Named for Norman Lau Kee, a revered legal and community pillar of New York City’s Chinatown for decades, the Trailblazer Award honors an accomplished leader in the legal profession who is of Asian Pacific American (APA) descent or has demonstrated dedication to APA issues in the community. This award honors an individual who has carved a path for others to follow, served the community as a mentor and role model, and has made a lasting impact on the APA community through his or her dedication and commitment.
GLENN LAU-KEE, 2021 Recipient
Throughout his distinguished career, Glenn Lau-Kee has emphasized the importance of mentoring among lawyers of every generation and the value of networking through bar association activities. Glenn has an impressive list of accomplishments as a small firm attorney and as a bar association and community leader. After graduating from Yale and Boston University School of Law, Glenn started his law career at Coudert Brothers in banking and project finance and then went on to join his late father, Norman Lau Kee, to form Kee & Lau-Kee now known as the Lau-Kee Law Group. He is a long-standing member of the American Bar Association, holding several leadership positions including serving in the ABA House of Delegates and as a member of the ABA United Nations Representative and Observers delegation. Glenn also has been a member of ABA GPSolo since 1977.
Mr. Lau-Kee has spent much of his legal career serving his local community through a variety of initiatives and organizations. After serving as AABANY president for two years and on the Board of Directors for six years, he became more involved with the New York County Lawyers Association (“NYCLA”), which appointed him as a delegate to the NYSBA. His assumption of the office of President marked the first time in the history of the NYSBA since its inception in 1876 that an attorney of Asian American descent held the role.
In addition, Mr. Lau-Kee has been recognized for his many contributions to the local Asian American community. In the 1970s, he worked with his family to help found the Chinatown branch of the YMCA, as well as the US-Asia Institute. For his long-standing service to the YMCA, he received the Order of the Red Triangle, the highest honor bestowed by the organization. Mr. Lau-Kee has continued his service with the YMCA of Greater New York, most recently acting as a member of the CEO Search Committee. In 2010, Mr. Lau-Kee was recognized along with his father, Norman Kee, as a recipient of Hon. George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award, in honor of their outstanding record of public service and commitment to providing exceptional legal services to the Chinatown community in New York City. At the ABA Section of Litigation and Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Joint Spring Meeting held in New York City, on May 3rd Glenn received the ABA GPSolo 2019 Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award for his exceptional achievements and for all he has done and continues to do for the legal profession and the community.
Mr. Lau-Kee was appointed by New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman to the Commission on Statewide Attorney Discipline. Previously, he was appointed by New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye to the Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System, as well as the Committee to Examine Solo and Small Firm Practice. Mr. Lau-Kee also served as a commissioner on the New York City Human Rights Commissioner from 1984-1990. Glenn currently serves on the New York City Mayor’s Advisory Committee to the Judiciary, Attorney Emeritus Program Advisory Council, Housing Court Advisory Council, and chairs the board of trustees of the U.S.-Asia Institute, a nonprofit headquartered in Washington.
Please read AABANY’s press release about Glenn Lau-Kee HERE.
Past Recipients
2020
Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan
Justice, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department (Ret.)
2019
Parkin Lee
Chief Legal Officer, Rockefeller Group (Ret.)
2018
Kin Ng
Bureau Chief, Red Zone Trial Bureau, Kings County District Attorney’s Office
2017
Hon. Randall T. Eng
Presiding Justice, New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department (Ret.)
2016
Sylvia Fung Chin
Partner Of Counsel, White & Case LLP
2015
Rockwell “Rocky” Chin
Attorney & Community Activist
EEO Investigator, New York State Insurance Fund (Ret.)
2014
Hon. Marilyn D. Go
United States Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of New York (Ret.)