NAPABA is proud to announce our distinguished award winners, who will be recognized at the 2019 NAPABA Convention in Austin, TX.
TRAILBLAZER AWARDS
The Daniel K. Inouye Trailblazer Award, NAPABA’s highest honor, recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of lawyers who have paved the way for the advancement of other Asian Pacific American attorneys. Trailblazers have demonstrated vision, courage, and tenacity in their practice. They have also made substantial and lasting contributions to the Asian Pacific American legal profession, as well as the broader Asian Pacific American community.
The Honorable Richard J. Chin | Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court (retired)
Julia Markley | Partner, Perkins Coie
Byung “BJay” Pak | United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, United States Attorney’s Office
Debbie Leilani Shon | Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
The NAPABA President’s Award is given to NAPABA members who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to NAPABA, the legal community, and the greater Asian Pacific American community.
Dale Ho | Director, ACLU Voting Rights Project
AFFILIATE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The NAPABA Affiliate of the Year Award recognizes outstanding NAPABA affiliates for their best practices and accomplishments in their local communities.
Asian American Bar Association of New York
APA-OWNED LAW FIRM AWARD
The NAPABA APA-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award recognizes our membership’s law firms—solo, small, and large—that have achieved prominence and distinction, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Asian Pacific American community. The Award celebrates law practices that embrace the Asian Pacific American community while maintaining the highest ethical and legal standards in our profession. The Award also recognizes firms that have advanced the goals and ideals of NAPABA and Asian Pacific American legal advocacy groups.
Willenken LLP
LAW FIRM DIVERSITY AWARD
The NAPABA Law Firm Diversity Award honors law firms that actively, affirmatively, consistently, and enthusiastically recruit, retain, and promote Asian Pacific American lawyers to equity partnership and firm leadership. It celebrates law firm successes in recognizing the potential, supporting the promise, and raising the influence of Asian Pacific American lawyers.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
BEST UNDER 40
The NAPABA Best Lawyers Under 40 Award recognizes talented individuals within the Asian Pacific American legal community under the age of 40 who have achieved prominence and distinction in their fields of endeavor—be it the practice of law, academia, business, civic and charitable affairs, the judiciary, or politics—and who have demonstrated a strong commitment to Asian Pacific American civic or community affairs.
Vanessa E. Candelaria | Attorney, Law Offices of Vanessa Candelaria
Christina Chan | Assistant Attorney General, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General
Nooree Lee | Associate, Covington & Burling LLP
Cindy Lin | Partner, King & Spalding LLP
Laurie Rose Lubiano | IP & Product Counsel, The Climate Corporation
Catherine Y. Lui | Partner, Orrick LLP
Jessica Nguyen | General Counsel, PayScale, Inc.
Marc A. Pilotin | Counsel, Wage and Hour/President, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California
Sid Shenoy | Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Christopher Thana Sukhaphadhana | Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property, Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
Jerry Vattamala | Democracy Program Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Johnny Wang | Partner, Stinson LLP
Jovita T. Wang | Partner, Richardson Wright LLP
Bryant Y. Yang | Assistant U.S Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office
Bilal Zaheer | Partner, Fisher & Phillips LLP
MILITARY AND VETERAN SERVICE AWARD
The NAPABA Military and Veteran Service Award recognizes individuals within the Asian Pacific American legal community serving the United States Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including Reserve and National Guard) as uniformed personnel or as civilians or as veterans of the Armed Forces whose outstanding achievements (1) greatly enhanced the mission of the Armed Forces; (2) contributed to the advancement of rights for service-members, their families, and/or veterans; or (3) furthered the administration of justice. The NAPABA Military and Veteran Service Award is meant to acknowledge APA attorneys who exhibit the highest integrity, competency and commitment to serving others, the APA community, and their country and whose character and commitment reflect the highest standards of the Armed Forces.
Captain Lia Mihoko Reynolds | Capt., JAGC, USN, Region Legal Service Office Hawaii Commanding Officer, United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp Region Legal Service Office Hawaii.
PRO BONO AWARD
The NAPABA Pro Bono Award recognizes an attorney or a team of attorneys for outstanding achievements in pro bono service that (1) involved impact litigation to advance or protect civil rights or (2) provided direct legal services to individuals in the furtherance of the administration of justice.
Karen King | Counsel, Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP AWARD
The NAPABA Women’s Leadership Award recognizes the accomplishments of women lawyers and is presented to an individual who has achieved excellence in her field or who has demonstrated leadership and advancement of women or women’s issues.
Debbie Leilani Shon | Partner, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP
