Tag: NAPABA

Posted on

NAPABA and GAPABA Celebrate the Appointment of Judge Carla Wong McMillian to the Supreme Court of Georgia

WASHINGTON – The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association (GAPABA) celebrate the appointment of Judge Carla Wong McMillian to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Appointed by Governor Brian Kemp on March 27, 2020, Judge McMillian will be the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the state’s highest court when sworn in.

“NAPABA extends congratulations to Judge Carla Wong McMillian on her appointment to the Supreme Court of Georgia,” said Bonnie Lee Wolf, NAPABA President. “A leader in her community and past president of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Judge McMillian will bring her record of legal excellence to the bench. During this challenging time, it is uplifting news to celebrate Judge McMillian blazing the trail as the first AAPI nominated to Georgia’s highest court.”

”GAPABA is thrilled that our own Judge Carla Wong McMillian has been appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court,” said Angela Hsu, GAPABA President. “Currently, there are no other AAPI serving on the highest courts of any state in the South, the Southeast or the Midwest. In addition to the historic nature of this appointment, Judge McMillian is a jurist, a colleague and a friend who has the love and respect of the entire legal community.”

“We are extremely proud to hear that Judge Carla McMillian has been elevated to the Supreme Court of Georgia,” added Judge Benes Aldana (ret.), chair of the NAPABA Judicial Council.

“Justice McMillian is an active member of the NAPABA Judicial Council and has been a trailblazer and an inspiration to our community.  Her elevation to the highest court in Georgia makes her the first and only Asian Pacific American to serve on a state supreme court in the South. This is such welcome news during these difficult times for our nation, as we see a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.” 

Judge McMillian has served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia since 2013. In 2014, she became the first and only Asian American elected to statewide office in Georgia. Prior to joining the Court of Appeals, she served as a state court judge for Fayette County. Before her appointment to the bench, Judge McMillian was a partner at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP (now known as Eversheds Sutherland). A current board member and past president of GAPABA, she is also a past recipient of NAPABA’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” Award. Judge McMillian is a graduate of Duke University and received her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Posted on

National Bar Associations Denounce Rising Anti-Asian Hate Related to the Coronavirus

Seven national bar associations today released a joint statement denouncing the rising number of incidents involving anti-Asian discrimination and racist remarks related to the coronavirus and COVID-19.

Calling for unity in these challenging times are the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the American Bar Association (ABA), the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), the National LGBT Bar (LGBT Bar), the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA), and the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA North America).

“Unfortunately, the emergence of the coronavirus has led to an increase in acts of hate and discrimination targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The legal community stands united against hate. The current situation calls for unity and support—not acts of division and words that sow fear,” said NAPABA President Bonnie Lee Wolf.

The FBI has warned about a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes related to the coronavirus. Numerous community organizations have documented that acts of discrimination and bias are increasing, including incidents involving stereotypes and xenophobic language.

President Wolf continued, “Thank you to our sister bars who issued their own messages of support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community when they saw these acts of hate and discrimination on the rise. A special thank-you to ABA President Judy Perry Martinez, HNBA President Irene Oria, NAWL Executive Director Karen Richardson, LGBT Bar President Wesley Bizzell, NNABA President Robert Saunooke, and SABA North America President Aneesh Mehta for joining me in the video statement to launch this campaign. We encourage other bar associations, law firms, and organizations to join us in denouncing discrimination. We stand together. We stand against hate.”

Posted on

NAPABA Denounces Use of Racist Language to Describe Coronavirus

Please read below a statement released by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association on March 18, 2020:

Using the terms ‘Chinese virus’ and ‘Wuhan virus’ to describe the coronavirus and COVID-19 is inaccurate and unacceptable. This disease does not discriminate. We cannot allow racism to rise as we come together to take on this challenge. NAPABA calls on the President and other leaders to stop using this harmful and xenophobic language.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recognized using such terms creates harmful stigma against ethnic and minority groups, further endangering public health. Discriminatory language distracts from the problem before us, and only perpetuates unfounded misinformation.

The stereotypes associated with this language have led to a rise in anti-Asian bias and racist attacks related to the coronavirus. NAPABA spoke out against this bias and joined a coalition of over 260 organizations, including our member bar associations, calling for leaders to focus on unity and denouncing anti-Asian attacks, xenophobia, and racist language. 

We ask you to do your part to combat racism and promote unity in response to this challenge. Know the facts and encourages others to do the same by referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Posted on

NAPABA Cancellations & Postponements: Lobby Day Canceled I Call for Programs Deadline Extended

Please see below an important message from NAPABA:

As we continue to monitor the situation regarding the coronavirus, we at NAPABA have had to make changes to our association calendar. One of these changes was a tough decision; the other was simple.

Lobby Day

Reluctantly, NAPABA is canceling Lobby Day, originally scheduled for May 18-19. 

Out of concern for your safety, the safety of your families, and all whom you may come in contact with, we are following the advice of the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) to suspend all events that may attract 50 or more people scheduled for the next eight weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

We are working with the Thompson Hotel to cancel reservations for those who have already secured lodging.

As current events demonstrate, advocacy on behalf of our communities remains as important as ever. NAPABA continues to work with Congress, the Administration, our partner organizations, and our affiliated bar associations to address our immediate challenges and maintain the relationships we will need to continue to represent our communities. We encourage you to continue to speak out, contact your elected officials and local leaders, and continue to work with your local bars in partnership with NAPABA to make a difference for our communities.

NAPABA Convention Call for Programs

A second calendar adjustment involves our deadline for the 2020 NAPABA Convention Call for Programs. The deadline has been extended to April 20 at 5 p.m. ET to provide you more time to submit your proposal. 

We understand that the current situation may impact your ability to secure speakers for your program ideas as people’s schedules change. We want to reassure you 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 your submission. 

We still encourage you to include those who have expressed interest in speaking on your program as “confirmed” speakers, but we understand that their availability may change. 

We look forward to receiving your program submissions by Monday, April 20! 

Please be safe and stay healthy!

Call for Programs Quicklinks: 

Posted on

From NAPABA: Prepare for the 2020 Census

Census Day is April 1

This month, households across the country will receive letters inviting them to fill out their 2020 Census forms online. Are you ready to fill yours out? Are you ready for the questions you may get as a lawyer about the Census?

Everyone should be counted in the Census, regardless of language ability, immigration status, age, income or identity. Unfortunately, in some communities there is misinformation, confusion, and fear about participating. And others, like the AAPI community, are historically undercounted.

If our communities don’t fill out the Census, they lose out on electoral power and representation, funding, resources and access to services in their language. As lawyers and community leaders, we are in a position to dispel myths and help our communities get counted.

In light of concerns about the coronavirus, Census officials are encouraging individuals to fill out the form online or by mail. For more information about the Census and the Coronavirus, please visit CountUsIn2020.org.

Four Things You Can Do to Help:

Watch and share the Census Bureau’s videos, in English and over sixty other languages, on how to fill out the Census online.

Share the in-language Census resources in your community and with your clients.

Share the AAPI in-language “About the Census” videos on social media.

Learn what lawyers and bar associations can do to protect the public.

NAPABA, the South Asian Bar Association of North American and Asian Americans Advancing Justice developed resources for AAPI lawyers about the upcoming Census. Find more materials, including in-language resources and videos, at napaba.org/census and CountUsIn2020.org.

Together we can ensure our communities are counted!

Questions about the Census?  You can contact NAPABA two ways:

  • Call the census language hotline, for answers to questions in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali/Bangla.  Call 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time at 844-2020-API or 844-202-0274.
  • Go to https://www.countusin2020.org/hotline
Posted on

Call For Programs 2020 NAPABA Convention

The Deadline Has Been Extended!

New Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday, March 23

The coronavirus has disrupted normal business practices for many of us. We at NAPABA recognize that our members have been pulled in many different directions to adjust to changes in work environments.

With that in mind, we’re extending our deadline for the 2020 NAPABA Convention Call for Programs to March 23 at 5 p.m. ET to give you more time to submit. 

Quicklinks: 


Contact us with questions or submission difficulties at convention@napaba.org.

Submit Now

Posted on

NAPABA Leadership Advancement Program

Become the Leader You Know You Can Be

Build Your Leadership Skills & Go Farther in Your Career

NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program is the chance to challenge yourself and advance in your career. Learn from your strengths and weaknesses, build relationships with your peers and grow as a leader during this year-long experiential program.

Who are we looking for?

All NAPABA members are encouraged to apply, although the selection committee will focus on the following criteria this year:

  • Law firm candidates: this year’s program will prefer candidates with between six and 10 years of experience
  • In-house candidates: preference for a minimum of three to four years of IHC experience, with six to 10 years of overall practice experience

Not sure about whether the program is right for you?

Here’s one 2019 alum’s review:

APPLY NOW! 
Deadline: Thursday, March 12  – 11:59 pm ET

Posted on

Apply for NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program

NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program is a year-long experiential program targeted at building leadership skills by allowing rising attorneys to step into their own leadership style, while providing an opportunity to foster genuine relationships with peers within the profession, especially between in-house counsel (IHC) and law firm attorneys. 

Here are just a few accomplishments from our last cohort since they completed the program:

Visit our website to learn more about the program’s requirements and see how you’ll benefit from being part of this opportunity.

Apply here. The application deadline is Thursday, March 12.

Posted on

NAPABA is Seeking Thursday Specialty Program Submissions for its 2020 Convention

You may have already seen NAPABA’s Call for Programs email for this year’s NAPABA Convention, taking place November 5-8. In addition to the call for general programs, NAPABA is also looking for Thursday Specialty Program submissions.

What is Thursday Specialty Programming?

Workshops and programs held by NAPABA’s networks and committees to build the skills and knowledge you need to excel in your career.

This year’s Thursday Specialty Programming tracks, held concurrently, include:

  • International Law Symposium presented by the International Law Committee
  • Solo & Small Firm Bootcamp presented by the Solo & Small Firm Network
  • Women’s Leadership Workshop presented by the Women’s Leadership Network

For more information on how to submit a program, please visit NAPABA’s Call for Programs page by clicking here.

Please note the deadline for submission is March 16, 2020, at 5: 00 PM ET.

Posted on

AABANY Celebrates Lunar New Year at Mayer Brown

On January 22, 2020 AABANY co-hosted a Lunar New Year party with the Financial Services Network of NAPABA at the offices of Mayer Brown. Over 50 attendees enjoyed food, wine and drinks. Kendrick Nguyen, founder of Republic Bank, spoke briefly about his journey from being a lawyer to CEO of a start-up with 60 employees.

We thank Mayer Brown and all who attended this event.

Proudly powered by WordPress