The Asian Bar Association of Washington (ABAW) will host the 20th Annual National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention in Seattle from November 20–22. The event will mark NAPABA’s first return to Seattle since ABAW hosted the convention in 1991. The 2008 theme will be “Building on our Legacy: 20 Years of NAPABA.”
Founded in 1988, NAPABA is the national association of Asian Pacific American (APA) attorneys, judges, law professors and law students, providing a national network for its members and affiliates. NAPABA advocates for the legal needs and interests of the APA community and represents the interests of more than 40,000 attorneys and 50 local APA bar associations.
ABAW celebrated its 20th year in 2007 and has grown to a membership of more than 350 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students.
The NAPABA three-day convention will celebrate the accomplishments of APA leaders in the legal profession and the many advances made by the APA community over the past 20 years. More than 1,200 legal professionals and guests from around the country are expected to attend.
In addition to two days of CLE programs, the convention also will feature break-out sessions for NAPABA’s various committees, including in-house counsel, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, civil rights, community service, judicial council, immigration, international, public sector, women’s leadership and young lawyers. NAPABA also will host its fifth Bar Leadership Institute, founded by ABAW member Benes Aldana, featuring presentations and workshops offering leadership skills training for NAPABA affiliate leaders and committee chairs.
The convention also will include the final rounds of the Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition, which was founded in 1993 by the APA Law Student Association of the South Texas College of Law in Houston. The competition honors the late Judge Thomas Tang, a champion of individual rights and an advocate for the advancement of minority attorneys, who served on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1977 until his death in 1995. Since 2003, Seattle Municipal Court Judge Kimi Kondo has coordinated the Northwest Regional Competition.
Each year, NAPABA honors with its Trailblazer Awards a member from each region who has demonstrated vision, courage and tenacity in his or her career, and made substantial and lasting contributions to both the APA legal and social communities. Pacific Northwest recipients have included Dolores Sibonga (1994), Wallace Who (1995), Judge Eileen Kato (1997), Congressman David Wu (1999), Judge Kenneth Kato (2000), Judge Dean Lum (2002), Ada Shen-Jaffe (2004), and former Governor Gary Locke (2006).
The annual convention is also an opportunity to recognize NAPABA’s “Best Lawyers Under 40,” an award that recognizes talented individuals within the APA legal community who have achieved prominence and distinction in their fields of endeavor and have demonstrated a strong commitment to civic or community affairs. Prior recipients have included Nelson Lee, Office of the King County Prosecuting Attorney (2004); Benes Aldana, U.S. Coast Guard (2003); Steve Koh, Perkins Coie (2002); Ken Payson, Heller Ehrman (2002); and Grace Yuan, K&L Gates (2002).
Convention events will be held in various locations throughout Seattle, showcasing various cultural attractions including the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project.
“Having the Convention in Seattle will be an exciting opportunity not only to showcase the contributions NAPABA and its members have made across our great nation, but to bring together all of NAPABA’s affiliates in a setting of rare natural beauty where commitment to diverse cultures and pursuit of freedom, justice, and equality are alive and well,” said NAPABA President-Elect Andy Hahn.
Contact Information. For general information about the convention, contact Planning Committee Co-Chairs Benes Aldana at 206-217-6401 or benesaldana@comcast.net, and Marcine Anderson at 206-296-0430 or marcineanderson@comcast.net. For information about social events, contact Social Events Chair Andrew Chan at 206-622-1604 or andrewc@mhb.com. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Andrew T. Hahn, NAPABA president-elect, at ahahn@seyfarth.com.
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