2017 NAPABA Convention Kicks Off in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Today, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) kicks off its 2017 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., from Nov. 2–5, 2017. More than 2,000 Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law students, legal scholars, and elected officials from around the country—a new NAPABA Convention attendance record—will gather at the Marriott Marquis Washington DC. The Convention will feature over 50 panels and plenaries on a wide range of issues affecting the legal and Asian Pacific American communities.

Among the session highlights, the 2017 NAPABA Convention marks the 10th anniversary of NAPABA’s groundbreaking language access report, “Increasing Access to Justice for Limited English Proficient Asian Pacific Americans: A Report for Action.” The report identifies major challenges limited English proficient individuals, in particular members of the Asian Pacific American community, faced in courts and set out best practices for federal and state courts to follow. For its 10-year anniversary, NAPABA will launch the second edition of the report that provides up-to-date information. During the Convention session, panelists will explore the 2017 report’s key findings and recommendations, as well as assess the current state of access and identify areas of improvement and gaps that remain in the courts, administrative agencies, and other providers.

On Saturday, Nov. 4, the 29th Anniversary Gala will feature a keynote address by United States Solicitor General Noel Francisco. Mr. Francisco was recently sworn in as the 48th Solicitor General of the United States on Sept. 19, 2017. The evening also will include the official induction of 2017–18 NAPABA President Pankit J. Doshi, and the NAPABA Board of Governors.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or [email protected].

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 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services 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.

To learn more about NAPABA, visitwww.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter(@NAPABA).

NYLJ Distinguished Leaders 2017: Andrew T. Hahn Sr.

NYLJ Distinguished Leaders 2017: Andrew T. Hahn Sr.

NAPABA Announces Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area as Its 2017 Affiliate of the Year

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has selected the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA) as its 2017 Affiliate of the Year. This award recognizes outstanding NAPABA affiliates for their best practices and accomplishments in their respective communities. AABA is one of over 80 national, state, and local bar associations that are affiliated with NAPABA.

The presentation of the 2017 Affiliate of the Year Award will take place at the 29th Anniversary Gala during the 2017 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2017.

Since its inception in 1976 in the San Francisco Bay Area as one of the nation’s first Asian American bar associations, AABA has stood up for justice by coming together as a community and mobilizing its members to defend the civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) and other minorities. In the early 1980’s, a group of AABA members, including NAPABA Trailblazers Dale Minami, Don Tamaki, and the Honorable Edward Chen, mobilized with others to overturn Fred Korematsu’s conviction. In 2017, AABA redoubled its efforts to protect the rights of APAs and other minorities.  The significant work AABA accomplished in 2017 includes, among others:

  • Leading an immigration and naturalization clinic for communities affected by the immigration Executive Order of early 2017, where AABA trained over 100 volunteers on immigration issues and served more than 50 clients in just a few hours;
  • Organizing semi-monthly pro bono legal clinics in Oakland and San Francisco, serving over 200 indigent clients, including many APA immigrants; and
  • Working directly with local and national leaders to urge a District Attorney to investigate the attack on Maan Singh Khalsa in Richmond, California as a hate crime; ultimately, two men were sentenced to three years in prison for felony assault and a hate crime.

Throughout 2017, AABA set out to inspire, equip, and mobilize its over 1,200 members to defend civil rights and to help its members advance to higher positions of influence and leadership within the profession. AABA accomplished this by organizing regular CLEs on hot topics and developing areas in the law, offering training on substantive legal and soft skills tailored for different sectors and career stages, and creating opportunities to actualize these skills through speaking engagements, referrals, clinics, and networking events.

NAPABA is pleased to present its 2017 Affiliate of the Year Award to the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area and congratulates its leaders on a successful year serving their members and community.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555or [email protected].

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 almost 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services 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.

To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).

NAPABA Announces Nassiri & Jung LLP as its 2017 Asian Pacific American-Owned Law Firm of the Year

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) has named Nassiri & Jung LLP as its 2017 Asian Pacific American-Owned Law Firm of the Year. NAPABA created the Asian Pacific American-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award to recognize Asian Pacific American-owned law firms that have achieved prominence and distinction while maintaining the highest ethical and legal standards in the profession, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Asian Pacific American community. The Award also celebrates growing Asian Pacific American ownership and entrepreneurship in the legal marketplace.

The presentation of the 2017 Asian Pacific American-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award will take place at the NAPABA Anniversary Gala during the 2017 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2017.

Nassiri & Jung was founded in June 2006 by two friends — Kassra Nassiri and Charles Jung — focusing on sophisticated litigation as a small firm for both plaintiffs and defendants. On the plaintiff’s side, Nassiri & Jung has represented attorneys, executives, and classes of workers and consumers, earning several tens of millions of dollars at trial and through settlements. On the defense side, they have represented global companies such as eBay, Hitron Technologies, and Flextronics in multimillion dollar lawsuits.

Nassiri & Jung’s foundation has made it a priority to support pro bono direct legal services to their local and Asian Pacific American communities. Since 2013, they have supported public interest attorney scholarships to NAPABA and provide an annual scholarship to a public interest attorney through the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California. They also began a partnership with the Asian American Bar Association – Bay Area’s Law Foundation in 2015 and have awarded a total of $80,000 in grants to direct legal services providers. This year, the Jung Foundation donated $30,000 to the NAPABA Law Foundation to support an annual public interest scholarship.

With the spike of hate crimes and incidents in the days after the 2016 presidential election, some in their San Francisco-based community suspected that incidents against Asian Pacific American were underreported. After discussions with community members, Nassiri & Jung launched a website,www.standagainsthatred.org, to collect and report hate crimes and incidents against Asian Pacific Americans. The website gained attention after stories ran in the Huffington Post and NPR, and has since been donated to Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Advancing Justice who use it to track hate crimes nationally.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at202-775-9555 or [email protected].

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 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services 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.

To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@NAPABA).

NAPABA 2017 Officers Election Results

NAPABA congratulates the newly-elected officers of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2017-18 board year. They will be sworn into office at the 29th Anniversary Gala during the 2017 NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C.

The following individuals were elected by the NAPABA membership:

  • President-Elect | Daniel Sakaguchi
  • Vice President for Finance and Development | Courtney Fong
  • Vice President for Membership | Tacie H. Yoon
  • Vice President for Communications | Sun E. Choi
  • Vice President for Programs and Operations | Charles H. Jung
  • Treasurer | Eugene Kim
  • Secretary | Bonnie Lee Wolf

In addition to these newly-elected officers, Pankit J. Doshi will serve as President and Cyndie M. Chang will serve as Immediate Past President. Joining the officers on the NAPABA Board of Governors will be 10 regional governors and four at-large board members.