about

committees

Nearly twenty different committees form the lifeblood of AABA. Each committee holds their own events and programming that engage the AABA community in unique ways. If you are an active paid member and are interested in joining or learning more about a committee, please contact one of the committee co-chairs below.

CIVIL RIGHTS

The Civil Rights Committee (CRC) assists the AABA Board in making recommendations, formulating strategy, and acting on issues that affect the civil and legal rights of the Asian- American community.

AABA and its attorneys have been actively involved in civil rights issues. AABA members filed an amicus brief in the Bakke affirmative action case, filed a successful petition overturning the conviction of Fred Korematsu in the landmark Korematsu v. United States case, worked on the successful campaign to release Chol Soo Lee from prison, and were involved in efforts to release Wen Ho Lee and to unseal documents in his case. AABA supports and works with civil rights and public interest groups such as the Asian Law Caucus and the California State Bar’s Diversity Award Program


Vanessa Ing
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
 ving@fbm.com


Aseem Mehta
Asian Law Caucus

aseemm@advancingjustice-alc.org

Carl Takei
Asian Law Caucus
carlt@advancingjustice-alc.org


Emily Zia
East Bay Children's Law
emilyszia@gmail.com

COMMUNITY SERVICES

The Community Services Committee (CSC) provides opportunities for AABA members to engage the community through pro bono and service activities. CSC partners with the non-profit Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach to run monthly pro bono legal clinics in Oakland and San Francisco, where AABA members can dispense legal advice to indigent clients. CSC also hosts an annual diversity pipeline conference, Pathways to Law , which introduces diverse high school and college students to law school and the legal profession.

In addition, CSC provides a variety of non-legal service opportunities in the Bay Area, including school beautification projects, building restoration, food bank events, environmental clean-ups, and holiday gift-wrapping. CSC continues to collaborate with local organizations, companies, and bar associations to provide rewarding service experiences for AABA’s members and their friends and family.


Christina Chen
Morgan Lewis

christina.chen@morganlewis.com


Nicholas Lee
Lieff Cabraser

nlee@lchb.com



Danielle Lewis
Hawkins Parnell & Young

dlewis@hpylaw.com


Ly Ly
Compass

EDUCATION

The Education Committee develops and coordinates seminars and lectures on topics of general interest to the AABA membership. AABA has been approved by the State Bar of California as a provider of Minimum Continuing Legal Education.


Javkhlanen Enkhbayar
Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney
javkhlanenkhbayar@gmail.com


Jason Siu
Horvitz & Levy LLP


Chris Young
Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP

IN-HOUSE COUNSEL

The In-House Counsel Committee provides Asian-American in-house attorneys with opportunities for networking, information exchange, career development, and legal education specifically geared to the unique needs of in-house counsel. The In-House Counsel Committee also acts as a resource for AABA members interested in becoming in-house counsel and developing business relationships with established in-house counsel.


Hanifa Baporia
hanifaab21@gmail.com


Ballari Mukherjee
bmukherjee112@gmail.com


Troy Grabow
grabowt@gmail.com

JUDICIARY

The Judiciary Committee works to promote the appointment of Asian-Americans to the federal and state judiciary and other governmental positions. They evaluate potential candidates, and identify and encourage Asian-Americans to apply for judicial positions. The Judiciary Committee meets once a month to discuss judicial endorsement requests and Committee activities. Members vet candidates who are requesting AABA’s endorsement, through an intensive vetting procedure, including background checks and interviews . The Judiciary Committee strives to maintain a diverse membership and invite new members based on a holistic assessment that considers the following factors: (1) length of time practicing law; (2) proven commitment to AABA; (3) size of law firm or practice; (4) types of employment and specific legal interests (5) commitment to diversity, and (6) ability to make extensive time commitment to Committee’s need.


Alice Liu Jensen
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
JensenA@sec.gov


Michael Ng
Kobre Kim
Michael.Ng@kobrekim.com



LAW STUDENTS



Victoria Chan
Golden Gate University
vchan119@my.ggu.edu


Blair Matsuura
UC Berkeley
blairmatsuura@gmail.com


Natalie Tantisirirat
UC Hastings
nntan@uchastings.edu

LGBTQ

Founded in 2013, the LGBTQ Committee provides all AABA members with: (1) opportunities and tools to address specific challenges that Asian-American LGBTQ law students, attorneys, and judges experience in the legal profession; (2) professional and personal development support; (3) a community that allows for meaningful connections; and (4) support to increase representation of Asian-American LGBTQ members in senior and leadership positions in the legal profession.

LGBTQ


Natasha Hsieh
Silicon Legal Strategy

nyhsieh@gmail.com


Miriam Marks
Lieff Cabraser
mmarks@lchb.com

Idrian Mollenda
Farella Braun + Martell LLP
imollaneda@fbm.com

MENTORSHIP

The Mentorship Committee matches law students with attorneys who provide guidance to students about coursework, jobs, and career decisions. Students are matched with either private sector or public interest/government attorneys depending on their interests. The Mentorship Program helps to build a professional AABA network that furthers the career interests of all AABA members.


Irene Hong
Morgan Lewis

irenehong@alumni.upenn.edu


Jon Ng
Goodwin Procter LLP

JonathanNg@goodwinlaw.com

NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER

The Newsletter Committee acts as the voice of AABA by publishing information of interest to AABA members, articles about legal issues and events that affect the Asian-American community, and reports about legal developments affecting the APA community on the state and national levels. To see past AABA newsletters, please go to our Newsletter page.


Kathy Aoki
kathyaok@aol.com


Jessica Yu
Federal Public Defender

jessicayu495@gmail.com

PARTNERS


Lily Chinn
Baker Botts LLP

lily.chinn@bakerbotts.com


Lucky Meinz
Sheppard Mullin

LMeinz@sheppardmullin.com


Anjali Srinivasan
Keker Van Nest

asrinivasan@keker.com

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Professional Development Committee publicizes job openings, sponsors an annual jobs panel and workshop to help law students with resume writing and interviewing skills, hosts a summer reception for law clerks and employers, and cooperates with community groups and local bar associations to improve employment opportunities for minority lawyers.


Sarah Bowen
Trucker Huss
sbowen@truckerhuss.com


Nish Hossain
Paragon Legal

PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE


Charles Jung
Nassiri & Jung LLP
aaba@njfirm.com

PUBLIC LAW/PUBLIC SERVICE

Formed in 2011, The Public Law/Public Service Committee, , promotes the professional development of AABA members who work in public law or public service by providing a forum for those attorneys to interact and network with each other and with the community at large. The Committee acts as a resource for AABA members interested in public service and government work.


Sharon Liu-Bettencourt
sliubettencourt@gmail.com


Lisa Ma


Sharon Liu-Bettencourt
ninapaul@gmail.com

PUBLIC LAW LEADERSHIP ADVISORY COUNCIL

Founded in 2016, the Public Law Leadership Advisory Council brings together senior APA leaders in public service law. The Council advises AABA Board and Committee leadership on public service initiatives, serves our senior API public leader community, and is a resource on presidential, gubernatorial, or local leadership appointments.


Andrew Huang

SOCIAL

The Social Committee organizes and hosts social events that focus on community and networking. Events include the annual holiday party, receptions for public officials, student-attorney mixers, and gatherings with other minority bar organizations to promote friendships and professional ties among AABA members and others.


Eric Chang
U.S. Attorney's Office
chang.ericj@gmail.com


Robert Chou
Skadden
robert.chou@skadden.com


Andre Fontana
BraunHagey & Borden


Karen Leung
Morrison Foerster
karyankarenleung@gmail.com

SOLO & SMALL FIRMS

The Solo and Small Firms Committee Assists Asian-American solo practitioners and attorneys at small firms with business development and promotion. of their practice by (i) holding mixers with in-house attorneys and seminars on business development and (ii) promoting and highlighting Asian American owned/minority owned law firms and encouraging companies to recognize, consider and retain these firms when selecting outside counsel.


Jin Im-Saeteurn
Chan Punzalan LLP
Imsaeteurn@outlook.com


Andrea Loh
Loh Legal

andrea@lohlegal.com


Erika Yuen
Yuen Law

erika@yuenlaw.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The Wellness Committee is committed to providing resources and ideas to help the AABA community to manage our emotional, mental, and physical well-beings.


Betty Hsu
Veritext

bhsu@veritext.com


Grace Yang
GSYang@gmail.com

WOMEN'S

The Women’s Committee provides structured support and networking opportunities for AABA's female members and also promotes efforts within the legal profession to increase the representation of women in senior and leadership positions.


Michelle Kao
Farella Braun
mkao@fbm.com


Natassia Kwan
SF City Attorney's Office


Caitlin Woods
Lieff Cabraser
cwoods@lchb.com

Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area

P.O. Box 387 San Francisco, CA 94104
info@aaba-bay.com

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