NAPABA PRESS RELEASE: NAPABA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, DC 20006


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2013

Contact: Azizah Ahmad
(202) 775-9555

NAPABA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION

WASHINGTON — Over 1,200 Asian Pacific American (APA) judges, attorneys, law professors, and law students attended the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) 25th Annual Convention in Kansas City, MO, from November 7-10, 2013. The Annual Convention’s MOmentum theme highlighted and celebrated the monumental achievements of APA attorneys over the past 25 years at the highest levels of the legal profession while also encouraging attendees to collaborate for future progress and successes.

The four-day convention included an annual International Law Symposium, Pro Bono & Public Interest Summit, and over 50 panels and plenaries with some of the brightest minds in the legal profession. Special events included a lunch plenary with special guests Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), who talked about their experiences as APA women in Congress. The Convention’s sold-out annual basketball tournament tested the talents of attorneys and law students against the Benchwarmers—an all-star line-up of APA judicial luminaries, including Judge Denny Chin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court.

The Honorable Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit gave the keynote address during the 25th Anniversary Gala and Installation Dinner on Saturday, November 9, 2013. During the Gala, Judge Alok Ahuja of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District swore in the following members of the 2013-2014 NAPABA Board of Governors:

Executive Committee

President: William J. Simonitsch, Partner, K&L Gates LLP

President-Elect: George C. Chen, Partner, Bryan Cave LLP

Vice President for Communications: Cyndie M. Chang, Partner, Duane Morris LLP

Vice President for Finance & Development: Alexander M. Lee, Principal, Law Offices of Alexander M. Lee

Vice President for Membership: Brad Yamauchi, Partner, Minami Tamaki LLP

Vice President for Programs and Operations: Jin Y. Hwang, Assistant General Counsel, Verizon Enterprise Solutions

Secretary: Tacie Yoon, Associate, Crowell & Moring LLP

Treasurer: Pankit J. Doshi, Associate, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Immediate Past President: Wendy C. Shiba, retired (former Executive VP, General Counsel & Secretary, KB Home)

Regional Governors

Central Region: David S. Kim, Attorney, Armstrong Teasdale LLP

Northeast Region: Judy H. Kim, Associate Counsel, New York Liquidation Bureau

Northeast Region: Sophia Lee, Chief Counsel – Litigation, Sunoco, Inc.

Northwest Region: Trung D. Tu, Partner, McEwen Gisvold LLP

Southeast Region: John Truong, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia

Southwest Region: Eileen Sullivan, Principal, Sullivan Law Firm, PC

Northern California Region: Quyen Ta, Partner, Keker & Van Nest LLP

Eastern California/Nevada Region: Marlo Nisperos, Deputy District Attorney, Solano County District Attorney Office

Central California Region: Audra Mori, Partner, Perkins Coie

Southern California Region: Lloyd S. Costales, Partner, Page, Lobo, Costales & Preston, A.P.C.

At-Large Members

Curtis Hom, Principal, Innova Legal Group, PLLC

Steven Y. Reeves, Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP

Janet Shih Hajek, Of Counsel, Holland & Hart LLP

Marla Tun Reschly, Of Counsel, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Please join us next year in Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, from November 6-9, 2014, for the 26th Annual NAPABA Convention, Convergence.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 67 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

CUP Fellows Program: Deadline Nov. 22

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Dear CUP Members & Friends,   

The Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) is seeking dynamic emerging leaders from the business, consulting, digital and technology, finance, legal, media and entertainment, and non-profit and public sectors for its CUP Fellows Program.  Powered by American Express, the CUP Fellows Program is entering into its seventh year.

CUP Fellows are talented and visionary, multicultural and women professionals, aged 25 to 45, with the passion to become powerful leaders in their community. Through the CUP Fellows program, participants complete a rigorous ten month leadership development experience that includes skills-based training, networking events, and board placement services that prepare them for impactful civic involvement.   

There is no greater experience than being a CUP Fellow!  

In addition to equipping professionals with the skills needed to lead with impact, the CUP Fellows Program provides participants with a lifelong springboard for prestigious opportunities such as appointments to nonprofit and public sector boards. By exposing CUP Fellows to public sector opportunities and an influential network of professionals, the program is designed to equip participants with the skills, information, and resources needed to manage their careers effectively and position themselves for leadership opportunities. 

PROGRAM PARTICIPANT PERKS

  • Capstone Experience: The Capstone Project is a significant part of the CUP Fellows experience. The purpose of the project is to give the Fellows the opportunity to apply the leadership and professional skills learned throughout the program to a real-life organizational challenge in the non-profit sector.
  • CUP Board Matching Program: Through CUP’s “A Seat at the Table” initiative, we secure strategic board and career matches for CUP Fellows, fulfilling our vision of increasing the diversity of boardrooms and enhancing the capacity of organizations to better serve our communities. 
  • CUP Executive Level Membership: At the conclusion of the program, CUP Fellows receive a one-year CUP Executive Level membership. This membership gives access to members-only receptions, networking opportunities, leadership development forums and more.

APPLICATION AND INTERVIEW INFORMATION:

To apply, please click here to carefully read the application process details, including information about the eligibility requirements and supplemental application materials.

All CUP Fellows Program applicants must complete the application form and submit the following supplemental materials:

  • Resume
  • Statement of Intent
  • Essay
  • Letter of Recommendation
The application deadline for the 2014 CUP Fellows Program is November 22, 2013. Select candidates will be invited to interview on December 6, 7, 13 or 14. All candidates must be available to interview on one of the scheduled dates. 

Please let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to receiving your application materials.

Best regards,

Avital Tamir, Director of Programs, CUP Leadership Institute  

NAPABA Supports Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

As many of you know, the devastating super typhoon Haiyan ravaged the central Philippines last Friday.  As rescue workers have struggled to reach survivors, news of the immense damage and loss of life is gradually coming to light. As of this morning, death tolls are estimated to exceed 10,000 people, over 630,000 were forced from their homes, and more than 9.5 million have been affected.  The relief effort by aid agencies is just getting underway, and they must contend with the complicated logistics of getting people and aid out to the affected areas.  This will be extremely difficult because of the extreme disruption to ports and airports, and the inaccessibility of roads.

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association expresses its condolences and extends its prayers to the victims of this disaster, and to the families of those who may have been affected.  NAPABA encourages you to support relief efforts in any way you feel appropriate.  But please note that when disasters like this occur, the victims are helped most by financial contributions to aid agencies, rather than donations of consumer goods.

If you want to make a donation, but are unsure of which aid agency you wish to support, NAPABA, together with the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, suggest the following:

Best Regards,

William J. Simonitsch 
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)

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AABANY turned out in force for the 25th annual NAPABA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

Among the highlights was the highly popular trial re-enactment “22 Lewd Chinese Women: Chy Lung v. Freeman,” led by Hon. Denny Chin and Kathy Hirata Chin, with a cast that included AABANY members Vince Chang, Yang Chen, Theo Cheng, Francis Chin, Andy Hahn, Lauren U.Y. Lee, Linda Lin, Anna R. Mercado, Vinoo Varghese, Ona T. Wang, and Jessica C. Wong.

Other speakers from AABANY during the convention included: Hon. Pamela K.M. Chen, James R. Cho, Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, Don Liu, Hugh H. Mo, Chul Pak, Sapna Palla, Helen Wan, Michael Wu, Pauline Yeung-Ha, Michael Yim and James Yu.

AABANY congratulates its Best Under 40 Award Recipients, Mike Huang, Michael Park and Asim Rehman.

All the attendees enjoyed terrific program offerings, well-attended social events, sightseeing excursions, re-connecting with old friends, making new ones, and plenty of barbeque.

Next year’s convention will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nov. 6-9, 2014.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS

Expected to Attend: Grace Lee, Grace Lee Boggs

NYC PREMIERE What does it mean to be an American revolutionary today? Grace Lee Boggs is a 98-year-old Chinese-American woman in Detroit whose vision of revolution may surprise you. A writer, activist, and philosopher rooted for more than 70 years in the African- American movement, she has devoted her life to an evolving revolution that encompasses the contradictions of America’s past and its potentially radical future.