The NAPABA Convention offers one of the best values among legal education conferences—providing direct access to our extended community and opportunities to meaningfully connect with thousands of AANHPI attorneys. Participate in a multitude of program offerings, meetings, receptions, and initiatives aimed at advancing your personal and professional goals.
NAPABA recognizes, however, that attending the Convention can pose financial challenges to many of our members. Through our Convention and law student scholarship program, we offer financial assistance and access to the transformative NAPABA Convention. This opportunity is only open to active NAPABA members, like you, and we invite you to apply!
The application to be a part of NAPABA Connects, an exclusive program available to in-house counsel convention registrants and Solo and Small Firm, Gold, or higher-level firm sponsors is still open. IHC Participants with two or more meetings with firms will be reimbursed for their Convention registration, up to $735.
In-house counsel and law firm participants will be matched for one-on-one meetings during the NAPABA Convention. All IHC participants are required to attend at least one NAPABA Connects touchpoint during the Convention November 7-10, 2024. Details will be given in further communications.
To participate as in-house counsel, you must fill out our application form. You can be matched with diverse law firm attorneys to cultivate new business relationships, or you may choose from a list of participating firms to expand your network with existing provider firms who may be in your preferred network. NAPABA will also send a list of all certified minority or women-owned firms to participating companies that may already have a preferred provider firm list.
The NAPABA Convention promises to be an unforgettable convening—one of the largest legal conferences in the nation. We are thrilled to welcome you and nearly 2,000 of your friends and colleagues to Indiana next week!
Our capstone event, the NAPABA 35th Anniversary Gala, will not only be a celebration of the accomplishments of our community, but also a recognition of the challenges that remain. We will highlight the diverse voices of our community, including the LGBTQ+ community. To that end, our Gala emcee Maulik Pancholy, a celebrated actor and author, and renowned activist will guide us through the evening. We are grateful to our featured speaker, Mia Yamamoto, a pioneering leader, attorney, and transgender activist who has devoted her life in service of others and will share her unique perspectives with us. It’s a Convention you won’t want to miss!
About Our Emcee | Maulik Pancholy
Recognizable from his roles on shows such as 30 Rock, Weeds, Whitney, Phineas and Ferb, and Sanjay and Craig, Maulik Pancholy is an award-winning actor, author and activist whose career has spanned hit television shows, animated series, the Broadway stage, and films.
Maulik’s debut middle-grade novel, The Best at It, is a Stonewall Honor Award winner, a Junior Library Guild Selection, included in Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books of 2019, listed as one of Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids, and is in development for television at HBO Max.
It has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist. Drawn from his own experience, The Best at It, is about a twelve-year-old, gay, Indian American boy coming into his own. It has been called, at once, “exuberant and heart-wrenching.” Released in 2022, his second novel, Nikhil Out Loud, has been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and received a starred review from Kirkus.
Maulik was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). As a Commissioner, he co-founded the anti-bullying campaign, acttochange.org, which he continues to chair today.
For his advocacy on behalf of the AANPHI and LGBTQIA+ communities, he has received an Asian American Arts Alliance Award, the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award, and was named to Out Magazine’s Top 100 list. He delivers keynote addresses on the topics of diversity and inclusion — and the importance of telling our own stories — in corporate settings as well as at universities and schools across the country.
About Our Keynote Speaker | Mia F. Yamamoto
Born in 1943 while her parents were incarcerated at the Poston Concentration Camp in Arizona, Mia Yamamoto’s life was shaped by the experiences in the camp as well as the politics and racial divide of the country before, during and after internment. She went on to serve in the U.S. Army, 4th Infantry Division, and was awarded a number of commendations and medals recognizing her service to the country during the Vietnam War.
She attended the UCLA School of Law, where she co-founded the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Organization. She went on to serve her community as a lawyer with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and as a public defender. Since 1985, she’s been in private practice.
Proudly and openly out as transgender, Mia has brought her personal experiences to build and guide organizations such as the Multi-Cultural Bar Alliance, a coalition of women’s, minority, and LGBT bar associations of Los Angeles that she co-founded; the Japanese American Bar Association as past president; and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Southern California, which she also co-founded. Mia also served on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Commission of the American Bar Association and is a founding Board member for International Bridges to Justice, a human rights nonprofit providing due process and rule of law education, along with advocacy against investigative torture.
She is a frequent media commentator on issues relating to criminal law and a variety of related issues and brings a unique perspective that we’re honored to bring to our Gala.
Get Your Tickets for the Gala
The 35th Anniversary Gala tickets are available for purchase a la carte when you register for the 2023 NAPABA Convention. If you would like to attend, simply add the Gala to your registration for an additional fee when you register.
The Judge Thomas Tang and Dr. Pearl Tang Moot Court Competition is an appellate advocacy competition to help law students develop advocacy skills and to foster legal talents of the future. This year, the competition will be a hybrid competition with regional oral arguments occurring virtually and the National Competition in person coinciding with the 2023 NAPABA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 9-10, 2023.
We are seeking judges for the upcoming Regional Rounds, which will take place virtually via Zoom. This year’s problem may be found here.
We are seeking attorneys with a minimum of 5 years of litigation or appellate experience. Please consider judging a few rounds as we are in need of judges to enable us to hold the regional competitions that will allow the winners to advance to the national competition in Indiana.
The regional competitions will be held online via Zoom on Friday, October 13 and Saturday, October 14. Please sign up for judging at the links below by 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday, October 3:
Everyone is invited to the award reception in Indianapolis on Saturday, November 11, 2023, after the conclusion of the final round of competition. Thank you so much for your support in helping to develop the future generation of lawyers.
WASHINGTON – October 4, 2022. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to announce that the 2022 NAPABA President’s Award will be presented to two groundbreaking organizations that have made a true impact toward the betterment of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA & NH/PIs) during a period of great upheaval for these communities. This year’s recipients are: The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF).
The NAPABA President’s Award is given annually to individuals or entities who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the Asian Pacific American community.
“NAPABA is proud of our partnerships with these two remarkable organizations,” said Acting NAPABA President A.B. Cruz III. “The twin pandemics of COVID-19 and the resulting wave of anti-Asian hate have created unprecedented challenges for AA & NH/PIs. Both TAAF and APIAHF have responded by creating the desperately needed infrastructure to empower communities to meet these challenges head-on.”
TAAF was established to close the vast AA & NH/PI philanthropic and influence gap in the United States—despite being the fastest growing population in the country, only 0.20% of foundation grantmaking and less than 1% of corporate giving is directly targeted toward AA & NH/PI communities. Founded at the height of the pandemic and anti-Asian hate wave, TAAF has made the largest philanthropic commitment in history focused specifically on AA & NH/PI communities, with particular emphasis on combating anti-Asian hate, education, and narrative change, all areas of priority for NAPABA. Since its launch, TAAF has committed millions in order to develop a strategic response to anti-Asian hate, producing critical resources such as its Rapid Response Toolkit, and building infrastructure through AAPI Action Centers across the country. NAPABA serves as one of TAAF’s National Network partners in the ongoing effort to combat anti-Asian hate.
APIAHF is the oldest and largest health policy advocacy organization working with AA & NH/PI communities across the nation, in the US Territories, and with the US-affiliated Pacific jurisdictions. In partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and over 30 national and community AA & NH/PI organizations—including NAPABA—APIAHF launched the National AA & NH/PI Health Response Partnership, a community-centered model that provides on-the-ground public health resources and assistance across the nation. The largest outreach and educational campaign ever conducted for the AA & NH/PI community, APIAHF and its partners provided linguistically tailored and culturally sensitive outreach and educational materials to increase COVID-19 vaccinations. In addressing the “dual pandemic,” NAPABA and APIAHF partnered together to develop a ground-breaking collection of Combat Hate Crimes Toolkits translated into 25 different Asian and NH/PI languages—the largest compilation of its kind. The two organizations also co-developed fact cards for those who may be unsure of their rights to a COVID-19 vaccination. Translated into 26 different Asian and NH/PI languages, this resource educates community members on the benefits of getting vaccinated and encourages them to receive their free COVID-19 vaccinations regardless of immigration status, health insurance coverage, and/or Social Security identification.
NAPABA congratulates TAAF and the APIAHF as this year’s honorees and will bestow the prestigious award on Friday, November 5 at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas during the 2022 NAPABA Convention.
NAPABA continues to monitor the current situation regarding coronavirus and recognizes the disruption it has had—and may continue to have—on members’ daily lives.
With that in mind, NAPABA has extending its deadline for the 2020 NAPABA Convention Call for Programs to April 20 at 5 p.m. ET to provide more time for submitting proposals.
NAPABA also understands that the current situation may impact submitters’ ability to secure speakers for program ideas as people’s schedules change. NAPABA wants to reassure everyone that the CLE Committee will take the current events into consideration upon reviewing the submissions and will not count the lack of “confirmed” speakers against any submission.
NAPABA still encourages submitters to include those who have expressed interest in speaking on a program as “confirmed” speakers, and understands that their availability may change.
Have you submitted your program idea? The March 16 deadline is just around the corner so visit our Call for Programs page to send us your presentation idea!
Here are just a few of the program topics featured at our 2019 Convention:
Presenting Yourself with Power and Projecting Authority: Using Improv to Elevate Your Presence
Using the NFL to Tackle Law’s Diversity Problem? How the Mansfield Rule Levels the Playing Field
Healthcare Fraud Enforcement and Corporate Compliance
Emoji Law: Are You Prepared for Emojis, Emoticons, and Hashtags in Litigation?
The submission process will close on March 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Speaker Database | Rolling Basis
Interested in speaking at the NAPABA Convention without submitting a program submission? Join our speaker database!
Here’s a recap of everything you might have missed!
Looking at social media posts from the Convention, we were pleased to see so many attendees share our feeling that NAPABA is a family, a group of friends and colleagues, and most importantly, a community. No matter the field, the level of experience, or geographic location, we are one NAPABA.
We’re excited to head into 2020 with you all, but first let’s look back at this year’s Convention!
New Year, New Leadership
Bonnie Lee Wolf was sworn in as NAPABA’s president. We are inspired by her vision for NAPABA and look forward to supporting her leadership!
Using History to Inform Our Future
Through a re-enactment and historical materials, we revisited the importance of Korematsu v. United States,
when Fred Korematsu challenged Executive Order 9066, which led to the
incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Individuals who
played key roles in the successful effort to overturn Korematsu’s
conviction in the 1983 case brought his story to life, connecting his
values of equity and human rights to the issues we face today.
During the Saturday plenary, an inspiring group of LGBTQ attorneys reflected on the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas that opened the door for inclusion for diverse communities and laid the groundwork for marriage equality to become a right across the country. However, true inclusion is still a work in progress. Panelists offered their look at the future of diversity and inclusion for the LGBTQ community.
Celebrating 31 Years
At our Anniversary Gala, we celebrated 31 years of NAPABA by looking to
the future with a swearing-in of the 2019-20 NAPABA Board of Governors.
Comedian, actor and writer Sheng Wang hosted the gala and Chef Kristen
Kish and food critic Soleil Ho had a great conversation about identity,
self-worth and success.
2019 Award Winners
We were honored to recognize this year’s award winners at the 2019
NAPABA Convention. We’re proud to have so many distinguished members,
who inspire our work every day.
Trailblazer Awards
The Honorable Richard J. Chin. To see the award video, click here. Julia Markley. To see the award video, click here. Byung “BJay” Pak. To see the award video, click here. Debbie Leilani Shon. To see the award video, click here.
Debbie Leilani Shon. To see the award video, click here.
Best Under 40
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 | General Counsel, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency 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, Locke Lord LLP
Partners Network In-House Counsel Awards
Diversity Leadership Rising Star Award
Laurie Rose Lubiano
Diversity Leadership Award
Michael C. Wu
NAPABA Gives Back
Thanks to everyone who joined us at our Community Service Project and Farewell Breakfast! We assembled over 200 care packages for the Asian Family Support Services of Austin. AFSS Austin is a nonprofit that helps Asian, immigrant and refugee survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault & trafficking.
A Message from NAPABA Law Foundation
The NAPABA
Law Foundation thanks everyone who donated during convention to support
NLF’s fellowships, scholarships, and the Thomas Tang National Moot Court
Competition.
Whether by buying a Fred Korematsu or Judge Denny Chin bobblehead, wagering at Casino Night, bidding on silent auction items, or using text-to-give during the Gala, these proceeds will be used to advance access to justice for our communities.
Speaking of the text-to-give, congratulations on breaking the system! It appears that so many people were jumping on their smartphones to donate that our vendor’s system crashed!
If you were unable to make a gift at Convention, you may donate via NLF’s website by clicking here. Remember, Harry Gee, Jr., and his family are matching the first $150,000 raised! Every dollar you donate will have double the impact!
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Thank you to the amazing sponsors who supported the 2019 NAPABA Convention.
Premier Sponsor Walmart
Jade Sponsors Littler Microsoft Prudential
Platinum Sponsors Akin Gump Apple Baker Botts Comcast NBC Universal Goodwin Google McGuireWoods Nationwide Paul Weiss Seyfarth Shaw
We congratulate Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, on being presented NAPABA’s Law Firm Diversity Award at the NAPABA Convention in Austin, Texas on Saturday, November 9, 2019. AABANY is pleased to count Akin Gump as a Silver Sponsor.
This award honors law firms that actively and consistently recruit, retain, and promote APA lawyers to equity partnership and firm leadership. One such lawyer is Alice Hsu, an AABANY member and Partner at Akin Gump.
Alice was interviewed in the acceptance video and stated that over the last few years Akin Gump has spent a lot of time working with pro bono clients and “brought together cross-racial, cross-ethnic coalitions to support challenging the travel ban, the census citizenship question, and DACA rescission. “
Please join us in congratulating Akin Gump on this well deserved honor.
We congratulate Karen King, AABANY Member and Counsel at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, on being presented NAPABA’s Pro Bono Award during the Gala at the NAPABA Convention in Austin, Texas on Saturday, November 9, 2019.
This award recognizes an attorney for outstanding achievement in Pro Bono service that involves impact litigation to advance or protect civil rights and provides direct legal services to individuals in furtherance of the administration of justice.
One of the pro bono cases that Karen was recognized for lasted for over 10 years and involved bias and discrimination in the promotion practices of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority against Asian American Police Officers. Karen found her work on the case to be very important for Asian Americans and rewarding for herself. In her video accepting the award, Karen remarked that young lawyers need to look for and seize opportunities to advance their careers “… and pro bono is an excellent way to do that.”
We are extremely excited and pleased that Karen received this prestigious honor. Please join us in congratulating her.
We commend Paul, Weiss on emphasizing, supporting, and encouraging their lawyers to engage in Pro Bono work and for being a Gold Sponsor.
