 |
April 28, 2010
NORMAN LAU KEE and GLENN LAU-KEE HONORED BY NEW YORK
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
Father & Son Receive Hon. George Bundy Smith
Pioneer Award from the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section in
Recognition of their Commitment to Legal Excellence and the
Community
NEW YORK NEW YORK — The New York State Bar Association today
announced Norman Lau Kee and, his son, Glenn Lau-Kee (Kee & Lau-Kee,
PLLC) as this year’s recipients of the Hon. George Bundy Smith
Pioneer Award. The annual award recognizes lawyers who demonstrate
commitment to legal excellence, community and mentoring. The award,
presented by the State Bar’s Commercial and Federal Litigation
Section, honored the father and son for their outstanding record of
public service and their dedication to providing New York City’s
Chinatown community with exceptional legal services.
“Norman Lau Kee and Glenn Lau-Kee have made a real
difference for Asian-Americans and the legal profession as a whole with
trailblazing leadership, a deep commitment to the public good, and a
distinguished record of excellence,” said Commercial and Federal
Litigation Section Chair Vincent J. Syracuse of New York (Tannenbaum
Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP). “In the spirit of the
Honorable George Bundy Smith, we are pleased to honor their
contributions to our profession and the entire community.”
The law firm of Kee & Lau-Kee, PLLC is a stalwart in the heart of
New York’s Chinatown, representing many individuals, businesses
and banks in the community. A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Fordham University School of Law, Norman Lau Kee founded
the family law firm in 1956 and was only the third Chinese-American
lawyer to practice in Chinatown. The Lau-Kee family has worked
tirelessly on behalf of the community, including helping found
Chinatown’s YMCA in the 1970s and the US-Asia Institute in 1979.
Norman Lau Kee is a recipient of the Greater New York City YMCA Order of
the Red Triangle. He is a former chairman of the Federal Advisory
Commission to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Glenn Lau-Kee joined his father’s law practice in 1977 after
serving as an associate at Coudert Brothers. A graduate of Yale College
and Boston University Law School, he is a leader in the New York’s
legal community, currently serving on the Executive Committee of the
State Bar, the Board of Directors of The New York Bar Foundation, and
the Fund for Modern Courts. He is a member of the State Bar’s
House of Delegates, the Task Force on the State of Our Courthouses, and
the Special Committees on Legal Specialization and Sarbanes-Oxley
Issues. He is a vice-chair of the board of the Greater New York City
YMCA and is on the board of directors of the US-Asia Institute. He
served as president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
from 1997-1999 and was appointed by retired Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye
to serve on the Commission to Examine Solo and Small Firm Practice and
the Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal
System.
Both father and son have served as commissioners on the New York City
Human Rights Commission: Norman from 1969-1973, and Glenn from
1984-1990.
Past recipients of the Hon. George Bundy Smith award
include Elaine R. Jones, Esq., the president and director-counsel
emeritus of the NAACP - Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Cesar A.
Perales, Esq., president and general counsel, Puerto Rican Legal Defense
and Education Fund; and, in its inaugural year, Judge Smith
himself.
###
Founded in 1988, the 2,600 member Commercial and Federal Litigation
Section of the State Bar strives to improve the quality of
representation of commercial clients in litigation matters, provides a
forum for the improvement of law and procedure in the areas of
commercial and federal litigation, and enhances the administration of
justice. The section is committed to serving the professional
development goals of attorneys of color and to fostering diversity in
the profession.
Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
|
News Center
