#randall eng

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ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK HONORS RANDALL T. ENG WITH NORMAN LAU KEE TRAILBLAZER AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK – Sept. 8, 2017 - The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) is proud to announce that the Hon. Randall T. Eng, Presiding Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department, will be the recipient of the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at AABANY’s Eighth Annual Fall Conference on September 23, 2017, to be held at the Fordham University School of Law.

Named for Norman Lau Kee, a revered legal and community pillar of New York City’s Chinatown for decades, this Trailblazer Award honors an accomplished leader in the legal profession who is of Asian Pacific American (APA) descent or has demonstrated dedication to APA issues in the community. This award honors an individual who has carved a path for others to follow, served the community as a mentor and role model, and has made a lasting impact on the APA community through his or her dedication and commitment.

Hon. Randall T. Eng was a groundbreaker long before he was appointed by Governor Cuomo to be the first APA Presiding Justice of an Appellate Division in New York. A graduate of St. John’s University School of Law, Justice Eng served as New York’s first APA Assistant District Attorney in 1973. He later became the first APA judge in New York in 1983, when Mayor Edward Koch appointed him to the Criminal Court of the City of New York.

Justice Eng was elected to two terms as Justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1990 and 2004, and in 2007 became the first Asian American Administrative Judge of the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term. A former colonel of the New York Army National Guard, adjunct professor of law at St. John’s University School of Law, and Inspector General of the New York City Correction Department, Justice Eng’s career shines brightly as an exemplar of both service and groundbreaking pioneering ability.

Born in China, Justice Eng moved to the United States with his family when he was just six months old. His father, an Air Force veteran of World War II, opened a laundry and cleaning store in Queens—one of the few options available for Asian and immigrant families during that time. Aware from an early age of the barriers that awaited him if he tried to pursue law, Justice Eng remained, in his own words, “undaunted…because that was the era of civil rights.” It is that undaunted spirit of Justice Eng’s that has made him a trailblazer and an inspiration for Asian Americans in the legal community and throughout the country.

Today, Justice Eng plays a key role in the development of jurisprudence and judicial policy in New York as Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department. The ten counties under its purview make Justice Eng’s Appellate Division one of the nation’s busiest. From supervising the court’s various agencies to being the Second Department’s Chief Administrator, Justice Eng has significant responsibilities at one of the highest levels of the state’s judiciary system. All the while, he has helped to pave the way for generations of APA lawyers in government, and remains an uplifting example for the APA community.

“At a time when the obstacles that face APAs in the law seem innumerable, Justice Randall T. Eng through his career has blazed a trail toward a more promising future for APAs in the legal profession and inspired generations of lawyers,” states AABANY President Dwight Yoo. “AABANY is honored to present Justice Eng the Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award at its Eighth Annual Fall Conference.”                                    

For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at [phone], or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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NAPABA Announces 2016 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award Recipients

For Immediate Release Oct. 12, 2016

For More Information, Contact: Brett Schuster, Communications Manager [email protected], 202-775-9555

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has selected six exceptional attorneys to receive NAPABA’s highest honor — the Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award. This award recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of lawyers who have paved the way for the advancement of other Asian Pacific American attorneys. These Trailblazers have demonstrated vision, courage, and tenacity, and made substantial and lasting contributions to the Asian Pacific American legal profession, as well as to the broader Asian Pacific American community.

The 2016 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Awards will be presented on Nov. 4, 2016, at a special ceremony during the 2016 NAPABA Convention in San Diego, to the following recipients:

Honorable Gail Chang Bohr

Honorable Randall T. Eng

Janice Fukai

Honorable Laura C. Liu (awarded posthumously)

Honorable Sri Srinivasan

Honorable Mary I. Yu

The 2016 Trailblazers class is represented by a diverse and impressive group. In 2008, Jamaican-born Gail Chang Bohr was elected Ramsey County’s (Minnesota) first Asian American judge. She is now a senior judge and also consults with the National Center for State Courts Trinidad and Tobago Juvenile Court Project. With degrees from Wellesley College and Simmons School of Social Work, Bohr had a 19+ year career as clinical social worker serving children and families in the U.S. and Hong Kong. With a J.D. from William Mitchell, Bohr clerked for the Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court, and was an associate at Faegre & Benson (now Faegre Baker Daniels). As founding executive director of Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, she has trained 270+ volunteer lawyers and initiated award-winning programs for foster children.

Justice Eng is the presiding justice of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, State of New York — the first Asian American to hold that position. In 1973, Justice Eng was appointed an assistant district attorney in Queens County, becoming the first Asian American to become an assistant prosecutor in New York State history. Justice Eng became the first Asian American to become a judge in New York State, when he was appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York in September 1983 by Mayor Edward I. Koch. In 1990 and 2004, he was elected and re-elected to full 14-year terms as a justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

Ms. Fukai is the first Asian American woman to serve as department head in Los Angeles County’s history, where she employs over 300 lawyers and support staff. Under her leadership, 20 alternate public defenders have been appointed to the bench; a testament to the high caliber of her legal staff. After earning her bachelor degree and J.D. from University of Southern California, Ms. Fukai served as judicial law clerk for the late District Judge Robert Takasugi, whom she describes as her mentor and advisor. Her work as a public defender is featured in the book, “Public Defender, Lawyer for the People,” by Joan Hewitt.

Justice Liu became the first Asian American justice to serve on the Illinois Appellate Court. She was the first Chinese American elected to public office in Chicago and Cook County (Illinois) and the first Chinese American woman judge in Illinois history. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Justice Liu chaired the Illinois Supreme Court's Language Access Committee to ensure the court system was navigable to those whose first language was not English. Sadly, Justice Liu passed away from breast cancer on April 15, 2016. The Illinois Asian American Bar Association established an annual scholarship in Justice Liu’s honor to be awarded to a deserving law student dedicated to community service.

Judge Srinivasan was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2013. Prior to his confirmation, he served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the U.S. and chaired O’Melveny & Myers’ Supreme Court and Appellate practice. During his career as a litigator, he argued 25 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also co-taught a course on appellate advocacy at Harvard Law School, as well as a seminar on civil rights statutes and the Supreme Court at Georgetown University Law Center. Judge Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh, India, and raised in Lawrence, Kansas.

Justice Yu was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in 2014, and subsequently elected for the remainder of a two-year term and is currently up for election for a full six-year term. Justice Yu joined the Court after more than 14 years as an accomplished trial court judge in King County (Washington) Superior Court where she presided over a wide variety of criminal, civil, juvenile, and family law matters. As a justice, she is known for writing clear, easy-to-read decisions and she has been rated “Exceptionally Well Qualified” by eight bar associations. The daughter of immigrant parents, she is the first in her family to receive a college education, as well as the first Latina, the first Asian, and first member of the LGBTQ community to serve on the Washington Supreme Court.

NAPABA congratulates the 2016 Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award recipients and thanks them for paving the way for Asian Pacific American attorneys.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 or [email protected].

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St. John’s is a Catholic and Vincentian university that prepares students for personal and professional success in today’s global society.

Our Former Intern, Christina Nguyen, is featured on the St. John’s School of Law’s website. Congratulations to Christina Nguyen on graduating this year -- we wish you success in your future career!

When Christina Nguyen ‘12CPS, ‘16L strode across the commencement stage at Carnesecca Arena on Sunday and became a St. John’s Law graduate, it was a milestone first for her and her family.

The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and a Queens Native, Nguyen was a Legal Studies major and Business minor at St. John’s University when she decided that she wanted to be a lawyer. After earning her B.S. magna cum laude, she chose to attend St. John’s Law because of its strong alumni network, close ties to the New York legal community, and family-like environment.

“It’s a family that I’m proud to be a part of,” Nguyen says. She shared that pride over her three years at the Law School as an editor of the Commercial Division Online Report, as director of external competitions for the Dispute Resolution Society, on dispute resolution and appellate advocacy competition teams, and as an active member of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, among other activities.

The story also prominently features Justice Randall Eng, St. John’s alum and first-ever Asian American Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division for New York State. Congratulations to Justice Eng on receiving his honorary Doctor of Laws from St. John’s.

Reflecting on this milestone event, Christina Nguyen says: “Justice Eng’s story was very relatable, especially since, like him, I’m first generation Asian American and the first in my family to become a lawyer. I appreciate his reminder to not let barriers stop me. He sets a wonderful example for me to follow as I transition from law student to practitioner.”  

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Press Release: AABANY Celebrates the Appointment of the Hon. Justice Randall T. Eng

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the AABANY Judiciary Committee celebrate the historic appointment of the Honorable Justice Randall T. Eng as Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department with a celebratory community dinner.

Justice Eng will be the guest of honor at a celebratory dinner to be held Thursday, January 31, 2013.  The dinner will bring together Asian American organizations from all over New York, including Chinatown-based civic groups, Asian Americans in law enforcement, lawyers, judges, law students, and friends.  The dinner will be held at 6:30P.M. at Delight 28 Restaurant, 28 Pell Street New York, New York 10013.

Justice Eng is the first Asian American to serve as a Presiding Justice in New York State’s history.  With this appointment, Justice Eng adds to his long list of notable ‘firsts,’ such as being the first Asian Pacific American Assistant District Attorney in the State of New York, for which the AABANY Prosecutors’ Committee honored him at its third anniversary reception in 2011.

“Justice Eng has demonstrated strong leadership and exceptional jurisprudential skill at every level in our court system and will do so as Presiding Justice.  Moreover, as an Asian American trailblazer, Justice Eng is an inspiration to the Asian American bar and the Asian American community at large,” said Vincent Chang, Co-Chair of AABANY’s Judiciary Committee.

To read the full text of the press release go to: http://aabany.org/associations/6701/files/PR%20-%20AABANY%20-%20Randall%20Eng%20dinner_final.pdf

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Summer Reception at Kenyon & Kenyon

For the last few years, AABANY's July Board meeting has taken place at Kenyon & Kenyon thanks to the graciousness of past AABANY President John Flock.  John was also recently honored by AABANY's Prosecutors' Committee, along with Hon. Randall Eng and Hugh Mo, at the Third Anniversary Reception of the Prosecutors' Committee held at NYCLA on June 30.

In keeping with tradition, and to enjoy the marvelous views of New York Harbor from the 11th floor terrace of Kenyon & Kenyon, AABANY held a summer reception open to all right before the Board meeting.  We also took the opportunity to invite the 2011 Joint Minority Bar Judicial Internship Program (JMB JIP) participants to pick up their stipend checks for the summer.  Thanks to all the JMB JIP sponsors for making the stipends possible.

To make the party even livelier, Issues Committee Chair Joe Gim hosted a meet-and-greet for all those who were interested in joining AABANY's Issues Committee to come and hear from Joe what the Committee is about and how anyone interested in legal issues affecting the APA community could get involved.  Joe collected many names and e-mail addresses from those who were in attendance.  We anticipate that at least some of those people knew they were signing up for the Issues Committee.  If you wish to get involved with the Issues Committee but were not able to attend the reception, you can reach Joe at [email protected].  He will surely be glad to hear from you.

The hour-long reception lasted a little over an hour, after which Board members and committee chairs who were present headed down to the third floor conference room for the Board meeting.  Quite a few of the reception attendees decided to stay for the Board meeting, making for a very crowded conference room.  It was great to see so many people interested in attending an AABANY Board meeting.  We hope you found the experience instructive and not soporific.  And for those who wish to attend AABANY Board meetings, they are usually held on the first Tuesdays of the month at various locations.  The next one will take place on Tuesday, August 2, at Constantine Cannon, starting at 7 pm. Register your attendance at this link.