2019 NAPABA Call for Programs | Deadline is Just Around the Corner!

The Call for Programs deadline is just around the corner! Monday is the last day to submit a program submission for the 2019 NAPABA Convention. Don’t miss the opportunity to feature your program at the 2019 NAPABA Convention taking place in Austin, TX from Nov. 7-10!

NAPABA is seeking program submissions on a wide range of substantive legal matters and topics of concern to the legal community to deepen our members’ knowledge and skills, and provide them with opportunities to forge bonds through panel discussions, workshops, and interactive presentations.

Thursday Specialty Programming
In addition to our general Call for Programs, we are seeking submissions for our Thursday Specialty Programming: 

1. International Law Symposium presented by the International Law Committee
2. Solo & Small Firm Bootcamp presented by the Solo & Small Firm Committee

For more information on how to submit a general or Thursday program, please visit our Call for Programs page. The submission process will close on March 25 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! Should an opening need to be filled in the Convention program, you may be contacted by NAPABA staff. Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee a speaking role. Submit an application here.

Programs seeking additional speakers may contact [email protected].

Register for NAPABA Lobby Day!

NAPABA Lobby Day 2019
Washington, D.C. | Deadline: April 19, 2019

Register Now!

This is a reminder for you to join us in Washington, DC for Lobby Day!  The NAPABA Annual Lobby Day is an opportunity for NAPABA members from across the country to educate members of Congress and Congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American community.  Lobby Day also gives members an active role in promoting NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans.

Participants will meet with legislators and voice their perspectives on a range of topics. As a participant, you will be given all the information and materials you need to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill. Registration for Lobby Day includes a webinar training prior to Lobby Day as well as onsite training the day of, so that all participants are prepared for meetings with congressional members and staffers.

Registration
Register for all Lobby Day events here. Deadline to register is April 19, 2019.   *Please note: some events have early deadlines.

Lobby Day Stipend | Last day to apply for a stipend is March 22, 2019
Stipends are available for NAPABA direct members traveling to Lobby Day from out-of-town. Deadline to submit an application is March 22, 2019. *Please register for Lobby Day to gain access to the stipend application page. **Stipends available for direct members.

NAPABA U.S. Supreme Court Bar Group Admission
Apply to be admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar and join NAPABA members for a group swearing-in ceremony. All application materials and processing fee must be mailed (postmarked) to the NAPABA office by Mar. 22, 2019.

Congressional Reception
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, NAPABA will be hosting a Congressional Reception. The reception will bring together Lobby Day participants, members of Congress and their staff, and leaders in the APA community. This event is open to the public, including NAPABA members who are unable to participate in Lobby Day.

Hotel | Last day to book is April 18, 2019. 
NAPABA has secured a room block through Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall, which is located at the heart of Washington, DC, right off the National Mall. The Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall is within walking distance of the Federal Center SW Metro Station and the newly built wharf.

Rate: $239 single/double plus applicable taxes & fees.

Book your room today!
You may also call Hyatt Place’s reservations department at 1-800-993-4031 and ask for “NAPABA Group” or Group Code “G-NAPA”

If you have any questions about any of the events above, please email Oriene Shin at [email protected].

More 2019 Lobby Day information can be found here.

Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy | Apply Now!

Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy

Application Deadline: April 5, 2019 at 4 p.m. CST

Apply Here

Apply for the seventh annual Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA) in Denver, Colorado from June 23 to 25, 2019. The CBLA is a collaborative effort among the American Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Bar Association, National Native American Bar Association, and NAPABA. The CBLA will strengthen the pipeline of diverse bar association leaders through leadership training and professional development programs.

The CBLA is intended for up-and-coming bar leaders who have been in practice for 5-15 years and have served as officers of a NAPABA affiliate and/or chair/co-chair of a NAPABA committee.

Deadline | Apply by Wednesday, April 5

The application can be accessed here.

Applicants will be asked to submit a brief essay of 250-500 words, a CV/resume, and two letters of recommendation.

Questions?

More information about the program can be found on the CBLA website. Please contact CBLA Steering Committee members Gary Zhao ([email protected]), Greg Schwartz ([email protected]), Kristin Haugen ([email protected]) and Marianne Chow Newman ([email protected]) with any questions.

NAPABA Submits Comment Opposing Proposed Public Charge Rule Targeting Immigrants

On Dec. 10, 2018, NAPABA submitted a public comment to the Department of Homeland Security to oppose the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” which expands the definition of “public charge” and targets legal immigration. The NPRM prevents the reunification of families, creates unnecessary burdens for entry, and adversely impacts the health and safety of immigrant communities. NAPABA thanks its affiliates and members who submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security opposing the proposed regulations. 

AABANY submitted its comments opposing the proposed public charge rule. To read it go to https://blog.aabany.org/2018/12/26/aabany-comments-on-public-charge-rule/?preview_id=6369&preview_nonce=262c63a5d0&preview=true

NAPABA Applauds Nomination of Neomi Rao to D.C. Circuit

On November 14, 2018 the White House nominated Neomi Rao to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The nomination follows President Trump’s announcement of Rao during the White House Diwali celebration yesterday. If confirmed, Rao would be the first Asian Pacific American woman and the second South Asian American to sit on the D.C. Circuit. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) applauds the announcement and encourages the Senate to swiftly confirm her. 

“Neomi Rao is an experienced public servant and legal thinker,” said Daniel Sakaguchi, president of NAPABA. “Respected amongst her peers, she has the temperament to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Her nomination represents a historic step forward for representation of Asian Pacific Americans and women on the bench.” 

Rao is currently the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. A national expert in the area of administrative law, she is a tenured professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School and founder of the Center for the Study of the Administrative State. She previously served in the Office of the White House Counsel and as a staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

NAPABA, APABA-SF, and GOAABA Celebrate the Repeal of the Alien Land Law from Florida’s Constitution

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida (APABA-SF), and the Greater Orlando Asian American Bar Association (GOAABA) celebrate the repeal of the anti-immigrant “Alien Land Law” from Florida’s Constitution. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 2018, Florida voters passed an amendment to repeal the Alien Land Law from their state Constitution. Florida added the provision to its Constitution in the 1920s, as part of an anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment that legally prohibited aliens from holding real estate and real property in Florida.

“Thanks to the efforts of APABA-South Florida, GOAABA, and NAPABA, the discriminatory language of the Alien Land Law will be removed from Florida’s Constitution,” said NAPABA President Daniel Sakaguchi. “This amendment was long overdue. The Alien Land Law enshrined the second-class treatment of immigrants and Asian Pacific Americans under the law. We applaud Florida voters for repealing this vestige of discrimination and anti-immigrant sentiment from their state Constitution.”

“APABA of South Florida is proud that Florida’s voters took to the polls to repeal the Alien Land Law from the state Constitution,” said APABA-SF President Benjamin W. Dowers. “APABA of South Florida thanks NAPABA and GOAABA for working arm-in-arm in collaborating with the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission, educating voters through events and information, and reminding people that voting matters. We look forward to working with NAPABA and GOAABA to further social equality in Florida and all other states.”

NAPABA Announces 2018-19 Vice President for Finance and Development, Newly-Appointed At-Large Board Members, and Regional Governors

NAPABA congratulates Bruce L. Ishimatsu on his election as Vice President for Finance and Development for the 2018-19 bar year. NAPABA also congratulates the newly-appointed at-large members and regional governors of the NAPABA Board of Governors for the 2018-19 bar year.

The following individuals were appointed by the NAPABA Board of Governors to serve for two-year terms as at-large board members:

  • Kristy Gonowon
  • Kristin Haugen

The following individuals were selected by their respective regions to serve two-year terms as regional governors:

  • Hogene Choi | Northern California Region
  • Thy Bui | Southern California Region
  • Craig I. Nakanishi | Northwest Region
  • Brendan Wong | Northeast Region
  • Gregory Schwartz | Central Region

All incoming board members and newly-elected regional governors will serve with continuing elected officers, regional governors and at-large board members for the 2018-19 bar year. They will be sworn into office during the 2018 NAPABA Convention in Chicago, IL.

NAPABA Announces 2018 President’s Awards Recipients

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is proud to present the 2018 NAPABA President’s Award to Karen Korematsu (Founder & Executive Director, The Fred T. Korematsu Institute) and Dale Minami and Don Tamaki (Partners, Minami Tamaki LLP; members of the Korematsu Coram Nobis legal team) for their work on StopRepeatingHistory.Org, a campaign to educate the public about Japanese American incarceration during WWII and the present-day dangers of similar policies targeting individuals based on race, national origin, or religion. The NAPABA President’s Award is given to NAPABA members who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to NAPABA, the legal community, and the broader Asian Pacific American community.

Karen Korematsu, founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and daughter of the late Fred T. Korematsu, is a leading voice in advocating for civil liberties for all communities, and in 2015, she became NAPABA’s first non-lawyer member. Dale Minami and Dom Tamaki have been involved in significant litigation involving the civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans and other underrepresented groups and served on the pro bono team that reopened the landmark Korematsu v. United States Supreme Court Case, overturning Fred Korematsu’s conviction.

“This year, it is my honor to present the NAPABA President’s Award to Karen Korematsu, Dale Minami, and Don Tamaki for their tireless commitment to the StopRepeatingHistory.Org campaign,” said NAPABA President Pankit J. Doshi. “I applaud their efforts to relate the experiences of Japanese American internment during World War II to the infringement on civil rights and civil liberties that many religious and ethnic minorities face today. Their voices have been critical to ensuring that we as a nation never repeat that dark chapter of our history, including as a result of the travel ban impacting Muslim and immigrant communities,  which NAPABA vehemently opposed. While their work in civil rights for decades has already blazed a trail, their continued efforts to advocate for our community without rest is particularly inspirational in today’s world.”

The 2018 NAPABA President’s Award will be presented at the 2018 NAPABA Convention in Chicago, IL, on Nov. 10, 2018. NAPABA congratulates Karen Korematsu, Dale Minami, and Don Tamaki as the 2018 NAPABA President’s Award recipients.

Judges Needed for Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition

If you are an attorney attending the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention in Chicago this year, we request that you volunteer to serve as a judge in the preliminary and/or quarterfinal rounds of the 2018 Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition (Competition).  The Competition is an appellate advocacy competition sponsored annually by the NAPABA Law Foundation, an IRC § 501( c )(3) non-profit, charitable and educational affiliate of NAPABA.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Competition!  The Competition honors the late Judge Thomas Tang, a champion of individual rights, an advocate for the advancement of minority attorneys, and an ardent supporter of NAPABA.  Judge Tang served on the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1977 until his passing in 1995. To learn more about the competition, click here.

This year’s problem addresses the following issues:

  1. Whether a state university may impose disciplinary sanctions on a student for non-curricular expressive conduct otherwise protected by the First Amendment in order to protect the expressive rights of other.
  2. Whether a state university may expel a law student based on university officials’ determination that her off-campus expressive activity, otherwise protected by the First Amendment, violates the professionalism standards governing attorneys.

The information for the preliminary and quarterfinal rounds is as follows:
Date:  Friday, November 9, 2018
Time:  Preliminary Round One (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), Preliminary Round Two (11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.), and Quarterfinal Round (2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Place:  Sheraton Grand Chicago (301 E. North Water St., Chicago, IL 60611)

Please register online at https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/dicpm to judge one or both of the preliminary rounds and/or the quarterfinal round.  Although the sign-up sheet is getting full, please consider signing up to be an alternate in the event someone needs to make a last minute cancellation. Once you register, you will be emailed the problem, the bench brief, the rules and the oral argument scoring sheets.  Please report to the Tennessee meeting room located on the second level at least 20 minutes before your scheduled round to obtain your room assignment.  We ask that alternates also report to the Tennessee meeting room 20 minutes before your scheduled room to determine if your services are needed for the Competition.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Tran ([email protected]) or Leah Gould ([email protected]).