John G. Chou, general counsel at AmerisourceBergen Corporation, will be honored with the 2014 Justice in Action Award at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The award is given annually to individuals for "outstanding achievements and contributions in advancing justice and equality", the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) said in a statement.

Chou is also executive vice-president of AmerisourceBergen, a Pennsylvania-based pharmaceutical company. Prior to joining the company, he had practiced law for more than 20 years and was a partner at Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott.

Chou's beliefs "that professional success must come hand-in-hand with community responsibility make him a role model for Asian American lawyers", said Margaret Fung, executive director at AALDEF, in a statement.

The event will be held on Tuesday evening at Pier Sixty at the Chelsea Piers in New York City.

This year's other honorees are Mari Matsuda, professor of law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Aasif Mandvi, actor, comedian, and correspondent on the American political satire program The Daily Show.