NAPABA Inspirational Video Series | Mia Yamamoto

A new year brings new NAPABA Inspirational Videos! Our January feature showcases Mia Yamamoto, renowned criminal defense attorney and civil rights activist, who was “born doing time” in the Poston War Relocation Center during the period of Japanese-American incarceration. Learn why Ms. Yamamoto was inspired to pursue a career in law by her father—a lawyer for the NAACP and ACLU—and how her self-defined “prison legacy” helps her connect with clients who have limited access to justice.            

Be sure to discuss and share Ms. Yamamoto’s story on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag, #NAPABAInspirationalSeries.

Find the entire NAPABA Inspirational Video Series online at napaba.org/inspirationalseries.

About Mia Yamamoto
Ms. Yamamoto is a distinguished and successful criminal defense attorney in Southern California. She has tried over 200 jury trials and represented thousands of clients accused of criminal offenses, including murder, assault, sex offenses, drug offenses, theft, white-collar offenses, regulatory offenses, and DUI.

Ms. Yamamoto is a former deputy public defender and has been in private practice since 1985. She is the past president of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, past president of the Japanese American Bar Association, past president of the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance, as well as co-founder and past chair of the Multi-Cultural Bar Alliance (a coalition of minority, women, and LGBT bar associations in Los Angeles).