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Newsletter
MARCH/APRIL
2009
President’s Column
P
Garner Weng, AABA President
G
T
The Dow is plummeting as I write this. This poignant detail of course
g
gives you no ability whatsoever to extrapolate on which date I wrote
tthis.
I’m not feeling too depressed about the stock market today though. I
expect my wife and I will be quite comfortable in our retirement, so long
e
as one of our boys turns out to be Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. The
a
cchances are a little better for a Jordan. Now this may dishearten any of
yyou who have actually witnessed me trying to handle that big round orange thing—what do you call it again? But it’s true—basketball holds
a
the better prospects. Mostly because, if there’s actually a sport in which
I have less talent or knowledge than basketball, it must be golf.
Well, maybe hockey. How many Asian guys do you know who play
hockey? I know one, but he’s from Canada.
Now you may think I’m kidding about my Michael Jordan retirement
strategy, unless you’ve been over to our house since we put in the
basketball court. Now it’s not that big a court, but it’s decent-sized.
And it’s, um, well, it’s red. So going through our backyard, you see a
perfectly nice-looking deck, some nice-looking green in the lawn areas
with more green in the bordering planting and bushes, nice-looking
green vines on the fences, some natural-looking wood mulch areas,
and…. a red basketball court.
My wife’s patience and willingness to put up with me are clearly superhuman.
But if you’re going to dream, dream big. And dream in vivid color (in
this case, red).
This may feel like a hard year to dream, let alone dream big. The reality expressed in newspaper headlines is too jolting. It’s feels like a really
long time since I’ve read a front-page lead that didn’t compare these
times with the Great Depression, announce massive layoffs, or contain
similarly cheery economic news. And the news in our world of AABA is
much the same. While our wonderful supporters came out in force for
continued on next page
2
A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE continued from previous page
our Annual Dinner, we’re suffering the same fundraising problems that most every nonprofit is
facing; and our budget for 2009-10 is going to be substantially lower than the past few years.
In just the last two or three days, I’ve heard from three lawyers who’ve been hit by layoffs—all
Asian Pacific Americans. One is less than a year out of law school, one probably 6-8 years out,
and one more than 10 years out.
2009 feels like the kind of year to crawl under a rock and hide.
But that’s the wrong call.
A time of crisis dictates prudence. It dictates careful assessment of risks and downsides. It dictates contingency planning. But it does not dictate hiding. It does not dictate avoiding all risk. It
does not dictate inaction. It does not dictate losing sight of our longer-term future.
A time of crisis is necessarily also a time of opportunity. Among other things, it’s a time to make
a greater impact—because there is so much need.
In these economic times, much of that need is a need for us to do more with less. Our clients
needs us to do more with less; our law firms, companies, and organizations need us to do more
with less; our communities need us to do more with less; our families need us to do more with
less. It’s up to us to figure out how.
That’s not nearly so daunting when we focus on how that’s doing more with less money. Not
with less drive, not with less commitment, not with less intelligence, not with less passion.
In AABA this year, we will need more of all of those. Diversity and civil rights and the many
issues important to our AABA community will not stand still if we take a break. They will slide
backward. We cannot give up the strides we have made over so many hard-fought years. And
despite our great progress over the years, we have many miles still to travel. We cannot be satisfied with the status quo, even for a year.
This year, we have rare opportunities to increase the representation of Asian Pacific Americans in
the judiciary—particularly the federal bench. We cannot let these pass us by. This year, so many
of our community have been and will be hit by layoffs. We must be there to support them.
A time of crisis is a time to be bold where others are fearful. We still have to dream and dream
big. We still have to be willing to lead, not just follow, not just stand on the sidelines.
Our opportunities to make a difference have never been greater.
Garner Weng is AABA’s 33rd President. He is a partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP, where his law
practice concentrates on technology and intellectual property. Please contact him to get more
involved with AABA, give your ideas about AABA, or otherwise provide comments, suggestions,
flattery, or complaints: [email protected]
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
AABA THANKS THE FOLLOWING
SUSTAINING MEMBERS OF 2008!
Monty Agarwal
Andrew Kim
Paul Perdue
Kathy Asada
Miriam Kim
Ha Pham
Narinder Banait
Rudy Kim
Zaitun Poonja
David Biderman
Sunil Kulkarni
Edwin Prather
Billy Chan
Minette Kwok
Christine Chang
Steve Lau
Lucas Chang
Bernard Lee
Cedric Chao
Bill Lee
Claudine Cheng
Celia Lee
David Chiu
Baldwin Lee
S. Isabel Choi
Felix Lee
Judith Tang
Elaine Chow
Jack Lee
Eric Tate
Jeffrey Chu
Jason P. Lee
Theodore Ting
Annie Y.S. Chuang
Jared Leung
Alison Tsao
Madeline Chun
Susan Lew
Leon Tuan
Marisa Chun
Dorothy Liu
Adonica-Jo Wada
Mike Farn
Allan E. Low
Garner K. Weng
Samuel Feng
Wesley Lowe
Keith Fong
Maria Weydemuller
Andrew Luh
Kevin Fong
Dale Lum
Hon. Keith Fudenna
Dale Minami
Carin T. Fujisaki
Patrick Miyaki
Joan Haratani
Thuy Thi Nguyen
Joel Hayashida
Christine Noma
Daro G. Inouye
Rosemarie Oda
Denise Yee
Jack Johal
Eugene Pak
Clifford Yin
Peter Kang
John Park
Stanley Young
Rahul Kapoor
Rajiv Patel
Jim Yu
Larry Quan
Dawn Robertson
Raymond H. Sheen
Greg Sueoka
Donald Tamaki
Darryl Woo
Philip Woo
Andrew Wu
Marcus Wu
Brad Yamauchi
3
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Inside This Issue:
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
PLATINUM
Sustaining Members List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
SPONSORS:
AABA Celebrates Under the Dome of San
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Paul Hastings
Keker and Van Nest, LLP
Townsend Townsend & Crew LLP
Francisco’s City Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Honoring Public Interest Attorneys, Berkeley
Law Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Bay Area APALSA Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
GOLD
SPONSORS:
Volunteers Needed for AABA Law Day. . . . . . . . . . . 29
API Legal Outreach 21st Annual National
Asian American Trivia Championships . . . . . . . . . . 30
DLA Piper US LLP
Minami Tamaki LLP
API Legal Outreach 21st Annual National
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Asian American Trivia Championships Entry Form . . 31
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Perkins Coie LLP
Asian Law Alliance 32nd Anniversary Dinner . . . . . . 32
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Reed Smith LLP
Talking Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
CAPIPS Workshop and Registration Form . . . . . . . . 34
CAPIPS Sponsorship Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
5
Big Lights, Big City:
AABA Celebrates Under the Dome
of San Francisco’s City Hall
By Michelle D. Jew and Soyeun Choi, Newsletter Committee Co-Chairs
It was a night of celebrating honors and milestones in
the Asian legal community as the Asian American Bar
Association hosted its 32nd Annual Installation Dinner
on February 20, 2009.
Members and guests alike reveled under the dome of
San Francisco’s City Hall. Reflecting popular sentiment,
Dennis Chin, attorney at Burnham Brown, a silver sponsor of the AABA Dinner, said, “City Hall was the perfect
venue. The place was full of incredible energy, stimulating conversation and great food.” Chin sits on the
Board of Directors of the Alameda County Bar Association and is the Vice-Chair of the Barristers Executive
Committee of the Alameda County Bar Association.
Leslie C. Yuan of VMware, Inc., Palo Alto, added “I really liked the venue. It was very classy. I hope AABA
holds it there next year.”
The theme of the night was the Asian American growth
in the political arena.
“I have never seen so many Asian Americans in this
building at once,” said incoming AABA secretary Emi
Gusukuma, wearing a stunning black sleeveless sequined dress, to the packed room.
AABA Past President and President of the San Francisco
County Board of Supervisors, David Chiu echoed
the sentiment: “It is wonderful to have my family here in my new professional home.” Chiu
added, “You all are taking over.”
As diners munched on their Asian salads and
wrestled with their meaty steaks with butter
knives, Chiu thanked AABA for its support during the elections. He also encouraged people
to run for office, stating, “You are ready. You
are qualified.”
Also featured was the installation of AABA’s
2009-2010 officers. Honorable Ken M. Kawaichi introduced the 2009-2010 officers President
Garner Weng, Vice President and PresidentElect Billy Chan, Treasurer Malcolm C. Yeung,
Secretary Emi Gusukuma and new Directors
David Sohn, Ted Ting and Daisy J. Hung. Sitting Directors Juna Kim, Jason Lee, Reichi Lee,
Eugene Pak, S. Isabel Choi and Eumi Lee were
also on hand to welcome their cohorts.
The speakers of the night included San Francisco County Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and
then outgoing AABA President Celia Lee, who
thanked AABA and said, “I am honored to
serve as your 33rd President,” while incoming
president Garner Weng inspired the crowd to
continued on next page
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
AABA Celebrates continued from previous page
become active, stating, “We need you now.”
Donna Ryu, Clinical Professor of Law at U.C. Hastings, was the recipient of the Joe Morozumi Award
for Exceptional Legal Advocacy. In 2007, Ryu was
named the California Lawyer of the Year for Employment Law. In 2008, she was honored by the
Korean American Bar Association for her dedication to advancing civil rights and the Hastings
Public Interest Law Foundation awarded her Public
Interest Professor of the Year.
spirational keynote address by Don H. Liu, senior
vice president, general counsel and secretary for
Xerox Corporation.
At the conclusion of the presentations, diners were
treated to a dessert reception, sponsored by Hanson Bridgett, LLP.
“Lots of people were impressed with the venue.
The post-dinner dessert session was a great place
to catch up with people,” said Ted Ting of Reed
Smith, LLP, a gold sponsor of the AABA dinner.
Everyone from law students to seasoned attorneys
AABA honored the future with its annual award- and judges enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and
ing of scholarships. The Asian American Judges a strong sense of community.
Scholarship was awarded to Tam Mai Ma (Boalt,
JD 2011). Tam Mai Ma received a B.A. in Political “One of the aspects I really appreciate about AABA
Science from the University of California, Berke- events is that it gives new associates exposure to
ley. Ma spent six years managing legislation for meeting and interacting with a diverse array of
California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, where her API attorneys in the community,” said Sarah Kim
strong advocacy and commitment made Califor- of DLA Piper of Palo Alto, a gold sponsor of the
nia the first state to fund critical medical and social AABA Dinner.
services for immigrant survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. She is Past President of “It was nice to forget about the state of the econoMy Sister’s House, a shelter for Asian and Pacific my for an evening and celebrate with friends and
colleagues at the Installation Dinner. It would be
Islander victims of domestic violence.
even nicer to repeat the festivities in April at the
The Raymond L. Ocampo Jr. President’s Scholar- Asian Law Caucus dinner, which I hope everyone
ship was awarded to Janet Kim (Davis, JD 2010). affiliated with AABA will attend,” said Matt Ahn,
Janet Kim was raised in San Diego and attended of Morrison Foerster, LLP of San Francisco, a gold
undergraduate school at UC Berkeley. She has sponsor of the AABA dinner.
been committed to issues related to education,
But for some, the dessert bar was not the end of
mental health, and immigration.
the night. The After Party at the Sugar Lounge,
The Joe Morozumi Scholarship was awarded to according to one party-goer, was “a scene” and
Evelyn Jew (USF, JD 2011). Evelyn Jew was born “packed” with AABA Board members, officers,
and raised in San Francisco, and is happy to be and fellow revelers.
back home for law school at USF. While in law
school she hopes to contribute to the community
by volunteering as an English tutor for recent immigrants and after law school hopes to provide
general legal services to the under-privileged
Asian American community.
“Many members continued onto the after party to
share more good times as friends – a tribute to
the close community AABA fosters,” said Darren
Teshima of Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe, LLP, a
silver sponsor of the AABA dinner. Teshima, along
with Emi Gusukuma and Ted Ting were among
The AABA Law Foundation Scholarship was those in attendance at the AABA After-Party.
awarded to Lee Lam (Hastings, 2010). Lee Lam
is a native Oklahoman and a proud USC Trojan. An anonymous source told the AABA newsletCurrently, she is a second-year law student at UC ter that the party went late, with some members
Hastings and a Law Clerk at Bay Area Legal Aid, crawling home at 2 a.m.
helping clients obtain disability benefits.
The Annual Installation Dinner reflects AABA’s
The night ended on a high note with was the in- continued success in galvanizing the API commu-
continued on next page
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
7
Vincent Pan, Ann O’Leary, Prof. Goodwin Liu
Leslie and Willie Nguyen,
former AABA director
Michael and Trevor
Hon. Julie Tang and Hon. Ken Kawaichi
Photo credits: Jim Block, Alice Chin and Soyeun Choi
AABA Celebrates continued from previous page
nity. An estimated 700 attorneys and judges were
in attendance, featuring a “who’s who” in the Asian
legal community. The judiciary was well represented: Hon. David Ballati (San Francisco County Superior Court), Hon. Suzanne Bolanos (San Francisco
County Superior Court), Hon. Bruce Chan (San
Francisco County Superior Court), Hon. Edward
Chen (Northern District of California), Hon. Roy
Hashimoto (Alameda County Superior Court), Hon.
Stuart Hing (County Superior Court), Hon. Russell
Hom (Sacramento Superior Court), Hon. Helena
Gweon (Sacramento County Superior Court), Hon.
Ken Kawaichi (JAMS), Hon. Kathleen Kelly (San
Francisco County Superior Court), Hon. Lucy Koh
(Santa Clara County Superior Court), Hon. Elizabeth Lee (San Mateo County Superior Court), Hon.
Jo-Lynne Lee (Alameda County Superior Court),
Hon. Lillian Sing (San Francisco Superior Court),
Hon. Julie Tang (San Francisco County Superior
Court), Hon. Mary Wiss (San Francisco County Supe-
rior Court) and Hon. Garrett Wong (San Francisco
County Superior Court).
Also in attendance were elected officials City Attorney
for Daly City Rose Zimmerman, San Francisco Public
Defender Jeff Adachi, San Francisco City Attorney
Dennis Herrera, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky
Delgadillo, San Francisco County Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, and San Francisco City
and County Assessor Phil Ting.
Local and minority bars were represented by Asian
Pacific Bar Association Silicon Valley President Reuben Chen, Korean American Bar Association President Jae Yi, Filipino Bar Association President-Elect
Rhean Fajardo, Vietnamese American Bar Association President Cindy Nguyen Mader, South Asian
Bar Association President Khurshid Khoja, National
Asian Pacific American Bar Association Regional
Governor Bijal Vakil and Palo Alto Area Bar Association President Soyeun Choi.
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Pam Fulmer and AABA Director Eugene Pak
Thelma Garza, Hanna Leung, Hon. Bruce Chan, Hon. Lillian Sing
AABA Past President Phil Shinn, Hon. Bruce Chan, SF City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Hon. Lillian Sing,
AABA Past President Stan Young and Eugene Pak
Duy Nguyen and Natalie Seid
Miye Goishi, Chris Noma and AABA Past President Joan Haratani
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
9
AABA Newsletter Co-Chair Soyeun Choi and
AABA Membership Co-Chair Janet Li
Dennis Chin, Hon. Stuart Hing, Rhoda Hing and Mark Morodomi
Newsletter Committee Co-Chairs Michelle Jew, Soyeun Choi and Alice Chin
Hon. Garrett Wong and Sidley Austin Partner
Edward Anderson
Hon. Elizabeth Lee and A. T
Sean Tamura-Sato, Eunice Yang and Ai Mori
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Hon. Ken Kawaichi and Hon. Jo-Lynne Lee
Priya Sanger and AABA Practice Development/Solo
and Small Firms Committee Co-Chair Wesley Lowe
Goodwin Liu, Ann O’Leary, Joan Haratani and Dale Minami
AABA Past President Edith Ho and
Kevin Chung
Florence Sinay Phillips, SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Minette Kwok
and Ray Baluyot
AABA NEWSLETTER
Attendees with Jang Im
Nichi Bei Times Reporters Kathy Aoki and
Tim Shimizu
MARCH/APRIL 2009
11
Alameda County Assistant District Attorney
Nancy O’Malley and Hon. Roy Hashimoto
Margaux Aviguetero, Peter Yao with Bijal Vakil
AABA Secretary Emi Gusukuma
and AABA Judiciary/Public
Appointments Committee CoChair Avin Sharma
Golden Gate Law Students (back row) Nikki Dinh, Quan Vu, Dai Yoshida
and Cara M. Kim; (front row) Shirlie Ho, Candace Chan, Hazel Chu and
Elisa Chan
12
A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Joe Morozumi Award for
Exceptional Legal Advocacy
Recipient Donna Ryu
Hon. Ken Kawaichi and AABA Board Ted Ting, President Garner Weng, Juna Kim,
Jason Lee, Reichi Lee, Eugene Pak, S. Isabel Choi, Daisy Hung, Eumi Lee and
David Sohn
Christine Wang and attendee
Hon. Russell Hom, Hon. Helena Gweon and attendees
Ayumi Sakoda and AABA Directors David Sohn and
Eugene Pak
AABA Past President Phil Shinn and
Former AABA Treasurer Gene Woo
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
13
Ronnie Gipson and Jessie Ho
AABA Newsletter Co-Chair Soyeun Choi and
Nikki Dinh
Law Student Volunteers
Attendee, Lynn Nguyen and Christine Wang
Dennis Chin, AABA Newsletter Co-Chair Michelle Jew, Wykeisha Orr, Jane Aceituno and Brendan Brownfield
14
A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Darren Teshima, AABA Immediate Past President Celia
Lee, AABA Mentorship Committee Co-Chair Rocky Tsai
and Vincent Pan
Hon. Lucy Koh and Sanj Dutta
Lexis Nexis
AABA Past President Edith Ho and husband,
Hon. Garrett Wong
Kiran Jain and Ajay Krishnan
AABA NEWSLETTER
Hon. Edward M. Chen and AABA Past President Victor Hwang
MARCH/APRIL 2009
15
AABA Past President Ned Isokawa and Angela Lim
Attendees with Florence Sinay Phillips and Judith Tang
Brendan Brownfield and Bina Ghanaat
Monty Agarwal, AABA Director Jason Lee and Amy Kaizuka
16
A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
San Francisco City and County Board of Supervisors
President (and AABA Past President) David Chiu and
Ivy Lee
Patty Kim Chang, PG&E General Counsel
Hyun Park and Jae Yi
Marina Feehan, Rhoda Hing and husband,
Hon. Stuart Hing
San Francisco County Board of
Supervisors President David Chiu
AABA Law Foundation Scholarship Recipient Lee Lam, Joe Morozumi Scholarship Recipient
Evelyn Jew, AABA Past Presidents’ Scholarship Recipient Janet Kim and Asian Pacific
American Judges’ Scholarship Recipient Tam Mai Ma with AABA Scholarship Committee
Co-Chairs Annette Mathai- Jackson and Vilaska Nguyen.
AABA NEWSLETTER
AABA President Garner Weng
MARCH/APRIL 2009
17
AABA Newsletter Co-Chair Soyeun Choi and
Jonathan Chu
Secretary Emi Gusukuma, Treasurer Malcolm Yeung and Vice President Billy Chan with Board
Sadhana Narayan and
Kurshid Khoja
Jeanette Dong, AABA Past President Edwin Prather and
AABA Director Daisy Hung
18
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Mark Morodomi, Jeannette Dong and AABA
Past President Edwin Prather
Kurshid Khoja, AABA Vice President
Billy Chan and Sam Park
Eduardo Angeles, Special Counsel to the LA City Council
and Los Angeles City and County City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo
AABA Director Juna Kim and AABA
Secretary Emi Gusukuma
Installation Dinner Keynote Speaker Don H. Liu
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
19
9
Camille Eng, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo,
Chris Noma and Marina Feehan
AABA Past President Kevin Fong
and Millie Jew
Todd Han and Garrett Murai
Eugene Chung , Eric Wang and Tim Chu
Noelle Nguyen, AABA Vice-President Billy
Chan and Jae Yi
Matt and Jonathan
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Honoring
Public Interest
Attorneys,
Berkeley Law
Style
By Jennifer Lee, 2L at UC Berkeley School
of Law, APALSA Academic Chair
Dale Minami
photo credits: Boalt APALSA
Vina Ha, Dale Minami
and Ai Mori with 2009
Berkeley APALSA honoree
Khin Mai Aung
O
n the last Friday in January, Bay Area attorneys, law students, and like-minded guests
gathered at the Empress of China restaurant in
San Francisco for the Second Annual Dale Minami Boalt Alumni Fellowship Dinner. The Dale
Minami Public Interest Fellowship was created
last year by Berkeley Law APALSA student leaders in recognition of Mr. Minami’s civil rights
work and service to the APA community. This
year, over two hundred people were in attendance. After lingering over cocktails, participants sat down to an impressive and authentic
multi-course dinner while enjoying the evening’s
speeches. Goodwin Liu, a popular Professor of
Constitutional Law at Berkeley Law School, delivered the keynote address about “Public Interest
Lawyering Under the Obama Administration.”
Khin Mai Aung (Boalt Class of 1996) was honored as our first scholarship recipient. This year,
as well as last year, Boalt APALSA’s Alumni Relations Chairs Bryan Springmeyer and Vina Ha, respectively, as well as their Fellowship Committees
were praised by practicing attorneys and alumni
for organizing the event and bringing together
continued on next page
21
Jonathan Jew-Lim, Grace Shen, Jeff Bae, Christina Yang (3L), Francis Lam, Tracy Leong, Hana Hong, Bert Lao
Honoring Public Interest Attorneys, Berkeley Law Style
continue from page 19
such a vast yet intimately linked group of attendees.
While student efforts were certainly paramount in bringing about the event, the
dinner would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors,
who are listed on the fellowship webpage:
http://www.apalsa-boalt.org/Fellowship Boalt APALSA continues to fundraise through
(and accept donations on) this website; our
goal is to endow the scholarship to facilitate
funding the scholarship in future years. We
deeply appreciate your support.
Jennifer Lee (2L), Lin Tzeng, Grace Shen
Maria Segarra (2L), Sarah Ihn (2L)
Jennifer Murakami (2L),
Jonathan Jew-Lim,
Paul Park
22
2
2
A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
(from the after party) Tracy Leong, Jiny Kim (3L), Jennifer Murakami (2L), Christine Hung (3L), Francis Lam
Jennifer Lee (2L), Yan Fang
Grace Shen, Reinier Pualengco, Tracy Leong
Marc Pilotin (3L), Maria Segarra (2L)
Tracy Leong, Paul Park, Christina Yang (3L), Jennifer Lee (2L)
AABA NEWSLETTER
Francis Lam, Tracy Leong
MARCH/APRIL 2009
Kimpo Ngoi, Jennifer Lee (2L)
Paul Park
Sarah Ihn (2L), Jennifer Murakami (2L), Janaki Gandhi (2L), Nandini Iyer (2L)
Christina Yang (3L), Minh-Chau Nguyen (2L), Tracy Leong, Jennifer Murakami (2L), Jennifer Lee (2L), Jiny Kim (3L), Grace Shen
23
23
24
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Christina Yang (3L), Minh-Chau Nguyen (2L), Tracy Leong, Jennifer Murakami (2L), Jennifer Lee (2L), Jiny Kim (3L), Grace Shen
Judge Stuart Hing and wife Rhoda Hing and
Administrative Hearing Judge Steve Owyang
The dinner was attended by many students,
attorneys and judges
Sarah Ihn (2L), Jennifer Murakami (2L), Quinton Johnson (2L), Jennifer Lee (2L), Maria Segarra (2L)
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
25
Ha
Hastings
Dean Neil Newton and 2009 BAAPALSA
Chairperson, Jane Qu (Hastings, 2010)
Ch
Photo credit: Eugene Wu
Pho
SCU, Stanford, UC Hastings, UC Davis,
GGU, UC Berkeley, USF, McGeorge
By Yvonne Pham & George Kawamoto, AABA Student Members (UC Hastings, 2011)
Indeed, the 9th Annual Bay Area APALSA Conference took a new direction as 2009 brought unprecedented
political and economic challenges. Together, eight Bay Area law schools created an event that exemplified
the tenacity and optimism of the Asian Pacific American legal community. After six months of planning,
2009 BAAPALSA Chairperson Jane Qu (UC Hastings, 2010) declared that “it was an amazing experience
working with the APALSA representatives from all the other schools. Despite our geographic distances, we
pooled our resources to create a forum where myriad students could interact and meet role models.”
Pr
Professor
Bill O. Hing – 2009
Keynote Speaker and
K
BAAPALSA Outstanding
BA
Leadership Award Recipient
Le
A Call for Public Service – In his
keynote speech, Professor Bill
ke
Hing encouraged students to
H
take up the burdens of others
ta
with the power of the law, help
wi
be the voice of people without
access to such resources, and
ac
dialogue in local communities to become fully informed
by a diversity of views. “Though lawyering for social
change is arduous work, there is much to gain in these
battles against subordination, not simply from the
potential outcome but from the collaborative process
itself: as our clients gain strength and confidence, we
too are renewed. Thus invigorated by the talent,
spirit, and innovation that our clients and allies bring
to the table, we aspire to bring that same sense of
renewal to those with whom we work.” Attendees
were moved to make tangible efforts to embed these
ideals in their legal education and begin contributing
to community lawyering as representatives of Asian
American jurisprudence.
Professor Hing is a Professor of Law at the University
of California, Davis, where he teaches Judicial
Process, Negotiations, Public Service Strategies,
Asian American Legal History and directs the law
school clinical program. Throughout his career, he
has pursued social justice by combining community
work, litigation, and scholarship. He is on the board
of directors of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
continued on next page
26
A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
APALSA CONFERECE continued from previous page
and the Asian Law Caucus. He also serves on the National
Advisory Council of the Asian American Justice Center.
He is the author of numerous academic and practiceoriented books and articles on immigration policy and
race relations.
PANELS
Asian Americans and the Judiciary was a particularly inviting
panel to 1Ls seeking summer judicial externships. Panel
members Associate Justice Nathan Mihara, the Honorable
Lucy Koh, the Honorable Stuart Hing, and the Honorable
Joni Hiramoto addressed questions about challenges they
faced in their paths to the bench as well as the importance
of minority representation in the judiciary. Haoyu Zheng
(Hastings, 2010), who externed for Judges Mihara and
Koh last summer, and the other panel attendees “enjoyed
the panel as the judges were funny, down to earth, and
had impressive and inspirational paths to the bench.”
The Asian Americans in the Democratic Process panel
gave students an opportunity to dialogue with individuals
using their legal training to promote the welfare of the
Asian American community. Speakers included Mable
F. Yee, founder and CEO of EngageHer.org; Brian
Wang, corporate counsel for Next Internet and CoChair of AABA Community Services Committee; and
Rob Bonta, Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco
City Attorney’s Office and Board President of the Asian
Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda
County. Christine Start (USF, 2010) felt “the panelists
were impressive and was inspired to explore [her]
potential as a community leader.”
LOOKING TO BAAPALSA 2010
The 2009 BAAPALSA Conference was the culmination
of countless unseen efforts to inspire youthful future
attorneys and community leaders. As Derrick Louie
(Univ. of Oregon School of Law, 2010) noted, “those
who attended will do great things and give a voice
to those who feel unable to stand and speak for
The most popular panel, Practicing Law in the International themselves.”
Context, saw nearly 60 students. Panelists Lawrence
Chew, Verigy; Matt Ahn, Morrison & Foerster; and Eddy
Chan, Morrison & Foerster discussed practicing law in the The 10th Annual BAAPALSA Conference in 2010 will
global economy. Mr. Chan “was inspired by the number tentatively be hosted by Santa Clara University. Bay
of dedicated students and aspiring attorneys who attended Area APALSA students are already preparing for this
the panel discussion, enjoyed speaking about practicing significant gathering by acting upon the convictions
domestically and in Asia, and sharing thoughts about the they solidified this year, eager to meet in 2010 to share
these experiences and victories.
future role of US trained attorneys based in Asia.”
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
Teresa Li, Anne Chen, Yvonne Pham, Stacey Chau, and Hedi Huey (Hastings 2013) Photo credit: Jane Qu
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
Professor Bill Hing, Hastings Dean Neil Newton, and Bay Area students and attorneys
Photo credit: Eugene Wu
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
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Volunteers needed for AABA Law Day
On March 28, 2009, the AABA Community
Service Committee, API Legal Outreach, and
UC Hastings APALSA are sponsoring the first
annual AABA Law Day from 9:00 am until
4:00 pm at UC Hastings School of Law.
The AABA Law Day is meant to be a large
legal clinic where AABA attorneys and law
students will get the opportunity to help lowincome members of the community with legal
issues such as:
Wills/Trusts, Public Benefits, Immigration,
Family Law, Bankruptcy, Small Business/
Incorporation, Housing, Foreclosure, Employment,
Wage and Hour, Discrimination, Tax, and
Landlord-Tenant.
The Community Service Committee is currently
looking for volunteers who would like to staff
this new clinic, where we expect to have over
100 clients.
If you would like to volunteer, please email
Robert Uy at [email protected] or call
him at 415-567-6255 to get more details.
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
ASIAN LAW ALLIANCE 32nd ANNIVERSARY DINNER 2009
The Asian Law Alliance will be hosting its 32nd Anniversary Dinner
Fairmont Hotel
170 S. Market St., San Jose
Friday, March 27, 2009
5:30 pm cocktails : 7:00 dinner : 8:00 program
Honorees:
Legal Impact Honoree: Ronald M. George, Chief Justice, California State Supreme Court
Business Impact Honoree: Dr. Jerry Hiura, Former member, California Arts Council
Community Impact Honoree: John Chiang, California State Controller
Dinner Committee Co-Chairs
Legal Co-Chairs:
Business Co-Chair:
Community Co-Chair:
Thanh Ngo, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney
Andrew Vu, Assistant General Counsel, SAP
Laura Macias, Government Affairs Director, Comcast
Ash Kalra, Member, San Jose City Council
Emcee: Sue Kwon, Reporter CBS 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name: _______________________________________
Organization: _____________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________
City: ________________________________
State: ______ Zip Code: ______________________
Business Phone: _________________________
Home Phone: _____________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________________________________________
Please Reserve:
Type of Ticket/Table __________ Number of Tickets/Tables ________ Total Dollar Amount
Individual NON-PROFIT tickets ($100 per ticket
Gold Table ($4,000 per table) – 10 seats
Individual GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE tickets
($150 per ticket)
Emerald Table ($6,000 per table) – 10 seats
Individual tickets ($200 per ticket)
Silver Table ($2,000 per table) – 10 seats
Platinum ($10,000 per table) – 10 seats
Diamond ($15,000 per table) – 10 seats
Please reserve _______ # of vegetarian entrees.
The per person cost above $65.00 is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Unfortunately, I cannot attend. However, I would like to contribute a donation of $ ____________
For event information, please contact us at (408) 287-9710 or [email protected].
If you are interested, please respond before Monday March 23, 2009 to ensure preferred seating.
All tickets will be held at the door. Please make checks payable to: Asian Law Alliance 184 Jackson
Street, San Jose, CA 95112.
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
In Celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Midori Kai, Inc. and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose
PROUDLY PRESENT
“Talking Story”
A N I N T I M AT E C O N V E R S AT I O N
WITH
ASIAN AMERICAN AUTHORS
Delphine Hirasuna
Gail Tsukiyama
Art of Gaman
100 American Flags
The Samurai’s Garden
Street of A Thousand Blossoms
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Janice Mirikitani
Farewell to Manzanar
Legend of the Firehorse Woman
San Francisco Poet Laureate
Shedding Silence
Marlene Shigekawa
MODERATOR
Blue Jay in the Desert
Saturday May 16, 2009
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Northside Community Center
488 North Sixth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
REGISTRATION
Adults: $25 ($20 if purchased by April 30)
Seniors (65+): $15
Students (with student ID): $15
Seating Limited – Register by April 30th
Please mail your ticket order and payment check to:
Midori Kai, Inc.
5674 Sonoma Drive
Pleasanton, CA 94566
F OR M ORE I NFORMATION C ONTACT :
Phyllis Osaki at (925) 596-1770 or [email protected]
Aggie Idemoto at (408) 268-4440 or [email protected]
ÜÜÜ°“ˆ`œÀˆŽ>ˆ°Vœ“ÊÊUÊÊÜÜÜ°>“Í°œÀ}Ê
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
NOTE:
Early Bird Registration Deadline: 3/31/09
Regular Registration Deadline:
4/24/09
API Policy Summit Scholarship Application Deadline: 3/31/09
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
AABA NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL 2009
37
Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship Program
The Bar Association of San Francisco is
pleased to announce that the application
for our Bay Area Minority Law Student
Scholarship Program is now available online
at the following link: http://www.sfbar.org/
diversity/scholarships.aspx.
commitment to and involvement in, public
service, barriers faced in life, and scholastics.
Student recipients receive a $10,000 scholarship
towards their first year of law school. Thereafter,
the scholarship may be renewed for an additional
two years.
This program was established to help
increase diversity in the legal profession in
a concrete way, and alleviate at least one of
the many barriers minority students may face
when considering law school. In the past 10
years, we have awarded over 50 scholarships
to deserving law students in the Bay Area.
Awards are given based on financial need,
Please forward this information on to students,
student organizations/groups, and others
you think may be interested in applying. The
deadline for completed applications is May 15,
2009, by 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions
or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call BASF
Diversity Pipeline Program Manager, Daisy J.
Hung at 415-782-9000, extension 8705.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
MARCH
Asian Law Alliance 32nd Anniversary Dinner March
27. Fairmont Hotel. 170 South Market St., San Jose.
AABA Law Day - March 28. UC Hasting College of
Law. 200 McAllister St., San Francisco
API Legal Outreach 21st Annual National Asian
American Trivia. March 28. Japanese Cultural
and Community Center. 1840 Sutter Street, San
Francisco.
APRIL
IP Counsel Cafe presents “Where is the next
Opportunity?” April 1-2. Garden Court Hotel. 520
Cowper St., Palo Alto.
FBANC’s 29th Annual Installation Dinner April 17.
Four Seas Restaurant. 731 Grant, San Francisco
AABA Joint Mixer with SABA. April 23. TBD
Asian Law Caucus. 37th Anniversary Dinner. April
30. Hyatt Regency. 5 Embarcadero Center, San
Francisco.
MAY
Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship Program.
Deadline for completed applications May 15.
Talking Story. May 16. Northside Community
Center, 488 North Sixth Street, San Jose.
Paid Advertisement AABA does not endorse any product, service or message advertised.
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A A B A N E W S L E T T E R MARCH/APRIL 2009
2009-2010 AABA OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Garner Weng, President
S. Isabelle Choi
Reichi Lee
Billy Chan, Vice President/President Elect
Daisy Hung
Eugene M. Pak
Malcolm C. Yeung, Treasurer
Juna Kim
Dave Sohn
Emi Gusukuma, Secretary
Eumi K. Lee
Ted Ting
Jason P. Lee
AABA
COMMITTEES
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR:
Rhean Fajardo
AND 2009-2010 CO-CHAIRS
CIVIL RIGHTS/PUBLIC
INTEREST
IN HOUSE COUNSEL
NEWSLETTER
Lawrence M. Chew
Alice Chin
M. Adrianne De Castro
Steve Ngo
Maria Weydemuller
Orlena Fong
Soyeun Choi
Denise Yee
Michelle D. Jew
JUDICIARY/PUBLIC
APPOINTMENTS
PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Alexis S.M. Chiu
Hung Chang
Avin Sharma
Richard Cooc
Wesley M. Lowe
Salle E. Yoo
Richard Tamor
Robert Uy
Brian Wang
MEDIA
Livia Hsiao
EDUCATION
Rick Chang
Gregory Jung
MEMBERSHIP
David Lim
Janet Li
Sara Mo
Ayumi Urabe
SCHOLARSHIP
Candice Jan
Annette Mathai-Jackson
SOCIAL
EMPLOYMENT
Ivana Fedor
Phillip P. Lee
Elizabeth Loh
MENTORSHIP
Lynn H. Phan
Esther W. Chang
Noelle Nguyen
Rocky Tsai
JOIN AABA TODAY!