NAPABA Indiana Advocacy Update

Dear NAPABA Community,

With 50 days remaining before the start of the 2023 NAPABA Convention in Indianapolis, I wish to update you on NAPABA’s work in Indiana along with our advocacy efforts broadly.

In April 2023, we announced our Indiana Advocacy Action Plan following the decision from the Board of Governors to remain in Indianapolis for the 2023 NAPABA Convention. The Plan’s four-prong strategy aimed to meaningfully engage community stakeholders in Indiana and advance the dignity and interests of the LGBTQ+ and AANHPI communities in the time leading up to and beyond the Convention. Since then, I can report to you on the following actions:

  1. Immediate Investment. NAPABA and Indiana Legal Services, Inc. (ILS), announced a partnership to deliver direct legal support to LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities in Indiana. The partnership will fund law student interns at ILS starting this fall for the 2023-2024 academic year. The legal internships will be housed within the ILS LGBTQ+ Project and Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center. Financial support for these legal internships was generously provided by the NAPABA Law Foundation’s Underserved Communities Fellowship.
  2. Lasting Impact. Starting this October, NAPABA–in partnership with the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana, Alliance for Justice, and Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP–will be convening a wide array of community leaders in Indianapolis for our multi-part civic engagement series entitled, “Joining Forces, Building Community and Empowerment.” The workshop is designed for Indiana leaders to build organizational, operational, and advocacy skills in their efforts to advocate and better serve their communities. NAPABA will host additional workshops in the months ahead, including another convening of community leaders on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at the Convention, and culminate in a day of advocacy activities at the Indiana Statehouse in 2024.
  3. Showcasing Our Values. The 2023 NAPABA Convention in Indianapolis is centered on uplifting NAPABA’s values and our community. Our Friday Plenary Luncheon program will focus on “Gender Equality and the Rights of Transgender Athletes,” featuring Justice Sabrina McKenna of the Supreme Court of Hawai`i as the moderator. At our Gala program on Saturday, the keynote speaker will be attorney and civil rights activist Mia Yamamoto, a prominent leader and advocate for human rights and for the rights of the LGBTQ+ and AANHPI communities. During the Convention’s substantive program, we will highlight issues such as AANHPIs and the fight for marriage equality, a reflection on the civil rights movement, how our community can advance the cause for justice, #WhyWomenLeave, and more. 
  4. Beyond Indiana. Though we are focused on Indiana, NAPABA remains at the forefront in our core advocacy work across the nation. 
    • We continue to oppose vigorously alien land laws that would strip the rights of AANHPIs to pursue a livelihood and fair housing. NAPABA and our affiliates are engaged with state and federal policymakers to oppose such laws along with grassroots community leaders and the press. Along with our coalition partners, NAPABA has cautioned Congress to be mindful of its rhetoric and “to consider the impact that proposed legislation could have on AANHPI communities, and to work with AANHPI groups to find ways to address national security concerns while creating an environment that welcomes people who are committed to the success and safety of our country.” We have raised the alarm over a recent amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that, if enacted, would impose restrictions on individuals from certain countries like China to purchase agricultural land. In court, we are supporting, as amicus curiae, litigation challenging Florida’s discriminatory statute.
    • In the aftermath of U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC/Harvard, NAPABA has not only presented educational programs to our members about the ruling, but also engaged with partners to explore best avenues to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the profession. 
    • NAPABA has stood in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. For example, in the face of federal legislation that targeted the transgender community, NAPABA opposed a bill that would ban transgender and intersex girls and women from participating in school sporting activities that align with their gender identities. Such harmful and discriminatory policies are wholly inconsistent with NAPABA values. Similarly, NAPABA denounced a misguided decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in 303 Creative LLC v. Aubrey Elenis, which held that a website design business–notwithstanding state anti-discrimination laws–may refuse to deliver services to same-sex couples. We called on Congress again to pass the Equality Act, which would amend federal law to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
    • NAPABA endorsed the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act of 2023, a bill that would deliver relief to Southeast Asian American refugees and create a pathway for the return of nearly 2,000 refugees to the United States who have already been removed to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. 
    • Recently, in another step toward equity, NAPABA endorsed California Senate Bill 403, which would add caste as a protected characteristic under California’s civil rights laws, and called for a ban on caste discrimination throughout the nation. 
This is only a snapshot of our efforts. Undoubtedly, we are making progress, but we are nowhere near done. As California just recognized when it lifted the ban on publicly funded travel to other states with objectionable laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community, NAPABA believes in the importance and the power of showing up. Our work is only possible because of the strength, energy, and passion of our members, our committees, our affiliates, and our sponsors. So many of you step up each and every day to better our community, often in the shadows of the public eye, with the only hope that the next generation will enjoy the gains that we endeavor to make today. We are incredibly grateful.

I look forward to seeing all of you in Indianapolis.
Warmly,

Registration is Open for the 2023 Tang Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the NAPABA Law Foundation

Registration is open for the 2023 Judge Thomas Tang and Dr. Pearl Tang Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the NAPABA Law Foundation. This year marks the 30th anniversary of an annual tradition that fosters crucial advocacy skills among law students nationwide. A total of $10,000 in scholarships is being offered to the top law student competitors in brief writing and oral advocacy.  
 
This year’s competition will adopt a hybrid format with regional oral arguments occurring virtually in October and culminating in the National Competition in person in Indianapolis, Indiana, coinciding with the 2023 NAPABA Convention on November 10-11, 2023.
 
The registration fee is $550 per team and each law school may enter up to two teams. Click here to learn more and registerThe registration deadline is September 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM PST.
 

 

2023 NAPABA Convention | Scholarship Opportunities—Unleash Your Potential

Apply for a Convention Scholarship Today

The NAPABA Convention offers one of the best values among legal education conferences. It is an opportunity to discover meaningful insights, grow your network, bolster your knowledge, and unleash your potential alongside diverse thought leaders. NAPABA recognizes, however, that attending the Convention can pose financial challenges to many of our members. As in prior years, we have established a Convention scholarship and a law student scholarship this year to offer financial assistance and access to the transformative NAPABA Convention.

Further, we know that members have concerns with the Convention being located in the State of Indiana. Thus, NAPABA has a limited number of discounted rooms (i.e., a hotel room rate that is lower than NAPABA’s already reduced hotel block rate available to Convention attendees generally) available to those who are economically impacted by the Convention’s location. NAPABA will consider the totality of an applicant’s circumstances in allocating the limited number of discounted rooms to members.

Learn more about our scholarships and eligibility requirements here

Register for the Convention
Haven’t registered for the Convention yet? Now’s your chance! Join NAPABA in Indianapolis as we celebrate 35 years of leading and uniting the AANHPI legal community.

2023 NAPABA Convention| Early Bird Registration Opens June 15

2023 NAPABA Convention

November 9-12, 2023 | Indianapolis, IN

Register Now

Building relationships. Connecting with old friends. Finding inspiration. The NAPABA Convention is more than a conference. It is a critical platform to learn about cutting-edge areas in the law and to explore your unique path to professional success.

Join us in Indianapolis this year, where we will also act on core NAPABA values, such as supporting the LGBTQ+ community, the immigrant community, and opposing ill-advised policies that adversely impact the broader AANHPI community.

Early bird registration, housing, and scholarship opens June 15, 2023, and this is your chance for the best deal you will not want to miss.

Housing and A La Carte Options
Early bird registration lets you be first in line to take advantage of our special hotel rates and lets you purchase a la carte plenaries and gala tickets! A room block has been secured at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, the Convention host hotel, and Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown from November 9-12, 2023 for Convention attendees. The unique booking link will be provided to you AFTER you register for the 2023 NAPABA Convention.

To enhance your Convention experience and put you in control of your schedule, the Friday and Saturday Plenary Luncheons and the 35th Anniversary Gala will be available for purchase a la carte. To attend these ticketed events, you must add them to your registration for an additional fee.

Questions?
You can find additional resources about the Convention and Indianapolis on our website, but if you have additional questions, contact us at convention@napaba.org.