Announcements

Dear AALAM Community,

I hope you and your families enjoyed the Lunar New Year this weekend. My family and I gathered in Denver to celebrate with several generations of cousins. We traded stories about our recent travels, ate peanuts while my dad and uncle talked about their love of soccer, and I got to meet my cousin’s kids for the first time!

However, the recent horrific tragedies in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay have placed a dark cloud over what should have been a time of celebration. While we are still learning all the facts and circumstances that led to such senseless acts of violence, it is clear that the loss of life is overwhelming and that no community is immune from the impact of gun violence.

Please consider donating to the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims Fund, organized by a coalition of AAPI community organizations, including our national affiliate, NAPABA, and the Half Moon Bay Strong Fund, organized by Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a non-profit that supports the affected farmworker community. In addition, click here for a list of resources compiled by AAPI Equity Alliance, an LA based organization.

On Saturday, January 28 from 4-5 pm a candlelight vigil will be held at the Lion Gateway in Boston's Chinatown, co-sponsored by AALAM. 

Please take care,

Emily Sy, AALAM President 

AALAM proudly applauds President Biden’s nomination of Boston Municipal Court Judge Myong Joun to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts!

As a past AALAM president, director, and long-time member, Judge Joun is a highly experienced trial attorney – who throughout his career – has demonstrated a commitment to public service and access to justice. Judge Joun was nominated to the Boston Municipal Court bench by Governor Deval Patrick in 2014. In support of Judge Joun's nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey said in a joint statement, “A veteran of the U.S. Army and Massachusetts National Guard, Judge Joun dedicated his career to criminal defense and civil rights litigation prior to his appointment as an Associate of the Boston Municipal Court.” Judge Joun administered the oath of office when Mayor Michelle Wu took office in 2021.

Judge Joun’s life and career experiences will provide him with a perspective shared by many of those who call the Commonwealth home. Congratulations Judge Joun!

AALAM Congratulates Jason Chan!

AALAM applauds the appointment of Jason Chan by Governor Charlie Baker to the position of Associate Justice of the District Court. 

Jason served on the AALAM board for over 10 years from 2011 to 2021. During his time on the AALAM board, Jason volunteered his time to mentor students, build community through programming, and helped educate the community by organizing panels on hot topics. Jason is also involved in several other community non-profits that are focused on the AAPI population, including the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates of New England, AAPI Civil Rights Conference and Kwong Kow Chinese School.

The appointment of a uniquely qualified judge, like Jason, is a significant step towards  shaping our court system to better reflect and meaningfully serve the diverse population that makes up the Commonwealth.

Jason will be sworn in on August 8, 2022. 

2022 Special Edition of the Boston Bar Journal 

Check out the 2022 Special Edition of the Boston Bar Journal which features articles highlighting AAPI voices and written by AALAM members: 

How You and I See Me by Hon. Catherine Hyo-Kyung Ham

Fighting Anti-Asian Hate: Community-Based Solutions Beyond Prosecutions and the Cycle of Violence by Senior Attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services-Asian Outreach, Janet H. Vo

Affinity Bar Spotlight: Representation Matters by AALAM President, Emily Sy 

Affinity Bar Spotlight: Reflections on Efforts at Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Profession by SABA GB Co-President, Payal Salsburg & Darshana Indira

Interview with Attorney Alexander Chen by Sophia Hall & Bill Gabovitch 

The Boston Bar Journal (BBJ) is peer-reviewed, online publication of the Boston Bar Association. The BBJ began as a monthly, hard-copy publication in 1957, and moved online in 2009. Additional articles from this special edition can be found here. 

AALAM Congratulates AALAM Board Member, and former AALAM President, Sarah G. Kim, on her appointment as Interim Chair for the Cannabis Control Commission! 

On May 9, State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg announced that Sarah G. Kim was sworn in as Interim Chairman for the Cannabis Control Commission. 

“Sarah has extensive leadership experience and knowledge about the standards, goals, and operations of the Commission, as well as perspective on necessary steps as we progress in the implementation of good policies in Massachusetts,” said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. “We are proud to appoint her as the Interim Chair, and strongly support her efforts in this new role.”

Click here to read the full press release announcing Sarah's appointment. 

And click here to read a recent article in the Boston Globe reporting on Sarah's first meeting as the Interim Chair. 

Sarah is a current AALAM Board Member and previously served as AALAM President from 2010 to 2013.  

AALAM congratulates current Board member and former AALAM president, Christina Chan, on her promotion to Deputy Chief of the False Claims Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (AGO). 

Christina formerly served as an Assistant Attorney General in the AGO's Medicaid Fraud and Trial Divisions, as a Special Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County, and a litigation associate at the law firm Bingham McCutchen LLP (now Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP).  Christina was named a "Best Under 40" Lawyer by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), an Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and one of the Top 50 Most Influential Attorneys of Color by Get Konnected.  Christina has also received the Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti Award for Excellence and Attorney General Martha Coakley Award for Outstanding Teamwork. 

Christina graduated from a joint degree program between Northeastern University School of Law and Tufts University School of Medicine leading to a J.D. and Masters in Public Health. She attended Cornell University where she received a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management.

Congratulations to AALAM Board Member, Sophie Wang, on her election to equity partner at Choate Hall & Stewart LLP (effective January 1, 2022). 

Executive Officers for 2021-2022

President: Emily Sy (Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.)

Vice President: Melissa Wong (Holland and Knight LLP) 

Treasurer: Jeff Clark (Flagship Pioneering) 

Secretary: Tiffany Ko (MFS Investment Management)

Directors 2021-2022

Christina Chan (MA Attorney General's Office)

Edward S. Cheng (Sherin and Lodgen LLP)

Stephen Y. Chow (Hsuanyeh Law Group, PC) 

Angel Feng (Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.)

Eugene H. Ho (Verrill Dana LLP)

Peggy L. Ho (Commonwealth Financial Network)

Sarah Kim (Office of the MA State Treasurer)*

Jan Ryu Koo (State Street Global Advisors)*

Garrett Lee (Morgan & Morgan P.A.)

Vatsady Sivongxay 

Leslie Su (U.S. Bankruptcy Court for D. Mass.)

Lucy Sun (US Attorney's Office)

Sophie Wang (Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP)

Jay Yi (Ropes & Gray LLP)*

Emily Yu (BioMed Realty)*

Yin Zhou (Bank of America)*

*New Director as of 2021

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (“AALAM”) proudly congratulates Michelle Wu on her historic win as the first Asian American woman elected Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.

Michelle Wu has long been a supporter of AALAM and she received the AALAM Scholarship Award in 2010 when she was a student at Harvard Law School. The annual AALAM Scholarship Award (renamed the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship in 2015) is awarded to an Asian American law student who demonstrates leadership potential, maturity and responsibility, a commitment to making a contribution to the Asian American community and other indicia of excellence, whether personal, professional or academic. Michelle Wu has certainly lived up to that commitment and we are excited to see her in action as Boston’s next mayor. 

Simply put, representation matters and we were heartened to see a very talented pool of Boston mayoral candidates that reflected the growing diversity of Boston’s population.  In addition, we would like to thank Mayor Kim Janey, whose own historic administration broke ceilings and barriers, for her service. 

We celebrate Michelle Wu, who will be a great asset to this city. AALAM is excited for the progressive change that her administration will bring to Boston.

Congratulations Mayor-elect Wu!

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) sincerely congratulates Massachusetts Superior Court Associate Justice Angel Kelley Brown for her nomination by President Joe Biden to serve as a federal district court judge for the District of Massachusetts.  If confirmed, Judge Kelley Brown, who is of Japanese and African American descent, would become the second Asian American judge and second African American woman judge to serve on the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, following Judge Indira Talwani who was confirmed and appointed to the court in 2014 by President Barack Obama. 

Beginning her judicial career in 2009, Judge Kelley Brown initially served on the Brockton District Court and was elevated in 2013 to the Superior Court, where she has served as the regional administrative judge.  Prior to that, Judge Kelley Brown worked as an attorney at The Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, NY, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.  She is a graduate of Colgate University and Georgetown University Law Center.

AALAM works to support, promote and foster a diverse judiciary in Massachusetts and happily congratulates Judge Kelley Brown on her accomplishment.