Norman Lau Kee and Glenn Lau-Kee Honored by New York State Bar Association

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L to R: Norman Lau Kee, George Bundy Smith, Glenn Lau-Kee (photo by Rick Kopstein)

ALBANY, NY (04/28/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York State Bar Association today announced Norman Lau Kee and, his son, Glenn Lau-Kee (Kee & Lau-Kee, PLLC) as this year's recipients of the Hon. George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award. The annual award recognizes lawyers who demonstrate commitment to legal excellence, community and mentoring. The award, presented by the State Bar's Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, honored the father and son for their outstanding record of public service and their dedication to providing New York City's Chinatown community with exceptional legal services.

"Norman Lau Kee and Glenn Lau-Kee have made a real difference for Asian-Americans and the legal profession as a whole with trailblazing leadership, a deep commitment to the public good, and a distinguished record of excellence," said Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Chair Vincent J. Syracuse of New York (Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP). "In the spirit of the Honorable George Bundy Smith, we are pleased to honor their contributions to our profession and the entire community."

The law firm of Kee & Lau-Kee, PLLC is a stalwart in the heart of New York's Chinatown, representing many individuals, businesses and banks in the community. A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Fordham University School of Law, Norman Lau Kee founded the family law firm in 1956 and was only the third Chinese-American lawyer to practice in Chinatown. The Lau-Kee family has worked tirelessly on behalf of the community, including helping found Chinatown's YMCA in the 1970s and the US-Asia Institute in 1979. Norman Lau Kee is a recipient of the Greater New York City YMCA Order of the Red Triangle. He is a former chairman of the Federal Advisory Commission to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Glenn Lau-Kee joined his father's law practice in 1977 after serving as an associate at Coudert Brothers. A graduate of Yale College and Boston University Law School, he is a leader in the New York's legal community, currently serving on the Executive Committee of the State Bar, the Board of Directors of The New York Bar Foundation, and the Fund for Modern Courts. He is a member of the State Bar's House of Delegates, the Task Force on the State of Our Courthouses, and the Special Committees on Legal Specialization and Sarbanes-Oxley Issues. He is a vice-chair of the board of the Greater New York City YMCA and is on the board of directors of the US-Asia Institute. He served as president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York from 1997-1999 and was appointed by retired Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye to serve on the Commission to Examine Solo and Small Firm Practice and the Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System.

Both father and son have served as commissioners on the New York City Human Rights Commission: Norman from 1969-1973, and Glenn from 1984-1990.

Past recipients of the Hon. George Bundy Smith award include Elaine R. Jones, Esq., the president and director-counsel emeritus of the NAACP - Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Cesar A. Perales, Esq., president and general counsel, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund; and, in its inaugural year, Judge Smith himself.

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Founded in 1988, the 2,600 member Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the State Bar strives to improve the quality of representation of commercial clients in litigation matters, provides a forum for the improvement of law and procedure in the areas of commercial and federal litigation, and enhances the administration of justice. The section is committed to serving the professional development goals of attorneys of color and to fostering diversity in the profession.

Founded in 1876, 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. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.