NEW YORK—December 29, 2021—The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) commends Mayor Bill de Blasio’s appointments of four Asian American judges to the New York bench on December 23, 2021. Judge Biju J. Koshy and Judge Giyang An were appointed to the New York City Criminal Court, Judge Srividya (Vidya) Pappachan was appointed to the New York City Civil Court, and Judge Jonathan H. Shim was appointed to the New York City Family Court. All of the judges are current AABANY members.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – November 15, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) congratulates Sapna Palla, Partner at Allen & Overy LLP and AABANY’s Immediate Past President, on being named the sole recipient of the New York City Bar Association’s prestigious 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award. This award, created in 2006, recognizes the efforts that attorneys dedicate to creating and sustaining a more inclusive environment within their organizations and the legal community at large. Sapna will be honored at the New York City Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Virtual Awards Presentation on November 22, 2021. Registration for the event is open at this link: https://app.mobilecause.com/e/fFNAIg?vid=ndrzh.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK -- November 10, 2021 -- The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) has released its ratings of the seven candidates under consideration to fill an upcoming vacancy on the New York Court of Appeals created by Hon. Eugene Fahey’s retirement.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK, October 19, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce that Glenn Lau-Kee will receive the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at AABANY’s Twelfth Annual Fall Conference, on October 22, 2021, during the Reception at the end of the first day of the conference.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK — October 14, 2021.  The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) introduces its Hate Eradication Active Response Team (HEART) program to assist community members who have experienced anti-Asian bias incidents or hate crimes. HEART is designed to help survivors to navigate complex legal systems and social services, such as reporting harassment and crimes to police or other relevant agencies, assisting in the prosecution of the alleged perpetrators, and seeking counseling and mental health services. HEART volunteers can also accompany survivors to interviews with law enforcement and connect survivors to each other for support.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK - October 7, 2021 - On September 30, 2021, President Biden announced his intention to nominate Dale Ho to serve as a judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

With Mr. Ho’s nomination, President Biden continues his efforts to increase diversity in the federal judiciary, highlighting his commitment to promote qualified legal candidates among underrepresented and minority groups. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – September 17, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce the creation of a dedicated team to address the growing rash of lawsuits that allege violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Human Rights laws of New York. AABANY's team is coordinating with the Chinatown Business Improvement District (Chinatown BID) and is currently monitoring the filings of these lawsuits in court. As part of AABANY's efforts to help Chinatown's businesses, AABANY is planning to provide programs and information to inform business owners and landlords about methods they can take to reduce the threat and cost of such lawsuits, and, if sued, will refer them through its Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS) to vetted and qualified attorneys who are experienced in handling ADA lawsuits. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – August 10, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) applauds the historic nominations of three Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) judges for New York Supreme Court positions in three boroughs: Lillian Wan in Kings County, Karen Gopee in Queens County, and Margaret Chan in New York County. “This is an important moment for the AAPI legal community, which is significantly underrepresented in leadership in the public sector, including the judiciary,” says Yang Chen, Executive Director of AABANY. “AABANY has long fought for greater representation of AAPI attorneys in all facets of the legal profession and we celebrate this meaningful step toward increasing diversity on the bench.” As of April 2021, AAPI judges represented only 3% of New York’s 1,227 judges, despite the AAPI community making up approximately 9% of the state population and 14% of New York City’s population. Prior to this election cycle, there were only three AAPI elected judges in New York Supreme Court: Hon. Ushir Pandit-Durant, Hon. Phil Hom, and Hon. Wyatt Gibbons – all in Queens County. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK  – August 10, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) Pro Bono and Community Service (“PBCS”) Committee will resume offering walk-in legal clinics this month in collaboration with the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (“CCBA”).  The Pro Bono Walk-In Legal Clinic is also being presented in partnership with the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY), AABANY's 501(c)(3) affiliate. Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – July 29, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) Anti-Asian Violence Task Force remains concerned that although news reports of attacks against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have faded from headlines, the incidents and violence continue. AABANY announces its Hate Eradication Active Response Team (“HEART”) initiative as a way to support the AAPI community during these troubled times. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – July 6, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that applications for the Don H. Liu Scholars Program (“DHL Program”) are now open. The DHL Program was founded in 2014 by two past presidents of AABANY and seeks to identify and cultivate future Asian American leaders in the legal community to address the single most important reality facing Asian American professionals today: the barrier to advancement. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – June 24, 2021 -- The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) will be presenting a workshop on “Self-Defense and Defense of Others in Stopping Asian Hate” on June 30 via Zoom at 5:30 PM in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Read the full press release here.

New York – June 15, 2021. The South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY), Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY), and the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York (FALA New York) call on administrators of the New York State Unified Court System (UCS) to appoint Asian American Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) judges to fill judicial vacancies created by Governor Cuomo when he recently appointed judges to the Court of Appeals, Supreme Court, Appellate Divisions, and Court of Claims. Specifically, we call on Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks and Deputy Chief Administrative Judge (NYC) Judge George J. Silver to fill the newly vacant positions of Administrative Judge in the Civil Court of the City of New York, Administrative Judge of Supreme Court, Criminal Term in Bronx County, Administrative Judge of Supreme Court, Criminal Matters in Queens County, and Appellate Term, First Department with highly qualified AAPI judges. Read the full press release here.

New York – June 11, 2021. In light of the upcoming primary election for Manhattan’s District Attorney on June 22, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), through its Issues Committee, will host a Candidates’ Forum in two sessions on June 15 and June 16 with seven of the candidates running for the Democratic Primary of the Manhattan’s District Attorney Office. All candidates were invited to participate, and Republican candidate Thomas Kenniff will be participating as well. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – May 28, 2021. The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), through its Pro Bono and Community Service Committee, Government Service and Public Interest Committee, and Student Outreach Committee, has set up a phone hotline to assist limited English proficient (LEP) applicants for the Section 8 Voucher Waitlist Lottery and the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – May 19, 2021. In light of the current surge in anti-Asian hate and violence, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce the publication of a Know-Your-Rights brochure created to inform members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in New York about their legal rights when experiencing a bias incident or hate crime. The brochures are available online in English and Chinese. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – April 30, 2021. The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) celebrates the honoring of Justice Peter Tom (Ret.) by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) with the 2021 George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award. Judge Smith was a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice and inclusion. As the third black person appointed to New York's highest court, he wrote the benchmark decision that effectively voided the state's death penalty. The eponymous award, sponsored by NYSBA’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, recognizes lawyers who demonstrate a similar level of commitment to legal excellence, community service and mentoring. Justice Tom exemplifies that in his trailblazing, thirty-plus year judicial career.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – April 29, 2021. The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) applauds the United State Senate’s passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Bill, S.937, which marks a milestone in this country’s response to the disturbing spate of attacks against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The bill symbolizes nationwide recognition that invidious discrimination has fueled numerous senseless acts of violence against AAPIs and that the time for action is now. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – April 6, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) welcomes and applauds the appointment of James R. Cho to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. Judge Cho’s term starts on April 5. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – March 31, 2021 – AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Services Committee (“PBCS”) and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (“CCBA”) will launch monthly virtual community presentations and clinic sessions beginning April 2021. Read the full press release here. 

NEW YORK – February 23, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce the launch of its new podcast, The Whole Lawyer Project. Hosted by AABANY member Jane Jeong, the podcast spotlights Asian American attorneys and leaders throughout the nation and the human stories behind their success. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – February 10, 2021 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce the release of its report co-authored with Paul, Weiss, A Rising Tide of Hate and Violence against Asian Americans in New York During COVID-19: Impact, Causes, Solutions. Executive editors of the report were Chris Kwok, AABANY Board Director and Issues Committee Chair, and Karen King, Vice Chair of AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee and Counsel at Paul, Weiss. The report is dedicated to Corky Lee, who passed away on January 27, 2021 due to COVID-19. Corky was a revered photographer in the Asian American community who had been documenting the effort to combat anti-Asian violence and harassment in the wake of COVID-19. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – February 3, 2021 - The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that Kirkland & Ellis LLP (“Kirkland”) has been selected to receive the 2021 AABANY Law Firm Diversity Award. Kirkland will be presented with the award at AABANY’s Virtual Gala on February 24, 2021.  Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – February 1, 2021 -- On Wednesday, January 27, the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) received the news that Corky Lee succumbed to his battle against COVID-19. We join the community in mourning this iconic and ever-present figure who graced us through his art and advocacy with a deep and unwavering love for Asian Americans in New York and across the country. Read the full press release here.

NEW YORK – January 15, 2021 -- The COVID Rent Relief Program has reopened for all eligible New Yorkers with expanded eligibility criteria to serve more individuals and families who may not have had an opportunity to apply when the program was initially opened or those who may have been previously ineligible. New applications are being accepted now through Monday, February 1, 2021, by online submission only. Read the full press release here.