News & Announcements

At the Dow Fund Dinner held on December 2, 2016, AALAM presented the 2016 AALAM Community Service Award to former AALAM board member, Geoffrey G. Why, whose dedicated service to the Boston Asian community truly embodies the spirit of giving back. 

In addition, AALAM announced a new tradition of making a donation to a charity of the Community Award recipient’s choice in recognition of the recipient’s work and in hopes of inspiring future generations of lawyers to give back. 

Geoff has decided to split this $500 donation between two organizations: the Asian Community Development Corporation and the Dow Fund.  Please see below a note of thanks from Geoff.

Dear AALAM, 

First and foremost, I want to thank AALAM and its board for the 2016 Community Service Award.  I am truly honored to be recognized for my service.

I am so happy to share this award and its generous gift to two organizations that I have worked with closely.

I am a board and executive committee member of the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC).  ACDC is the leader in developing and preserving affordable housing in Greater Boston where Asian Americans, live, work, and play.  Since 1987, ACDC has built over $110 million of new mixed income, mixed-use real estate developments that are home to more than 1000 residents.

I am also a board and executive member of the Dow Fund which was established to provide resources to ensure access to the legal system for Asian Americans who are deprived of justice because of barriers such as language, race, culture, poverty, or immigration status.  Over the past 30 years, the Dow Fund has launched numerous projects, including: Anti-Asian Violence Education Project, Asian Battered Women Project, Asian Immigrant Rights Initiative, Cambodian Outreach Project, Chinatown Stabilization Project, and Community Internship.

Geoffrey G Why

Congratulations to the following individuals who were elected by the AALAM membership to serve as the officers and directors of AALAM for the 2017 membership year:

President: Eugene Ho

Vice President: Christina Chan

Secretary: Leslie Su

Treasurer: Jennifer Fang

Board of Directors: 

• Jason Chan
• Stephen Chow
• Deana Kim El-Mallawany 
• Len Ho
• Peggy Ho
• Steven Kim
• Vincent Lai
• Rachel Lee
• Tony Lu
• Daniel Park
• Michelle Rhee
• Vatsady Sivongxay
• Emily Sy 
• Melissa Wong
• Randall Yee

Our friends at the Greater Boston Legal Services are seeking an experienced attorney to assist in the work of the Asian Outreach/Employment Law Unit. 

Details from GBLS below:

Our mission is to utilize a community lawyering approach to advocacy which includes direct representation, systemic advocacy including class action and administrative advocacy, affirmative and defensive legislative campaigns and other client-centered work in the areas of unemployment, wage and hour, and tax law, including the creation of community cooperatives in low wage communities of color.

The unit seeks an attorney to engage in all of the above work.  Additionally, the attorney will be expected to supervise junior staff, interns and volunteers and assist with securing grants.  

Qualifications should include: 5 or more years of legal experience that includes legal services or other advocacy on behalf of workers, litigation experience, a strong and demonstrated commitment to worker rights, civil/human rights, community lawyering and the ability to work well with a diverse clientele.  Additionally, the attorney must have strong writing and research skills. Bi-lingual ability in a language commonly spoken by GBLS’ clients is preferred, but not required.

GBLS is an AA/EO/Handicapped employer committed to diversity in the workforce and regards differences as assets.  Salary is based on union scale. Generous benefits package, including 100% paid health and dental for full-time employees and student loan repayment assistance plan for eligible attorneys. Candidates must submit a cover letter describing qualifications and reasons for interest in the position, resume and brief writing sample to Sonia Marquez, Director of Human Resources, via e-mail at jobs@gbls.org.  Please refer to Job Code: AOU/EU-ATT when applying for this position. Deadline is January 18, 2017 or until the position is filled.

The Diversity & Inclusion Section's 2016 Affinity Bar Mixer

Thursday, December 8, 2016 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Boston Bar Association - 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA

Join old friends and meet new ones at the Diversity & Inclusion Section’s third annual Affinity Bar “Mix and Mingle” Holiday Reception.  There will be tasty hors d’oeuvres, delectable desserts, festive drinks and fun networking for all.

Friends and members of the BBA and its Affinity Bar partners are invited to join us for this festive occasion!

Please email rsvp@bostonbar.org (please be sure to indicate the name of the event you wish to attend)

Over the past year, and in particular the past several months, there has been a disturbing rise in the number of reported hate incidents across America.  Last Friday, The American Lawyer published an article recounting a troubling incident that transpired in August between an unidentified man and WilmerHale partner and 2011 AALAM Founders Award recipient, William F. Lee.  While filling up his car at a gas station near his home in Wellesley, Mr. Lee was approached by the unidentified man who asked him, "Where does a guy like you get a car like that?"  The man later told Mr. Lee to go back to his "own country".  After Mr. Lee drove away, the man followed him until Mr. Lee pulled into a nearby police station.

Mr. Lee's encounter and the many other hate incidents that have been reported over the last year are deeply troubling.  As Mr. Lee put it himself, "I grew up in the fifties when we were the only Chinese family in our school district.  It was not a great time to be Asian.  In many ways this brought back things that I thought we had put behind us.”  Indeed, the events of the last year or so have demonstrated that while we have made significant progress in our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in America, a lot of work remains to be done.

To combat hate incidents, we must be vigilant against them.  Last Monday, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey launched a hotline that allows people to report incidents of vandalism, harassment, and intimidation directed at racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.  If you know anyone who has been a victim of hate violence, please direct them to call the Attorney General’s Office’s hotline at 1-800-994-3228 or file a civil rights complaint online.

In addition, AALAM has reached out to other organizations, and we hope to plan a series of joint events in the near future to encourage conversation about issues such as hate crimes and discrimination and how we - as a community of Asian American lawyers - can be of help.  Please stay tuned.

We are also mindful that alternative views may not have received due consideration and invite proposals, participation and leadership in our organization to help us through a challenging national transition at all geographic and demographic levels.

Please click here to read the full article in The American Lawyer referenced above (alternatively please contact aalam.info@gmail.com).

Hi all, please join AALAM at its annual holiday party on Monday, December 5, 2016 from 6 to 8 pm at the offices of Proskauer Rose LLP at One International Place.  It's free for all members and guests. Please come and celebrate the end of 2016, have snacks and drinks and be merry.  Also consider making a tax-deductible contribution in support of the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship, and for those of you who are not yet active members, please activate or renew your membership here.

RSVP for the event here

Donate here.

Learn more about the scholarship here.

AALAM has traditionally purchased a table for the Harry H. Dow Memorial Legal Assistance Fund Dinner. It's a wonderful event with a great cause, great food, great programming and great people attending.

This year, Liz Cheng, General Manager for Television at WGBH, will be the keynote speaker, Wen-ti Tsen will receive the Justice in Action Award and longtime community activists May Louie and Michael Liu will receive the Long Arc of Justice Award. Please join us this year in celebrating these impressive awardees and the impactful work of the Dow Fund in service of low-income Asian immigrants.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP. We can only accommodate the first 10 who register, but we will have a waiting list in case of cancellations.

We're pleased to announce our kick-off will be held at Holland and Knight on November 9th at 6 pm.  Don't miss it! Please RSVP here by November 7th.

If you have questions, please email Melissa Wong.

On Election Day, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC and APIA Vote will be administering a national Asian-language Election Protection hotline, 1-888-API-VOTE (1-888-274-8683).  
Learn more about the hotline and sign-up to volunteer here.


The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is currently recruiting volunteers for their Exit Poll and Voter Protection project. The voter survey and poll monitoring are conducted each year, are national in scope and mobilize thousands of trained volunteers from law firms, law schools, and community groups.

In past elections, Asian Americans have faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote, including segregated "Asian" voting lines. When the news media reported on election results, Asian Americans were overlooked. In response, AALDEF has conducted a non-partisan exit poll of Asian American voters to document Asian American voting patterns and instances of anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement. In certain states, AALDEF has also monitored the elections for compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act, which mandates bilingual ballots and forbids anti-Asian voter discrimination.

In the 2012 elections, 850 volunteers polled 9,096 Asian American voters in 14 states and Washington, DC. All it takes is one training session and a three-hour commitment on Election Day. All volunteers are required to attend a training.

The training session will be held on this Thursday, October 20, at Ropes & Gray LLP, 800 Boylston St around lunchtime.

Questions? Contact votingrights@aaldef.org
Sign-up online.
Learn more about AALDEF's program here.

Are you attending the NAPABA Convention in San Diego? Join AALAM members and friends for dinner on Friday or lunch on Saturday by registering on the preceding links. Register for the conference by clicking on the picture below. Get a $200 discount by registering before October 21st. If you're an active AALAM member, you can get an additional $200 off as a member of NAPABA. Contact aalam.info@gmail.com for more details.