#aabany

On Thursday, August 9, members of AABANY and SABANY came together for the second annual mixer at the Chinese Club NYC, a restaurant that offers an excellent window into Indian-Chinese cuisine. Among those who attended were SABANY President Amol Sinha, as well as a number of AABANY leaders, including President James Cho, President-Elect Brian Song, Board Director and Issues Committee Co-Chair Chris Kwok, and Executive Director Yang Chen.

At the event, attendees got the chance to taste some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, which include Lollipop Chicken, Butter Salt & Pepper Mushroom, Wheels of Fortune (crispy lotus roots), Szechuan Fried Rice, most of which were vegan and vegetarian-friendly. All of the dishes blended together a number of fragrant spices, both sweet and savory, offering an amazing food experience for all who came. During the event, Salil Mehta, owner of the Chinese Club, was kind enough to share his stories about the food, Indian-Chinese cuisine, his inspirations, and the meaning behind his journey with the restaurant. It is worth noting that Salil and his wife Stacey are also professional artists, whose talents and visions can be seen in the exquisite artwork that decorates the restaurant’s interior.

On June 28, at Paul Hastings LLP, AABANY and AALFNY held their annual Summer Reception, featuring Hon. Toko Serita, Acting Justice, NYS Supreme Court, as the event’s distinguished guest speaker and the recognition of AALFNY’s scholarship and fellowship recipients. 

Sylvia Chin, President of AALFNY delivered the opening remarks, introducing AALFNY and AABANY’s board members and thanking all attendees for their support and contributions to both organizations. AABANY President James Cho followed up with a meaningful reminder that AALFNY’s scholarships help dozens of aspiring attorneys commit to public service or public interest without being weighed down by financial burdens.

After opening remarks, Sylvia recognized each recipient of AALFNY’s scholarship and fellowship awards: Corinne Merdegia, Henna Kaushal, and Nishat Bella Tabassum. 

Corinne, a student at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, is a recipient of the 2018 Edward G. H. Chin Memorial Scholarship for her dedication to the advancement of APA and Asian immigrant communities. She will be working with the Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit this summer. 

Henna, a student at the UC Berkley School of Law, is a recipient of the 2018 AALFNY Community Service Scholarship for her extraordinary community service initiatives, including domestic violence awareness campaigns, “Know Your Rights” presentations translated into Punjabi, and political education workshops for South Asian youth. She will be working with the New York Ciivl Liberties Union (NYCLU) this summer.

Nishat, a student at the City University of New York Law School, is the recipient of the 2018 AALFNY/SABANY Fellowship Award due to her devotion to assisting the South Asian community and victims of domestic violence through organizations such as Sanctuary for Families. She will be working at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.

The event’s guest speaker was Hon. Toko Serita who presides over three problem solving courts in Queens County Criminal Court. She delivered a powerful address that discussed the reality of human trafficking. As a judge at the Queens Human Trafficking Intervention Court since 2008, Justice Serita shared insights about the causes, consequences, and conditions of human trafficking that often remain unseen, especially in large metropolitan areas like New York City. Justice Serita began to dedicate herself to this field when she realized that the lack of an efficient judicial response to human trafficking has led to female defendants—many arrested on prostitution charges. The Human Trafficking Intervention Court, she explained, seeks to address this complex issue by first redefining female defendants involved in sex trafficking as victims rather than criminals.

On December 6, the AABANY Real Estate Committee and the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee, along with the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY), co-hosted the CLE program “Building a Taller Flushing: Zoning, Air Rights & Development” at the Flushing YMCA. Over 40 attorneys, bankers and real estate industry members attended the event.

AABANY Real Estate Committee Co-Chair Margaret Ling (Senior Underwriting Counsel, MacGregor Abstract Corporation) and Brian Strout (Senior Vice President, City Center Real Estate Inc.) elaborated on developmental rights and other zoning considerations for building high-rises. Christina Ying (Partner, Herrick Feinstein LLP), Gary Hoeni (Vice President, Chase) and George Xu (President, Century Development Group) shared their practical insight working with high-rise developments from the ground up, and subsequently showcased their projects in Flushing and other neighborhoods.

Attendees received 1 CLE credit in Areas of Professional Practice. We would like to thank the Flushing YMCA and its staff for hosting us for the evening.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. has announced Amanda Bernardo, AABANY’s Immigration Committee Co-Chair, as one of the 10 delegates to the Filipino-American Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) 2017.

Congratulations to Amanda on this achievement and recognition!

Congratulations to AABANY member and past AABANY Board Member Theodore Cheng for being named one of National Law Journal's 2017 ADR Champions.

ADR Champions is a special supplement developed by The National Law Journal. In the second annual issue of this supplement, hundreds of nominations were submitted. After a selection process, 37 people who have achieved remarkable success while pursuing their mission were chosen to be the champions.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo named Manhattan attorney and small-business owner Kevin D. Kim to the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York effective July 1, 2017. He replaces Wellington Z. Chen, who served from 2000 to 2017.