of Asian Americans in the judiciary, especially in Queens, one of the most diverse counties in the nation.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – July 9, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Pei Pei Cheng de Castro on her appointment by Governor Kathy Hochul, as announced on June 27, 2025, to the New York State Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) Fund, where she will serve as Chair and Trustee.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – June 18, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates and applauds the appointment of Jay Y. Kim to the New York State Court of Claims by Governor Kathy Hochul, announced on June 10, 2025. Judge Kim was sworn in on the same day and has been assigned to serve as Acting Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County Supreme Court, criminal term.

Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – May 21, 2025 – On Thursday, May 29, 2025, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) will hold its 36th Anniversary Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall Street, in New York City. The event, taking place during Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) Heritage Month, includes federal and state judges, government officials, community leaders, law firm attorneys, in-house counsel, prosecutors, and supporters from the business and nonprofit sectors.

AABANY thanks the many sponsors supporting this year’s dinner, including Diamond Sponsor Broadridge Financial Solutions and General Counsel Reception Sponsor Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone. We are also grateful to our Platinum Sponsor Kramer Levin. A full list of sponsors is available here. 

The theme of the 2025 Annual Dinner and the new fiscal year is “Together We Thrive: The Power of Us!” This year’s theme reflects AABANY’s ongoing commitment to unity, collaboration, and collective advancement. It embodies the importance of working together to empower AAPI attorneys, strengthen leadership pipelines, and address the evolving legal needs of our communities.

Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – May 12, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is pleased to announce that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP has been selected to receive the inaugural AABANY Law Firm Leadership Award. The award will be presented at AABANY’s Annual Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street on May 29, 2025, during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

The AABANY Law Firm Leadership Award honors a law firm that demonstrates exceptional leadership in cultivating legal talent, developing future leaders, and advancing equal opportunity within the legal profession. This includes a commitment to building a strong pipeline of attorneys and providing equal access to mentorship, sponsorship, and professional development. Honorees are selected based on their ability to retain and promote attorneys into leadership roles, create clear pathways to advancement, and support the broader legal community through initiatives aligned with AABANY’s mission. Active engagement with organizations like AABANY and a sustained focus on supporting attorneys from all backgrounds are central to this award.

Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – May 2, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) has joined 23 other bar associations and lawyer membership organizations in an amicus brief filed in Susman Godfrey LLP v. Executive Office of the President, Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-01107-LLA, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, filed on April 25, 2025.*

The amicus brief supports Susman Godfrey LLP’s challenge to Executive Order No. 14246, which targets the firm for representing clients in voting rights advocacy perceived as contrary to the President’s interests, including its representation of Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation lawsuit related to the 2020 election. 

Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – February 11, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) congratulates Hon. Jeffrey K. Oing (Ret.) on his appointment to serve on Governor Hochul’s First Department Judicial Screening Committee. AABANY learned of this appointment from this statement of the Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY), which announced:

On February 7, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the Hon. Jeffery K. Oing (Ret.) to serve on the Governor’s First Department Judicial Screening Committee. This committee evaluates the qualifications of elected Supreme Court Justices seeking elevation to the Appellate Division in that Department, and recommends to the Governor those individuals found by the committee to be highly qualified to hold such office.

Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – February 3, 2025 – Last week, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) received the sad news of the passing of Hon. Dorothy Chin-Brandt.

Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – January 9, 2025 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) congratulates Hon. Jeffrey K. Oing (Ret.) on his joining JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide. Justice Oing, an active member of AABANY, joins JAMS after a distinguished career of over two decades on the New York bench, most recently serving as an associate justice on the Appellate Division, First Department, Supreme Court of the State of New York.

Read the full press release here.