Announcements & News

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.

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts stands in solidarity with the Black community against racism and police brutality. We mourn the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others.

We demand change.

AALAM’s mission is to improve and facilitate the fair and impartial administration of law. As lawyers, it is our responsibility to ensure equal rights under the law and advocate for justice. The systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence towards Black people is unlawful and unjust, and we are committed to addressing these issues head on.

Now, more than ever, we must use our voices to stand up for what we know to be just and right. We rededicate ourselves to engaging in this important discourse and encourage our members and friends to join us as we take action together. As always, we stand in unity with NAPABA and our affinity bar associations in speaking out against racism in all forms.

AALAM understands that we must confront the racism that is present in our own Asian American community, and that we must meaningfully engage and conduct the difficult conversations necessary to bridge divides and move towards progress. This will be reflected in our future programming. AALAM will work to be a more effective ally to the Black community and we welcome your involvement.

Anti-racism starts with each of us, and below are a few things that you can do over the next few days as we work together to make a difference:

• Vote;
• Volunteer your legal skills;
• Donate money to organizations taking action to combat racial injustice and/or improving the livelihood of Black people via continued investment and financial support;
• Participate in a protest if you are able;
• Talk with your family, including children, about race and racism;
• Listen to a podcast on race relations;
• Read a book about the history of oppression in America;
• Sign a petition for change and equity;
• Call your local official to advocate for social justice; and
• Support local Black-owned businesses and restaurants.

A list of civil rights and anti-racism resources can be found here.

Traditionally, this is the time of year when we invite our members, friends, and supporters to the AALAM Anniversary Banquet to join us in celebrating our leaders in the community and our previous year’s accomplishments. This year, we regret to inform you that we are postponing the Banquet due to the public health concerns presented by COVID-19.

This decision was difficult to make as there is an urgent need for unity to support the Asian American community. The businesses and restaurants in Chinatown were the first to suffer declines in business and we are experiencing an increase in anti-Asian racism. These discriminatory and hateful acts are fueled by unfounded fears and misinformation. AALAM has joined the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) in denouncing anti-Asian hate, violence, and racism related to the coronavirus. We encourage you to help us by stopping the spread of inaccurate information concerning COVID-19 and stereotypes.

Although we are physically staying in our respective places, AALAM is moving forward and adapting to the changed environment. We continue to support the Harry H. Dow Memorial Fund which provides resources to ensure access to the legal system for Asian Americans who are deprived of justice because of barriers such as race, language, culture, poverty or immigration status.  And, we are communicating with organizations in the Asian American community and gathering information about community efforts and volunteer opportunities that have developed over the recent weeks. We will keep you informed about what AALAM and our individual members are doing to support the community and ways you can support those in need.

In May, we will be awarding the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship to a law student who has demonstrated a commitment to leadership in the Asian American community. To our law student members, we appreciate that your academic year has been disrupted and that some of you have not been able to return to Boston. To encourage a robust pool of applicants, we’ve extended the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship application deadline to April 30.

In the coming weeks, we will resume our programming through virtual meetings. We are optimistic that an online platform will allow us to stay connected and reach out to new members. We have some great programs in the works - please stay tuned for updates!

We thank you for your continued support of AALAM and we wish everyone good health and safety as we forge through these uncertain times. 

We look forward to meeting up with you again in Chinatown.

Sincerely, 

Leslie Su

AALAM President

2020.04.30 AALAM Newsletter.pdf

The Application Deadline Has Been Extended to April 30, 2020!

We at AALAM recognize that our law student members have had to adjust to significant changes in your learning environments and we understand that the current situation may have an impact on your summer plans as well. With that in mind, we are extending the deadline for the AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship to April 30, 2020 to give you more time to submit applications. If you have any questions or difficulties submitting your application, please contact Steven Kim or Tony Lu, co-chairs of the 2020 AALAM/Dow Fund Scholarship Committee.

Congratulations to AALAM member Payal Salsburg on her recent promotion to Partner in the firm Laredo & Smith, LLP!

Payal focuses her practice in the areas of business litigation, corporate advice and counsel, and white collar criminal defense. Payal works with large and small businesses and their executives in connection with an array of matters including contract and business disputes, False Claims Act litigation, State Ethics Commission inquiries, and government and internal investigations. Payal also routinely advises closely-held businesses on corporate and employment matters.

In addition to AALAM, Payal is a member of the Women’s Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston. She was recently named to the Board of Directors of the South Asian Bar Association.

See Laredo & Smith’s full press release here: https://laredosmith.com/payal-salsburg-elevated-to-partner-with-laredo-smith-llp/

A link to Payal Salsburg’s attorney profile is here:    https://laredosmith.com/attorneys/payal-salsburg/