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Holiday Greetings and a Look at the Year Ahead – FACL President, Lai King Hum

Dear FACL members and friends,

As President of FACL, and on behalf of the Board, I give Season’s Greetings to each of you and extend warm wishes that the new year, 2014, be filled with health, happiness and good fortune.

In this holiday season, we also take the time to reflect back on a year of FACL events and accomplishments in 2013, notably:

  • January – FACL/SABA Winter Mixer, Organized by FACL’s Social Committee
  • February – FACL mentorship event, hosted by Bennett Jones LLP
  • April – Launch of FACL’s Bridge the Gap initiative. Videos available on the FACL website under “resources”, or by clicking here.  FACL AGM and board election
  • May – FACL organized a program for law students on making the most of summering and articles, hosted by McCarthy Tetrault LLP; FACL participated in a panel during Asian and South Asian Heritage Month at the Law Society of Upper Canada; FACL hosted 300 members and guests at the 2013 FACL Gala
  • August – FACL participated in the 2013 North American Association of Asian Professionals (NAAAP) Career and Diversity Expo; FACL is a key participant in the Racialized Licensees Project of the Law Society of Upper Canada
  • September – FACL hosted a panel discussion at the Ontario Bar Association providing advice to assist recent calls or junior associates with securing their first job opportunities; several FACL members attended and presented at the NAPABA North East Regional in New York City
  • October – Team FACL climbed the CN Tower in support of the United Way
  • November – FACL hosted its 7th Annual Conference and Banquet, with the theme “Leading the Way:  Asian Canadians in Law And Politics”; several FACL members attended and presented at the NAPABA 25th National Convention in Kansas City, and were present as FACL co-founder, Judge Maryka Omatsu achieved her status as the first-ever Canadian to receive NAPABA’s highest honour, the Senator Daniel K. Inouye NAPABA Trailblazer Award; FACL was a key organizer for a RODA (Roundtable of Diversity Associations) “signing in” ceremony for inaugural Terms of Reference, as well as key organizer for the 3rd Annual Diversity Soiree, held at the Toronto Lawyers Association lounge.
  • December – Through FACL Communications, articles on Judge Maryka Omatsu’s NAPABA Trailblazer Award win were published nationally in Canada and the U.S.

Looking ahead to 2014, I have the great pleasure to say that FACL will play host to the NE Regional Conference for NAPABA here in Toronto in the last weekend of September 2014.  It will be the first time that a NAPABA event will be hosted outside of the United States.

As always, we remain grateful to our sponsors and our fantastic volunteers for their amazing work and we look forward to the many exciting events we have planned for the new year. All the best for the new year and we look forward to extending our greetings to you again in 2014!

Warmest regards,

Lai-King Hum
President