Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month 
by David M. Tang, Underberg & Kessler LLP

May is a time for change and reflection. My father's birthday falls in May. The trees that were bare a month ago are green or pink and lush and in full bloom. And my hay fever meds are working overtime. 

AAPI month still feels new to me. It wasn’t a thing when I was growing up. When I was younger, I was the one Asian kid in my elementary school – until Fourth Grade. In the 1980s, I was startled to learn about but too young to really understand what had happened to Vincent Chin in Detroit. In May 2009, President Obama signed Proclamation 8369 declaring the month of May to be Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and called on “the people of the United States to learn more about the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.”

Recently, former Army intelligence officer and Cabinet Secretary Norman Mineta passed away. His story is pretty remarkable. He and his family were forcibly removed from their home in San Jose when he was ten years old. It was 1942. Pearl Harbor had been attacked two months earlier. Mineta had to give up his dog, because pets weren't allowed in the camps. After the war, and after the last internment camp was closed in 1946, he emerged to break racial barriers and was elected to public office in the 1970s. He served ten terms in Congress. He served twice in the U.S. Cabinet for two presidents – one a Democrat, and then as the only Democratic cabinet secretary for a Republican president. I remember he was a ranking committee member in Congress, when I was a college intern in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the State Department.  To me, AAPI month gives us a chance to reflect on Secretary Mineta’s work and the work of others, who have inspired many to fight for the rights of all people. He was known for his empathy, decency and for being a champion of accountability, justice and civil liberties. If you have an interest in learning more about him, look up his documentary, which can be streamed on PBS/WXXI.

I also think of other individuals who are now in elected office. There is an Indian- American and a Chinese-American serving in representative capacities in the State Senate. Our country elected an Asian American Vice President.  It is hard not to feel pride or a deeper sense of belonging when I see individuals – whose family and/or cultural backgrounds are similar in many ways to my own – with a seat at the table.  I appreciate their efforts to plant seeds for a better tomorrow. 

And I’m proud of my involvement with and the work of the diversity committee of the Monroe County Bar Association. I first joined the committee in 2006. Since then, the bar has supported and co-sponsored – with RBBA and GRAWA – the Rochester Legal Diversity Clerkship Program, now the Roy King Diversity Clerkship program, which is in its eighteen year.  I get the chance to work with a clerkship program alum on an almost daily basis, which is a treat. I also developed a close friendship with another former clerk, who was in the program in 2007. A few years ago, we even tried a case together in the commercial division.  

So in this month of reflection, I think about and feel inspired by those in our community who are leading, educating others or advocating for positive change with respect to access to justice, access to health care, higher education and affordable housing.  And I am excited to play a part in my practice, with the bar association and in my volunteer work.  A wise person once said, it is diversity itself that enriches and is fundamental to the American story.  I agree. And to all my friends and colleagues – whether you’re hosting a celebratory AAPI-themed meal or event this month or not – I hope you will take a moment to reflect on where you've been and where you would like to go and, like the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have contributed in meaningful, significant ways to all aspects of society, will be inspired to do more good work. 

Celebrating Women's History Month
By: Cassandra C. Rich, Esq.

Women’s History Month was created to celebrate the many and varied contributions of women – since women did not and do not appear in history books in the same way men do. In many history books there is a pervasive lack of women’s stories.  Feminists in the 1970s pushed for recognition and equal treatment.  I can proudly say that am a product of this movement: I played school sports in programs created under Title IX and had parents who fully supported all of my endeavors, academic, athletic or otherwise. 

In school I gravitated towards learning about women trailblazers: including a high school report about:

• Eleanor of Aquitaine – ruler of a wealthy duchy at the age of 15 in 1137 and later Queen of France and then Queen of England, ruling for years while her son Richard the Lionheart was off fighting in the crusades;
• Joan of Arc – leader of the French army at Orléan in 1429; and
• Elizabeth Blackwell – America’s first woman doctor.

There is an advertising campaign of #SeeHer | If you can see her, you can be her™ and the campaign is right: seeing role models is a powerful thing, letting young people know that any path in life that they dream can be open to them.

Even today, the bulletin board in my home office features:

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg – my favorite liberal justice who advocated for equal rights before the court she eventually joined;
• Michelle Obama – our former first lady, a role model on so many levels;
• Anne Frank – a young diarist who exposed the horrors of war;
• Frieda Kahlo – a Mexican artist famed for her portraits and self-portraits; and
• Maya Angelou – an amazing poet and civil rights activist.

I especially love stories of women in STEM (which is probably why I obtained my BS in chemistry before going to law school).  I have another section devoted to women in science:

• Ada Lovelace – she was an expert on the Analytical Engine, a machine programmed using punch-cards, created by Charles Babbage.  While editing notes from one of his lectures, she expanded upon the notes and published the first computer program in 1843, an algorithm to calculate Bernoulli Numbers.  She imagined and described the first general-use computer more than 100 years before one was actually built.
• Alice Ball – at 23 this African-American chemist developed the first effective treatment for leprosy.  She died at 24 (in 1916) and her male advisor took credit for her work publishing it under his own name.  Her scientific contributions were discovered and credited to her in the 1970s.
• Rosalind Franklin – she was able to determine that DNA had a double helix structure using X-ray diffraction photography, including precise measurements of the helix and that the two sides of a DNA molecule run in opposite directions matching one another.  Without her knowledge, her colleague shared her research with James Watson and Francis Crick, which enabled them to build an accurate model for the structure of DNA.  Watson, Crick and Franklin’s colleague shared a Nobel Prize in 1962, four years after Franklin’s death.
• Grace Hopper – born in 1906, she earned degrees in mathematics and physics.  She was one of the first modern computer programmers.  She worked for the US Navy based at Harvard University and created “plain language programming” in an advance past binary code.
• Hedy Lamarr – a famous film actress and inventor who created frequency hopping technology during WWII – the basis for today’s cellular and Wi-Fi technology.

I also have local inspirations:

• Susan B. Anthony –a tireless champion of women’s suffrage from Rochester, internationally known for her civil rights work (abolition and temperance in addition to suffrage).
• Fannie Barrier Williams – hailing from Brockport (my hometown), she was a founder of the National League of Colored Women and a lifelong advocate for education, breaking color barriers and opening educational avenues for others, including the Provident Hospital and its training school for nurses.

During their lifetimes, and even now, very few of these women are given the credit they deserve for their accomplishments.  I am pleased to say that it is getting better, but we still have a long way to go. 

During each Women’s History Month, I urge you to learn more about a woman in history that you have never heard of before, maybe even one of the women I mentioned above. Here are a couple of websites to help you get started: 50 Women Heroes Who Changed the World and National Geographic’s Women Heroes. I’d love to hear from our members – who are the women that inspire you? Send me a note at crich@barclaydamon.com.

The Best Decision of My Professional Life
By Steve Modica

Like many baby boomers in 1986, I joined the Monroe County Bar Association because that is what local lawyers did.  Although I did not join the MCBA for the most compelling of reasons, my decision to remain a member—and engage with our colleagues and the community—has been the very best decision of my professional life.

By virtue of my membership in the MCBA, I can say with utmost confidence that:

• I am a better lawyer.  This is because of the MCBA’s excellent and practical CLE programs.

• My mental health has improved thanks to the MCBA’s Confidential Assistance programs.

• My physical health has improved thanks to the MCBA’s Wellness programs.

• I have more clients and my firm is more profitable.  I attribute this to the MCBA’s member benefits such as the Lawyer Referral Service and discounted law firm management consulting services.

• I am a stronger leader.  Serving on the MCBA Board and as your president challenged me to lead our colleagues to reach consensus on difficult issues.

• I have wonderful colleagues and friends for life.  Some of my closest colleagues and friends have come from my engagement with the MCBA.

• I am humbler.  The MCBA recommended my appointment to the 7th Judicial District Attorney Grievance Committee; working with lawyers in trouble is humbling.

• I am better able to help people I care about.  I refer them to competent MCBA members who do work outside my practice areas with confidence they will be served well.

• I have more confidence in our judiciary. Working closely through the MCBA with our federal, state, county, city, and administrative law judges has given me the utmost confidence in our judiciary and judicial system.

• I am a better mediator and arbitrator.  I have developed skills as a neutral by appearing before distinguished mediators, arbitrators, and judges in our community, most of whom are MCBA members who share their expertise willingly and have mentored me.

• I have mentored others better and more often.  I was blessed to learn from MCBA members who mentored me; now I am paying it forward.

• I have done more pro bono work.  MCBA, the courts, and our civil legal service providers have made it easier for me to do more pro bono work.  For example, they have offered free training on how to handle civil rights cases in federal court and provide legal malpractice insurance coverage for such cases.   

• I am more aware of social issues, particularly those that impact our legal system.  MCBA has been a leader in advocating for equal justice for all; I am proud to be part of an organization that “walks the walk” and “talks the talk.”

• I revere our brothers and sisters who came before us and served so honorably.  The annual MCBA Memorial Service moves me to tears every year; our legal community has been blessed with many giants who have made lawyering in Rochester truly special, including my legal hero the Honorable Michael A. Telesca.
   
• Finally, I am a proud father of a MCBA member and leader.  Anne Modica Eich, my only child, is a MCBA member and Chair of the MCBA Solo & Small Firm Committee.  I am very fortunate to practice law with her.

As you can see, the MCBA has enriched my professional and personal lives in numerous ways.  If you are not a member, please join.  If you are a member, please stay and get more involved.  We need each other.

You now have access to Fastcase Legal Research through your MCBA membership.

Casemaker and Fastcase merged in January of 2021 and united their shared mission to democratize the law. You can now access Fastcase’s legal research platform in addition to Casemaker as a preview of the combined member benefit.

Read more about the merger in the press release.

What is Fastcase?

More than 1.1 million lawyers nationwide subscribe to Fastcase's legal reserach tools. They offer primary legal research, as well as more than 750 books, treatises, and journals to their users. Fastcase also integrates with Docket Alarm’s briefs, pleadings, and motions database and syncs with a mobile app, on iOS and Android.

Why did Fastcase and Casemaker merge?

Fastcase and Casemaker are combining to offer a comprehensive set of tools and products for members of The MCBA. Soon you will see new innovations in citator, docket analytics, and workflow tools, maximizing your bar member benefit.

What this means for you.

Currently, you have access to both Casemaker and Fastcase through your bar member benefit. We encourage you to start using Fastcase and explore the platform. To help ease your transition, visit the Fastcase Resource Library where you can access tutorial videos, register for training webinars, and find answers to your questions.

Ready to get started? Here are some next steps.

1. When you log in to Casemaker, you'll be taken to a page where you have the option to start using Fastcase or continue to Casemaker. If you choose to start using Fastcase, you will be redirected to its legal research platform.
2. On this same page, Casemaker and Fastcase have provided more information about the merger and transition, as well as links to training resources and webinars.
3. Visit the Fastcase Resource Library and consider registering for a training webinar hosted by Fastcase and Casemaker, watching the collection of tutorial videos, and reading more information about the transition.
4. Now that you have access to Fastcase, you are welcome to get into the system and start familiarizing yourself with the legal research tools offered.

I have questions.

Casemaker and Fastcase compiled a number of frequently asked questions on this page. If you have any more questions, see the contact information for Fastcase, Casekmaker, and the bar association below.

The MCBA is committed to providing its members with innovative research solutions and we are excited to offer you access to Fastcase.

Legislative Update: The Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act (DLSRA) recently became effective allowing any person whose driver’s license was suspended for non-payment of a traffic fine OR a failure to appear in court to respond to a traffic summons, to have their driving privileges restored. The legislation also allows courts and traffic violation agencies to enter into payment plans (starting June 29th) with individuals to allow payment of unpaid fines and fees. 

In recent months, as courts have begun to increase in-person appearances while continuing virtual appearances, we have received questions from attorneys and litigants.  Judge Doran, the Administrative Judge for the Seventh Judicial District, has maintained frequent communication with bar leaders in Monroe County and throughout the district.  When he was asked about some of the new procedures, he provided us with the following information:

Here are some FAQs.