Archived News
Elections for Officers and Directors
AABANY Members are asked to return their completed proxy ballot for
elections of officers and directors today. A proxy blank is attached
to this email as a PDF. Candidate statements and a copy of the proposed
bylaws are available online at www.aabany.org. Signed proxies may be
faxed to (718) 228-7206 or a scanned PDF may be emailed as an
attachment to main@aabany.org. We strongly urge you to complete the
proxy so that we can ensure quorum at our continued Annual Meeting on
February 5, 7 PM at Seyfarth Shaw.
Hon. Randall Eng appointed to Appellate Division
Queens Supreme Court Justice Randall Eng was appointed by Governor
Spitzer to the Appellate Division, Second Department last week. He
joins Hon. Peter Tom as the second Asian American in a New York State
appeals court. Our congratuations to Justice Eng!
U.S. Supreme Court Reverses in Board of Elections v. Lopez-Torres, 9-0
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Second Circuit on Wednesday in a
case regarding judicial selection in New York. AABANY's Judicial
Affairs committee filed an amicus brief in support of the Board of
Elections. We opined that judicial conventions, not primaries, were
mandated by the state constitution, and that the facts showed that
primaries without public financing would deny participation by
minorities, who are unable to raise the hundreds of thousands of
dollars necessary in a New York campaign.
Congratulations to Brooklyn Law School Team mates Alexa Loo and Stacey
Song, and Fordham Law School's Kyu (Mike) Paek and Paul Kim!. They came
in first and second place respectively at this past Saturday’s Hon.
Thomas Tang Moot Court Northeast Regional Competition in Washington
D.C. A thank you to Student Outreach Committee Members Anna Mercado,
Yasu Saito, Eric Huang and Neil Dennis who assisted with mooting the
teams.
We will hold a free CLE for 2 credits today 10/17 on Alternative
Dispute Resolution beginning at 6 PM. Panelists will be from the
American Arbitration Association and will include Andy Hahn, former
AABANY President and President-Elect of NAPABA. The session will be at
Hughes Hubbard, One Battery Park Plaza. Hope to see you there.
On Thursday, October 18, the Issues Committee is pleased to be hosting a presentation
on a prominent recent lawsuit for restaurant workers' rights at a
Chinatown restaurant (Heng Chan v. 88 Palace), at which the pro bono
attorneys from Skadden Arps, who won over $700,000 in withheld tips and
wages on behalf of the workers, will speak about the experience. We
have confirmed Thursday, October 18th at 7pm at Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Meagher & Flom LLP, 4 Times Square (42nd Street between 6th and
Broadway) in Conference Room 37A. The Issues Committee will send a more
detailed announcement shortly, and will be providing snacks and
refreshments. RSVPs should go to Joy Kanwar at jkanwar@skadden.com.
AABANY is hosting a trip to induct interested members and non-members
into the United States Supreme Court on Monday, November 26, 2007. To
participate, applicants should have the applications with certificates
of good standing filed with the court before the end of October.
November 26 is an argument day which means we get a small group
admission which is now limited to 12 people applicants under the
Court's new policy. We may be able to meet with one of the Supreme
Court justices and so it promises to be an exciting trip.
Save November 27 and December 3 for a free Ethics CLE which will enable
you to fulfill your entire 2-year ethics requirement. The program will
feature a distinguished panel including AABANY member Steve Shapiro and
the following panelists. The panel will be held at 6 p.m. at the
Appellate Division, First Department. We are hopeful that one or more
of the First Department judges will stop by. The panel includes:
Andral Bratton, Deputy Chief Counsel of the Departmental Disciplinary
Committee, Appellate Division, First Department
Robert Saltzman, Deputy Chief Counsel of the Grievance Committee,
Appellate Division, Second Department, Second Judicial District
Richard Godosky, partner at Godosky & Gentile (defends respondents)
Richard Grayson, (defends respondents, formerly staff counsel Grievance
Committee, Appellate Division, Second Department, Ninth Judicial District)
Barry Kamins, partner at Flam.Levy, Kamins, Hirsch & Rendeiro (defends
respondents, former chair of Grievance Committee, Second Department,
Second Judicial District and current president of The City Bar Association).
Rosemary Palladino, staff attorney Appellate Division, First Department
and former Disciplinary Committee staff counsel
Telesforio del Valle, former panel chair at First Department DDC,
counsel to PRBA
Arthur Grieg, former panel chair at First Department DDC
Irwin Kahn, referee for Appellate Division, First Department and former
panel chair
On November 5, AABANY will host a free CLE on the "New York State
Legislative Process and Procedures" 6:30-8:30. The panelists are: Fong
Chan, Director of Intergivernmental Relations for NYC Comptroller
William C. Thompson Jr., and Anthony Piscitelli, partner of Wilson
Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP. The event will be held at
Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch, 500 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor. Please
RSVP at our website, www.aabany.org.
The Honorable Carolyn Demarest, Commercial Division, Kings County, has
an opening for a law clerk. Applicants should have at least two years'
experience and the position is for two years with the possibility of an
extension. I would greatly appreciate it if you would circulate this
email within your firm/organization, especially to litigation
associates and hiring coordinators. Applicants should forward their
resume by email to Lauren Wachtler at ljwachtler@Montclarewachtler.com
and she will forward appropriate resumes to Justice Demarest.
The Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program, Inc. (PALS)
Presents WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A LAW DEGREE
A Career Forum and Networking Reception
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Hosted by Goldman, Sachs & Co.
32 Old Slip (Between Hanover and Water St.)
2nd Floor Auditorium
New York, New York
Moderator: Richard Ross, Legal Department, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Panelists:
Eulas Boyd - Vice President, Diversity Recruiting, Human Capital Marketing, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Mavis Fowler-Williams - CBS Inc.
Robert Ladd - Compliance Department, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Lisa Opoku - Managing Director, Bank Loan/Fixed Income Commodities and Currencies (FICC), Goldman Sachs & Co
Lai Sun Yee - General Counsel of the New York State Emergency Management Office (NYSEMO)
This forum will discuss career possibilities for practicing and
non-practicing attorneys. The panelists will be from a variety of
legal backgrounds and will focus on developing the skills that law
students and lawyers need to take advantage of exciting opportunities
throughout their professional careers.
Please RSVP at www.palsprogram.org or click on the RSVP link by
November 9, 2007. Please submit a registration for each attendee (Do
not request multiple tickets). Send all questions to
info@palsprogram.org.
President Vincent Chang and Board Member Glenn Magpantay
appear on NY1's "Inside City Hall"
  
Corporate Council Chair Maricar Tinio in New York Magazine
Click on photo to view video
April 23
AABANY and its members appeared several times over the last two weeks
in the New York Law Journal. (Dates refer to NYLJ publication).
April 3rd: Newsbriefs
Congratulations
to Board Member Lynnette Sarno upon her appointment as a partner at
Seyfarth Shaw LLP. She currently practices in Seyfarth's labor and
employment department in New York.
April 18th: In Their Own Words: Bench and Bar Respond to Judicial Pay Deadlock
AABANY representatives will speak on judicial compensation at Law Day
events in Brooklyn and Queens on the morning of April 30. We will have
a table at the Law Day event in front of Manhattan Civil Court from
noon to 2 PM. AABANY will also co-sponsor the Law Day event at Supreme
Court in Manhattan starting at noon on May 1. All interested members
should attend as many of these Law Day events as their time permits.
April 19th: Newsbriefs
Two Asian American judges (the Hon. Peter Tom and the Hon. Doris
Ling-Cohan) were interviewed for the position of Presiding Judge in the
First Department, the first time to our knowledge that any Asian
Americans have been in the running for that post. Judge Tom is the
interim presiding judge of the First Department, the first Asian
American to serve as the presiding judge of any New York appellate
court.
Last week, AABANY and the Hon. Anne Pfau appeared at a press conference honoring the Hon. Randall Eng for his elevation on March 14th as the first Asian American ever to serve as the administrative judge of a New York trial court.
Upcoming Member Events
These programs are free of charge.
Women's Committee: Enchanting Tropical Soiree
The Women's Committee is holding an event on April 26th at the Taipei
Economic and Cultural Office featuring a networking reception with TECO
director Andrew Hsia and showcasing Taiwanese culinary delights, arts
and the movie Fishing Luck by Wen Chen Tseng. Please RSVP by April 23
to Conlyn Chan at conlynchan@yahoo.com.
Board Meeting
The next AABANY board meeting will be held on May 1 at 7 p.m. at Mayer
Brown, 1675 Broadway. All candidates interested in the NAPABA Northeast
Regional Governor position should attend this meeting. Other issues
that will be discussed include upcoming programs and judicial
compensation.
2 CLE Credits: Assertive and Civil Courtroom Presentation
On May 3, 2007, AABANY will sponsor a CLE with the Brooklyn Women's Bar
Association on at the Brooklyn Bar Association, 123 Remsen Street in
Brooklyn. The Honorable Kiyo Matsumoto and Joyce Rubin will speak
about making assertive and civil presentations in the courtroom,
including how to present your case and advocate for your client while
staying courteous and civil to other attorneys and to the court and
also how to come out with a win-win negotiation with effective
advocacy. Please RSVP to the online registration form here.
CAPA Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival in Union Square
Explore food, knowledge and entertainment from over 100 organizations
at one of the nation's largest Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
celebrations. Please visit the AABANY table and say "hi" on Sunday, May
6 from 12 noon to 6 PM.
2 CLE Credits: Small Claims Arbitrator Training
On May 15, 2007, AABANY will co-sponsor a CLE program on Small Claims
Arbitrator Training and Induction (2 CLE credits). Trainees must be
admitted in NY for 5 years or be a court attorney with 2 years
admission. May 15, 2007 from 6 to 8 at 111 Centre Street, 12th Floor.
Earlier news
March 26
Judge Randall Eng
Last week I reported that Judge Randall Eng had been appointed as supervising
judge of the criminal court in Queens
County. Justice Eng is
the first Asian American appointed as a supervising or administrative judge in New York.
Promotions for Judges
Lansden and Madhavan
This week, we received the good news that John Lansden has
been appointed as Supervising Judge of NYC Civil Court, Housing Part, Kings County
and that Judge Jaya Madhavan has been appointed Supervising Judge of NYC Civil
Court, Housing Part, Bronx County.
Lai Sun Yee Appointed
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Criminal Justice
Lai Sun Yee, immediate past president of AABANY and general
counsel since 2006 to Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, has been named
assistant deputy secretary for criminal justice by Governor Eliot Spitzer. Lai
Sun previously was general counsel to the New York State Emergency Management
Office and deputy commissioner for legal services in the New York City Mayor's
Office of Emergency Management.
Congratulations to Lai Sun on this much-deserved accomplishment!
Committee Meetings
Corporate Counsel:
Tuesday, March 27 at 7 PM,
McDermott Will & Emory, second floor conference room
Litigation Committee
eat meet and greet: Wednesday, March 28 at 7 PM,
Evergreen Shanghai Restaurant: Dinner $20 p.p.
Judicial Affairs:
Thursday, March 29 at 7 pm. Location TBA.
Board Meeting April 3
AABANY's April board meeting will be on Tuesday, April 3 at 7 PM.
Location and agenda TBA.
March 14
AABANY Member Justice Randall Eng Appointed Queens Administrative Judge, Criminal Term
March 12
New York State Judiciary Committee Testimony
On March 1, Lai Sun Yee, Vincent Chang and Steve Shapiro appeared
on AABANY's behalf before a session of the New York State Senate
Judiciary Committee. AABANY testified about judicial selection and
diversity and, in particular, about the lack of diversity on the
Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commissions which were
recently appointed in 12 judicial districts across New York. AABANY
thanks Justice Doris Ling-Cohan for generously ceding a portion of her
testimonial time to AABANY.
AABANY Newsletter
On Tuesday, March 13, those interested in working on the first
issue of the AABANY newsletter will meet at Wollmuth Maher 500 Fifth
Avenue. Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to Vincent Chang at
vchang@wmd-law.com. The newsletter will be a good opportunity to work
with and interview some of AABANY’s experienced attorneys and judges
February 21, 2007
Seeking NAPABA Alternate Regional Governor - NE Region
NAPABA is seeking applications for an alternative regional governor
for the Northeast Region. The alternate will become the regional
governor after one year and will serve for a two year term in that
capacity. Read the description of this position here.
Judicial Affairs
Congratulations to James Chou, Treasurer of AABANY, one of the
primary attorneys in the landmark Lopez Torres decision, the decision
involving invalidation of New York’s process for selecting Supreme
Court justices. The United States Supreme Court accepted certiorari
from the Second Circuit’s decision in Lopez Torres. AABANY filed an
amicus brief in favor of certiorari and will file a brief on the
merits.
Philip Huynh
Congratulations to Phil Huynh who will be moving as partner to
Davies, Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP in Toronto in March. In the
meantime, Phil can be reached at his personal email address:
pchuynh@mail.com. Thanks to Phil for his great leadership as
Litigation Co-Chair over the last year, and we wish him well in
Toronto.
February 12, 2007
Message by Lai Sun Yee, Immediate Past President
Christine Chi becomes partner at Dewey Ballantine
Please join AABANY in congratulating Board member Christine Chi on becoming a partner at Dewey Ballantine.
AABANY Joins Asian American Federation's Protest Against Rosie O'Donnell's Racial Slur on The View
In a letter joined by 16 other Asian American organizations,
AABANY objects to Rosie O'Donnell's racially offensive use of the
phrase "ching-chong", and her insincere apology. Read the letter here.
Judicial Affairs Committee
Testimony on Judicial Selection in New York
On December 15, Lai Sun Yee, AABANY President, Chris Chan, Co-Chair
of the Judicial Affairs Committee (JAC), Yang Chen, Co-Chair of the
JAC, and Steve Shapiro, member of the JAC, appeared at the Legislative
Office Building in Albany before the New York State Assembly Standing
Committee on the Judiciary in its public hearings on the selection of
New York State Supreme Court Justices.
On December 15, Lai Sun Yee, AABANY President, Chris Chan, Co-Chair of
the Judicial Affairs Committee (JAC), Yang Chen, Co-Chair of the JAC,
and Steve Shapiro, member of the JAC, appeared at the Legislative
Office Building in Albany before the New York State Assembly Standing
Committee on the Judiciary in its public hearings on the selection of
New York State Supreme Court Justices.
Lai Sun did an excellent
job representing AABANY at the hearing. She reiterated AABANY's
opposition to open primaries as they are currently structured as a way
to select Supreme Court candidates. AABANY believes that the
convention system has been more favorable to Asian-Americans and other
minorities seeking to ascend the bench. AABANY continued to refrain
from taking any position on the constitutionality of the convention
system. AABANY took the position that if judicial qualifications
commissions are set up to select Supreme Court justices, as proposed by
the Feerick Commission, there should be a permanent seat for AABANY on
any such commission.
We believe that AABANY's testimony was well
received by the Assembly members who were present at the hearing,
Chairman Helene Weinstein, Assemblyman Charles D. Lavine and
Assemblyman Daniel J. O'Donnell. They were all receptive to AABANY's
message of the urgent need to increase diversity on the bench. The
ethnic minority bars were uniform in opposing an appointive system for
selection of judges. When the representative from the League of Women
Voters spoke up in favor of an appointive system, Chairman Weinstein
asked the speaker to take back to her group the concerns raised by
AABANY (mentioning our association specifically) and other minority bar
associations that testified about the potentially detrimental impact
that such a system would have on diversity.
After all the
testimony was given, we were approached by representatives from some of
the other groups that testified, such as the New York Trial Lawyers
Association, who complimented us on our testimony and were interested
in working further with us on pursuing the diversity goals mentioned in
our testimony. Assemblyman Lavine personally came up to us and thanked
us for appearing and giving testimony.
Thanks to everyone from
AABANY and the JAC who helped prepare the statement and helped us
prepare for the testimony. We will keep you apprised of any further
developments.
Jerry Nikko Cooke Fund
As
you may know, Jerry Cooke and his friends were climbing Mt. Hood in
Oregon last month and were reported missing. After a massive search
effort, the body of one of the climbers was recovered from Mt. Hood.
Jerry and the other climber are missing and are presumed dead.
The family and friends of Jerry Cooke have set up a website, www.jerrynikkocooke.com . According
to the Jerry Nikko Cooke website, it was established to accept
donations on behalf of Jerry's wife, Michaela, and mother, Maria Kim.
The funds may be used to recover Jerry's body, provide for his funeral
arrangements, and other associated costs that may impact his surviving
family. Funds remaining after the recovery and services will be used at
the discretion of his widow to assist the family in recovering after
this tragic loss.
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