FALA New York is entering its fourteenth year in existence as an organization and our leadership is as committed as ever to our community's excellence in the legal profession.  

In recent years, FALA New York has had the following accomplishments:

• On July 21, 2026, FALA New York held a discussion at the Southern District of New York with the Hon. Lorna Schofield entitled "A Conversation with Hon. Lorna A. Schofield". Judge Schofield was the first Article III Judge of Filipino lineage and previously awarded the Trailblazer Award by FALA New York in 2019.

• In July of 2026, FALA New York executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to advancing the interests of Filipinos and Filipino Americans across the nation on immigrant, labor and civil rights including through pro bono legal services to members of the Filipino American community. 

• In 2026, FALA New York co-sponsored a screening and panel discussion of the documentary "Voices Against Anti Asian Hate" at the Philippine Consulate General of New York.

• In 2025, FALA New York formed a strategic partnership with the Filipinos in Institutional Real Estate (FIIRE) and collaborated with the New York City Chapter for the International Society of Filipinos in Finance and Accounting (ISFFA).

• In November of 2025, FALA New York members Maria Celis, Christopher Arcitio and Jonathan Lim were invited to present on federal tariffs and on paths to partnership, in-house and the public sector at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention in Denver, CO.

• Launched the newly formed membership committee for Foreign Trained Attorneys, for Philippine barred attorneys seeking to be admitted into the New York bar. The committee is the first of its kind after the American Bar Association.

• FALA New York hosted the 2025 NFALA Mid-Year Summit, an annual three-day conference that brings NFALA affiliates and NFALA members together for a weekend of inspiring speakers, panels, and workshops, as well as NFALA-ganza! that brought together attorneys, judges, professors, and law students from across the country to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community at the iconic National Historic Stonewall Inn.

• FALA New York hosted the 2023 Pinay Powerhouse, a national conference focused on empowering Filipina attorneys and aspiring attorneys as leaders in law.  The 2023 Pinay Powerhouse featured keynote speaker Why Should Guys Have All the Fun? author and businesswoman Loida Lewis, fireside chat speaker National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) President Anna Mercado Clark, and our own members as panelists.

• FALA New York hosted our annual social events, including Pasko, Halo-Halloween, and Grill 'n' Chill.  At FALA New York's 2024 Annual Dinner, more than 50 members and supporters were in attendance, including New York Assemblymember Steven Raga; National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) President Anna Mercado Clark; and Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) Deputy Executive Director Alice Biagini.

• FALA New York continued installments of our “Making It” speaker series to help our members develop professionally, including, Making-It in White Collar Practice, with long-time FALA New York member and sponsor, Rodney Villazor.   

• FALA New York also resumed holding semiannual general body meetings in an effort to engage our membership in shaping the future of our organization.

• FALA New York began a speaker series for Asian Pacific American Law Student Associations hosted at their respective law schools in the New York area.

In addition, FALA New York collaborated with a number of organizations on programming, including:

• Serving as a Co-Sponsor and Partner for the 2026 Asian American International Film Festival, celebrating the 49th year of the Festival and Filipino independent films.  

• In 2026, FALA New York co-sponsored a screening and panel discussion of the documentary "Voices Against Anti Asian Hate" at the Philippine Consulate General of New York.

• In collaboration with the FALDEF, FALA New York co-sponsored a Know Your Rights workshop series throughout the fall and spring, aimed at educating local communities about their immigration, labor, family law, and civil rights. Long-time FALA New York supporters and members were featured speakers, including Rose Cuison-Villazor, Professor of Law, Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, and Director of the Center for Immigration Justice at Rutgers Law School; Connie Montoya, a founder of FALA New York and Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP; and Patricia Astorga, Chief Legal Officer and Partner of Mintz Group.

• In collaboration with the Caribbean Attorney’s Network, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, Dominican Bar Association, Association of Black Women Attorneys, Brehon Law Society, and other city bar associations, FALA New York co-sponsored a city affiliates presidential debate watch party in September 2024.

• In collaboration with the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, FALA New York co-sponsored Everything You Need to Know About Being a Federal Judge, a presentation by judges from the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York about how to join the federal bench, and New York Courts Unity in Diversity Program, a celebration of diversity in the court system and on the bench.

• In collaboration with other city bar associations, FALA New York co-sponsored an attorney-student social for Asian Pacific American Law Student Associations for the law schools at Columbia, NYU, Brooklyn, Fordham, Cardozo, St. John’s, and Seton Hall.

• In collaboration with AABANY and APALA-NJ, FALA New York co-sponsored Continuing Legal Education presentation Breaking the Glass Ceiling Through Civil Rights Coalitions, with AAPI educator and President of Queens College Frank Wu. Seton Hall Law’s Professor Marina Lao and Professor Solangel Maldonado moderated the discussion.

• In collaboration with NFALA, AABANY, and APALANJ, FALA New York co-sponsored the film screening of A Long March, a film which tells the story of Filipino Americans who served during World War II.

• In collaboration with NAPABA’s New York affiliate AABANY, FALA New York co-sponsored Wellness Day for AAPI Heritage Month and a pre-holiday season multi-bar association gathering. 

• In collaboration with WilmerHale, FALA New York co-sponsored How to Become an AUSA, featuring attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District and Eastern District of New York.  FALA New York co-sponsored the event along with other New York area bar associations, including AABANY, the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, South Asian Bar Association of New York, Muslim Bar Association of New York, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, and Hispanic National Bar Association, among others.  

• In collaboration with the Philippine Consulate, FALA New York co-sponsored the 36th Annual Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado with other New York area Filipino associations.  

• In collaboration with NFALA Foundation, we awarded our law student scholarship – the Robin Mangaser Tizon Scholarship – which has been awarded at our Annual Dinner every year.  

FALA New York also used its voice to support several causes and initiatives  including:

• In July of 2026, endorsed a joint statement with AABANY, KALAGNY, SABANY, and SAICBA-Q to the New York Governor to appoint an AANHPI Judge to the New York Court of Appeals.

• Endorsing legal professionals from our community for election and/or nomination to the bench.  In consultation with NAPABA and AABANY, FALA New York adopted a formal judicial endorsement procedure to ensure continuation of this initiative for years to come. In addition, FALA New York successfully endorsed, campaigned for, and supported the induction of the Hon. Eve Cho Guillergan to the Civil Court of the City of New York, Queens County.

• Joining the New York City Bar Association's 2025 statement In Defense of the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Legal Profession.

• Co-signing an amicus brief in and subsequently releasing a statement in support of affirmative action in response to Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, No. 20-1199 (S. Ct.) and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, No. 21-707 (S. Ct.), 600 U.S. 181 (2023).

• Releasing a statement in support of our LGBTQIA+ members in response to 303 Creative, Inc. v. Elenis, 600 U.S. 570 (2023).