New York City Attorney Anting Wang Named State Bar's 2011 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

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Anting Wang

ALBANY, NY (01/28/2011)(readMedia)-- Anting Wang, founder of the Society of Young Lawyer Entrepreneurs and an associate at Hahn & Hessen LLP, was honored with the New York State Bar Association's 2011 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. Sponsored by the State Bar's Young Lawyers Section, the annual award is given to a young attorney with a distinguished record of service within the legal profession and with the community-at-large in the finest tradition of the Bar. The award was presented on January 27 during the State Bar's Annual Meeting at the Hilton New York in Manhattan.

The section honored Wang, of Manhattan, for founding the Society of Young Lawyer Entrepreneurs and providing a forum for young lawyer entrepreneurs to network, socialize and exchange ideas. Wang was inspired to help other young attorneys who, increasingly, were starting solo practices as a result of the recession and scarcity of jobs. Its well-received website – www.societyofyounglawyers.wordpress.com – provides links to valuable business information and hosts a blog with timely updates on legal and practice management issues. Young solo practitioners credit Wang with lifting their spirits while providing them with vital resources to help their business succeed despite difficult economic times.

"As president of the New York State Bar Association, I called upon all veteran attorneys to 'pay it forward' to the next generation by being mentors and stewards of the profession. I am absolutely delighted to see a young attorney taking up this challenge and finding an innovative way to help out her peers," said President Stephen P. Younger of New York (Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP). "With attorneys such as Anting Wang leading the way, the future of the legal profession is in excellent hands. I congratulate her on receiving this prestigious award."

"Each year, we honor a rising star in the legal profession and Anting Wang is, undoubtedly, one of the most energetic, and forward-thinking recipients of this award. She has taken on a major problem in the legal profession - young attorneys struggling to find work in a down economy - and helped many of them start and develop their own practices, while maintaining her own busy practice," said Young Lawyers Section Chair Philip Fortino of Utica (NYCM Insurance). "The Young Lawyers Section is thrilled to recognize Anting Wang for her contributions to bettering the legal profession and for being a leader in the community."

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford Law School, Wang concentrates her practice in the areas of bankruptcy litigation and arbitration as well as insurance and defense and lender liability law. On her blog, Wang writes on a wide range of legal topics, including bankruptcy and insolvency, young lawyers' issues, and recruitment in a recovering economy.

An active member of the State Bar, Wang is a member of the Young Lawyers Section and helped organize the Eleventh Judicial District's series of "Meet and Greets." Wang also serves as co-chair of the Asian American Bar Association of New York's Young Lawyers' Committee and is a member of the association's Women's Committee. She volunteers with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation and is an executive committee member of the Asian American Alumni of Stanford Law School.

Previous winners of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award include: Past President Kathryn Grant Madigan of Binghamton (Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP); Joseph M. Hanna of Buffalo (Goldberg Segalla LLP); Andrew P. Sparkler of New York (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers); and David A. Kochman of New York (Reed Smith).

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. Founded in 1876, State Bar programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for 135 years.

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