{"id":238857,"date":"2026-05-21T01:41:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T01:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/238857\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T01:41:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T01:41:14","slug":"panel-addresses-the-rule-of-law-and-the-american-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/238857\/","title":{"rendered":"Panel addresses \u2018The Rule of Law and the American Dream\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>BROOKLYN HEIGHTS\u00a0 \u2014 The Brooklyn Bar Association assembled a diverse panel of three New York-based attorneys who gave a thoughtful presentation on law and the American Dream, focusing on immigration, foundational diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The event took place the evening of May 19 at the BBA\u2019s historic headquarters, 123 Remsen St.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>From left: Tifany Gangaram, Esq., Samantha Sbrocchi, Esq., and Dan Antonelli, Esq. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

\u201cThey viewed me as a person,\u201d he said. \u201cThat prepared me for my move to Brooklyn, giving me the confidence I needed when I came here to pass the bar, find a job and be a member of the Brooklyn Bar for 26 years. There were so many people within the state of New York who looked out for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vaughn added that today he sees numerous efforts made by universities to bring people in from various backgrounds to diversify their student population, as it \u201cenriches the conversations in the classrooms.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bhushan said that, to him, the American Dream is pretty straightforward. \u201cI believe if you pursue your wishes and desires, put in the hard work and are given the opportunity to do so, you should be able to achieve whatever you desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>From left: Ronald Cosme, Esq., Neal Bhushan, Esq., Eli Fuchsberg, Esq., and Dan Antonelli, Esq. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

\u201cThey viewed me as a person,\u201d he said. \u201cThat prepared me for my move to Brooklyn, giving me the confidence I needed when I came here to pass the bar, find a job and be a member of the Brooklyn Bar for 26 years. There were so many people within the state of New York who looked out for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vaughn added that today he sees numerous efforts made by universities to bring people in from various backgrounds to diversify their student population, as it \u201cenriches the conversations in the classrooms.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bhushan said that, to him, the American Dream is pretty straightforward. \u201cI believe if you pursue your wishes and desires, put in the hard work and are given the opportunity to do so, you should be able to achieve whatever you desire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>From left: Anthony Vaughn Jr., Esq., Christine Ortiz, Esq., and Danielle Noel, Esq. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Chua pointed out that for her, the American dream is very much about one\u2019s access to justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat access to opportunity shouldn\u2019t rely on their ability to pay a lot of money or their ability to speak English,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the ability to navigate the system such that they can build whatever they want for themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another topic of conversation dealt with the role practitioners and bar associations should play in making the courts feel more accessible to the public, regardless of immigration status.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t feel at risk if you make a police complaint and go into court,\u201d said Chua. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be afraid that you\u2019re going to be arrested or deported because you have a claim against your employer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

DEI, a high-profile issue under scrutiny for the past few years, was also discussed. When asked for his observations regarding the evolution of diversity within the legal profession, Vaughn said that from 2000 to the present, he has seen significant improvements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first joined the Brooklyn Bar, there were quite a few Black judges on the bench,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, as a young attorney some decades ago, there weren\u2019t many at all.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>From right: Panelists Anthony Vaughn Jr., Esq., Neal Bhushan, Esq., Melissa Chua, Esq., and moderator Danielle Noel, Esq. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Vaughn said he has seen an evolution of the judiciary in Brooklyn. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming younger and more energized,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that everybody who practices law in Kings County is ultimately going to be very happy with the trajectories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking forward\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Noel concluded the discussion with a look toward the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our nation was founded, there was one idea of what our fabric would look like in terms of immigration and who gets to be American and who doesn\u2019t,\u201d Noel said. \u201cWe\u2019re at the 250-year mark, and we get to shape what that vision looks like for the next 250 years. How do you see things in the years ahead?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have a positive mindset, all good things will come,\u201d Bhushan added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>From left: Danielle Noel, Esq., Melissa Chua, Esq., Neal Bhushan, Esq., and Anthony Vaughn Jr., Esq. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman\/Brooklyn Eagle<\/p>\n

Chua said she would love to see more people being able to pursue their dreams and that she was optimistic.<\/p>\n

Vaughn said that it all comes down to information, adding that an informed public is a stronger public.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople must understand that civic engagement is critical,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s all about putting others in office who will draft and interpret laws in ways that are fair and equitable for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The BBA\u2019s primary purpose is to promote professional competence among attorneys and increase respect for the legal system. It also works to ensure all Brooklyn residents have equal access to the criminal and civil justice systems. The association\u2019s mission is further supported by its Access to Justice Task Force and other initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BROOKLYN HEIGHTS\u00a0 \u2014 The Brooklyn Bar Association assembled a diverse panel of three New York-based attorneys who gave…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238858,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[9845,93334,98,10076,100,99,16043,3308,93335,2301,15313,9,24,63,4116],"class_list":["post-238857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-american-dream","tag-anthony-vaughn-jr","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-bar-association-bba","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-continuing-legal-education-cle","tag-daily-bulletin","tag-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dei","tag-immigration","tag-legal-community","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-wayne-daren-schneiderman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}