President: Emily Sy

Emily Sy is Litigation Counsel at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.SA., Inc. Prior to joining Takeda, Emily was a Vice President and Litigation Counsel at State Street Bank and Trust Company.  Emily started her career as a commercial litigation and white collar associate at Nixon Peabody LLP. Emily holds a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she served as President of APALSA, and a B.A. from Wellesley College, where she served as President of the Asian Student Union. Emily currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center and the Greater Boston Legal Services. 

Emily was named as a 2020 In House Leader in the Law by the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and 2022 Emerging Leader by the Women's Bar Association. 

Vice President:  Melissa Wong

Melissa Wong is a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, and is a member of the firm's national Healthcare & Life Sciences practice group. She advises a variety of health care clients in the pharmaceutical and health insurance sector on regulatory and compliance issues, particularly in matters related to Medicare Part D and managed care. Prior to law school, Melissa worked at American Express in several roles, including strategy and business development, marketing, and risk management consulting. Melissa received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Melissa serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Asian + Pacific Islanders (MAP) for Health, and was recently appointed as Vice-Chair of the Medicare Advantage and Part D Affinity Group of the American Health Lawyers Association. 

Secretary: Tiffany Ko

Tiffany is Counsel at MFS Investment Management, one of the oldest asset management companies in the world which has been credited with pioneering the mutual fund.  Tiffany regularly works with the MFS Board of Trustees and advises on regulatory, transactional and compliance matters.  Prior to joining MFS, she was an asset management associate at Ropes & Gray LLP for about six years and she started her legal career at State Street Bank & Trust Company as an Associate Attorney and Assistant Vice President. Tiffany received her B.A. from the George Washington University and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Tiffany has been a member of AALAM since 1L at NUSL and joined the AALAM Board in 2018.

Treasurer: Diana Li

Diana is a mid-level associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in the Investment Management - Private Funds group where she represents and counsels investment advisers, unregistered investment companies, and domestic and offshore private investment entities. Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Diana worked in law firms in Vienna, Austria and Shanghai, China.

Diana received her B.S. in Psychology from Boston College in 2016 and J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2019. 

A fun fact about Diana is that she was born and raised in Vienna, Austria and is native German speaker and speaks conversational Mandarin. She has danced competitively most of her life and is passionate about lifting up the Asian community by planning events and mentoring law students.

 

Other Directors

Christina Chan

Christina Chan is Deputy Chief of the MA Attorney General's Office ("AGO") False Claims Division where she prosecutes companies and individuals who mislead or defraud state and municipal entities through use of false representations, claims, records or statements.  She has also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the AGO's Medicaid Fraud and Trial Divisions.  Prior to joining the AG's office, Christina was a litigation associate at Bingham McCutchen LLP, where her practice focused on complex commercial disputes.  While at the firm, Christina actively engaged in pro bono work, representing clients on various matters, including domestic violence protection, prisoner's rights claims, and transgender rights issues.  Christina has a J.D. and Masters in Public Health from Northeastern University School of Law and Tufts University School of Medicine and received her B.S. from Cornell University.

Christina served as Director of Community Relations on Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's successful re-election campaign in 2010 and from 2011 to 2015 served as Chair of the Governor's Asian American Commission/Advisory Council. Christina has been a Board member of AALAM since 2014, served as AALAM Vice President from 2015 to 2017, and as AALAM President from 2017 to 2019.  Christina has also served on the Board of Directors for the Asian American Civic Association, as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Civil Rights and Social Justice Section Council and as a member of the MBA's Judicial Diversity Taskforce.  Christina also currently serves on the Boston Bar Journal Board of Editors and on the Joint Bar Committee.  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, one of Boston's Top 100 Most Influential People of Color by Get Konnected, 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.

Chantal Choi

Chantal Choi is an Associate Counsel at Toast, a restaurant point of sale and management system based in Boston. Prior to attending law school. Prior to attending law school, Chantal was a Chinese advocate at the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) and assisted in building the legal program at ATASK. In law school, she served as the President of APALSA and was a member of the Suffolk University Law Review. Chantal was also a recipient of the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship.  

Chantal received her J.D from Suffolk University Law School and her B.A from Boston College.

Stephen Y. Chow

Stephen Y. Chow has served on the AALAM Board since 1998, focusing on law student outreach, member professional development, and community issues. A graduate of Harvard College and GSAS in Physics and of Columbia University Law School (with an intervening stint at Princeton), Steve practices with the Hsuanyeh Law Group, PC (previously a partner at Nutter and Burns & Levinson), developing patent and technology portfolios for and financing diverse technology-oriented enterprises and litigating their business and intellectual property disputes. From 1995 to 2013, he taught "Counseling Technology-Leading Emerging Enterprises" and "Litigating Technology Disputes" at Suffolk University Law School. Since 2016, he has been a lecturer at Boston University School of Law on information and start-up law. An active member of the American Law Institute and a Uniform Law Commissioner - appointed by four Governors - Steve participates in the updating of the Uniform Commercial Code and the drafting and restatement of other laws relating to electronic commerce, intellectual property, artificial intelligence and privacy; he tweaked, introduced, and shepherded to 2018 enactment the Massachusetts Uniform Trade Secrets Act. In those organizations and at the American Bar Association, the Sedona Conference, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, he works towards a balance of commercial, institutional and personal claims to information and societal interests in accountability of automated systems. Steve served on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission, as counsel to the Boston Chapter of the National Association of Asian-American Professionals, on the Council of the Boston Bar Association and on the Executive Management Board of the Massachusetts Bar Association. He wishes to continue service in helping APAs network and develop professionally in the Boston area and beyond.

Jeff Clark

Jeff is Partner and Associate General Counsel on the Bio + Health team at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).  a16z is a venture capital firm, founded and based in Menlo Park, CA.  Prior to joining a16z, Jeff served as AGC, GC and CLO roles in various biotech companies and was Vice President, Intellectual Property Counsel at Flagship Pioneering.  Jeff spent 11 years in private practice, working as an associate and patent attorney at DLA Piper LLP (US) (Intellectual Property and Technology; Products Liability and Mass Tort), Pepper Hamilton, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds and Foley Hoag. 

Jeff received his B.A. from Bowdoin College, M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and J.D. from Boston College Law School.  He completed fellowships at the Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the Molecular & Vascular Medicine, Renal Unit in the Department of Medicine.  He loves to golf and ski, and has been a member of AALAM since 2011, serving as a Board member since 2018 and Treasurer from 2019-2022.

Kat Delos Reyes

Kat Delos Reyes is an associate in Burns & Levinson LLP’s Intellectual Property Group.  She specializes in copyright, trademark and data privacy law and works with clients of all sizes hailing from numerous industries. Prior to joining Burns & Levinson, Kat worked at Boston Children’s Hospital and negotiated clinical trial agreements for the hospital.  Kat also volunteers as a Co-Chair of the YLC Steering Committee at Fenway Health. 

Before attending law school, Kat was a Teach for America Corps member in her hometown of San Jose, CA and worked in Development at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  For fun, Kat enjoys playing sports and learning new songs on the guitar.

She graduated from Northeastern University School of Law and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside.

Angel Feng

Angel is a Special Counsel at Mintz, where she focuses her practice on business immigration matters and related compliance issues. She works with employers in designing and defining corporate immigration programs and policies, and in structuring short and long-term visa strategies for management, professional and specialized skill foreign employees.  She also advises employers on discipline, suspension and/or termination of visa sponsored employees and litigation prevention measures; and counsels clients on employment eligibility verification, I-9, and E-verify compliance and employer defense in ICE audits, and worksite investigations.    

Prior to joining Mintz, Angel was senior counsel at a law firm in New York where she advised on corporate immigration strategies. She has also served as an Assistant Vice President & Counsel at Fortune 100 financial company where she oversaw all immigration and employment matters. Angel has practiced as an attorney at various national and regional law firms, as well as non-profits, where she has provided immigration and employment law counseling as well as employment litigation representation.

Angel has been recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of Employment: Immigration as a “Next Generation Lawyer” and is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and several other professional organizations. She is a director and a past president of the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association and has served on the Connecticut Bar Association’s diversity committee, on the board of the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association, and on the task force of the Asian Pacific American Coalition.

Peggy L. Ho

Peggy L. Ho is Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer at Commonwealth Financial Network, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser that provides a suite of business solutions empowering more than 2,000 independent financial advisors nationwide.  Peggy holds a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, a M.S.F.S. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an A.B. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. Peggy served as Secretary of AALAM from 2009-2012 and President of AALAM from 2012-2015.

Sarah G. Kim

Sarah G. Kim is a Deputy Treasurer and General Counsel for the Office of the Massachusetts State Treasurer & Receiver General.  As a Deputy Treasurer, Sarah has general oversight of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.  As General Counsel, she manages the team that provides support to the Treasury and its affiliated agencies on a variety of legal issues and advises on strategic policy, procurement, employment, and litigation issues.  Before joining the Treasury, Sarah was an Assistant Attorney General in the Fraud and Financial Crimes Division under Attorney General Martha Coakley.  Prior to that, for ten years, she was an attorney in the litigation practice group of Bingham McCutchen LLP (now Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP).

Sarah has been a long-time supporter of Boston-area community organization, including the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, the Boston Bar Association, and the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center.  She was a member of the AALAM Board, serving as President from June 2010 to May 2012 and Co-President from June 2012 to about June 2013.  Sarah is a graduate of the Villanova University School of Law and Dartmouth College.

Jan Ryu Koo

Jan Ryu Koo is Counsel and Vice President at Natixis Investment Managers. Prior to Natixis, Jan was a Senior Counsel and Vice President at State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), which is the investment management division of State Street Corporation. Jan joined SSGA from Fidelity Investments, and her prior experience includes practicing in both private practice and in-house (global investment bank) in Sydney, Australia for over 7 years. Jan received her dual LL.B/B.Sc. degree from University of Sydney and a LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University School of Law. She is a licensed attorney in New York, Massachusetts and New South Wales (Australia). Jan has always been passionate about and involved with diversity and inclusion efforts and she is excited to continue her contributions through the AALAM Board.

Garrett Lee

Garrett D. Lee is an equity partner with Morgan & Morgan P.A., where he co-manages the firm’s Boston office.  He concentrates his practice on personal injury cases, representing clients who have been injured from motor vehicle accidents, defective products, slip-and-falls, animal attacks, medical malpractice and wrongful death.  He has had success in every phase of personal injury litigation, including jury trial.

For his litigation work, Garrett was recognized as a "Rising Star" by New England Super Lawyers Magazine and Boston Magazine every year since 2013. This award is given to the top 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40 in Massachusetts.

Garrett is involved in the Chinatown and Chinese community in Massachusetts, and represents many Chinese speaking clients in personal injury matters.

Garrett serves on the Boston Bar Association Council. He is also a Director for the Northeastern University School of Law Alumni Board, and sits on the Massachusetts Joint Bar Committee.

Leslie F. Su

Leslie F. Su is a research attorney for the Massachusetts Superior Court.  From 2014 to 2022, Leslie clerked for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to working for the courts, Leslie was a sole practitioner and the principal of Minerva Law, P.C., a bankruptcy and litigation firm. She has represented debtors, creditors, trustees, and unsecured creditors’ committees in a variety of bankruptcy contexts and she has also represented businesses and individuals in litigation. Leslie has participated as a panelist for a number of programs concerning bankruptcy law and diversity in the legal profession. She has also served as a volunteer mediator in courts throughout Massachusetts.

Leslie has served as a co-chair of the Boston Bar Association Bankruptcy Section's Pro Bono, Education, Consumer, Diversity & Inclusion, and Membership Committees. From 2007 to 2021, she taught legal research and writing at Boston University School of Law. Leslie is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Boston College Law School.

Leslie has been a Board member of AALAM since 2014 and she has served as President since 2019. She was Vice President from 2018 to 2019, and Secretary from 2016 to 2017.

Lucy Sun

Lucy Sun graduated from New York University in 2009 and from Boston University School of Law in 2014. After graduating, Lucy joined the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office as an Assistant Attorney General in the Trial Division. In 2018, Lucy clerked for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and joined the United States Attorney's Office in 2019 as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division.

In her free time, Lucy is a Big Sister in the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and has been matched with her little sister for almost three years. Lucy previously was a member of the AALAM Government Committee and helped organize events around downtown Boston.

Sophie Wang

Sophie F. Wang is a Partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, where she represents biotech, pharmaceutical, and technology companies in complex intellectual property and commercial disputes across the country.  Her practice focuses on complex patent and trade secret litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts, post-grant and inter partes review proceedings before the United States Patent and Trial Appeal Board (PTAB), and contract and licensing disputes within the life sciences and technology industries.  Sophie also represents leading industry organizations in submitting amicus curiae briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on a variety of key issues concerning intellectual property rights, and is currently serving on the Amicus Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).  Sophie also has extensive civil and criminal jury trial experience, having previously served as a Special Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County.  She is on the Board of the Boston Intellectual Property Inn of Court and active in the Boston Patent Law Association.  She earned her B.A. from Wellesley College and her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.

Alan Wong

Alan Wong is an associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon where he practices business litigation, with a particular focus on privacy actions.  Alan has long been active in AAPI advocacy, from leading undergraduate AAPI student groups, to co-chairing his law school's APALSA chapter, to being a founding co-chair of his firm's Asian employee resource group.  A lifelong resident of the Boston area, Alan believes strongly in supporting the local AAPI community, and works with organizations like the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence in a pro bono capacity.

Alan received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in economics, political science, and Asian American studies.  He received his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and has been a member of AALAM since graduating from law school in 2013.

Phillip Yao

Phil Yao is a litigation associate at Ropes & Gray LLP.  His practice focuses on complex civil litigation, appellate litigation, commercial litigation, antitrust law, and education law.  His clients include multinational banks, universities, private equity firms, pharmaceutical companies, and closely held corporations.  Phil also maintains an active pro bono practice, and recently successfully challenged Florida’s Stop WOKE Act in federal court, obtaining a preliminary injunction against the State of Florida.  

Prior to joining Ropes, Phil clerked for Chief Judge Jeffrey R. Howard of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. During law school, Phil served as the editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of Law and Technology and as treasurer of APALSA; he also served for several years as a research assistant to California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, working on the Portrait Project (A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law).  Additionally, Phil interned in the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. 

Prior to law school, Phil received graduate degrees in education and business from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He received his undergraduate degree in physics, summa cum laude, from Harvard College.  Phil currently lives with his wife, son, and dog in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jay Yi

Jay is an asset management associate at Ropes & Gray LLP, specializing in the representation of investment advisers, private equity funds, hedge funds, and other private funds in connection with various fundraising, structuring, governance, operations, regulatory, and compliance matters. He led monthly meetings and organizes AAPI Heritage Month events for the firm as the co-head of the Asian American Pacific Islanders Lawyers group from 2020 to 2022.

Prior to attending law school, Jay taught 9^th grade English in a high school in the Bronx, worked as a paralegal in the Special Litigations department of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and volunteered as an auxiliary police officer with the 6th Precinct of the NYPD. In law school, he served as the co-President of APALSA and interned in the Superior Court of D.C. with Judge Florence Pan, who was confirmed in 2022 as the first Taiwanese-American to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In his free time, Jay enjoys boxing, swing dancing, making waffles in his office and caring for his ragamuffin cat, Millecrepe (aka Millie).

Jay received his B.A. in English and Literature from Duke University and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Emily Yu

Emily Yu currently serves as Managing Attorney, Legal at BioMed Realty, a leading provider of laboratory and office space for the life science and technology industries.  Emily represents the company in leasing, development, financing, and operational matters across BioMed’s portfolio on the East Coast and the UK.  Emily previously served as an associate and counsel in the real estate department at Locke Lord LLP, and as a law clerk at the Massachusetts Land Court.  Emily received her B.A. from Wellesley College and J.D. from Boston College Law School.  Emily currently serves on the board of Asian Community Development Corporation and as a trustee of the Harry H. Dow Memorial Legal Assistance Fund, where she previously served as board chair from 2016-2020.  Emily has been a member of AALAM since 2004, and previously served on the board, including as Vice President from 2010-2011.

Yin Zhou

Yin Zhou is an Assistant General Counsel at Bank of America and focuses her practice on wealth management litigation for the Private Bank and Merrill Lynch.  Previously, she was a Vice President and in-house counsel at State Street Bank and Trust Company, supporting its Global Markets‘ securities lending business.  She holds a J.D. from U.C. Hastings and a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College and started her legal career at WilmerHale, where she practiced antitrust and securities litigation.  She had served as an AALAM board member from 2010 to 2013.