Asian Pacific American Bar Conference Kicks Off
WASHINGTON - The 22nd Annual Convention of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) will be held at the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, CA, today through November 21, 2010. The Annual Convention's "INSPIRE" theme is intended to celebrate the successes of Asian Pacific American (APA) lawyers and encourage them to continue to strive for excellence and to give back to their communities. NAPABA anticipates that over 1,600 APA attorneys in private practice, corporations, government, and the private sector will attend, along with state and federal judges and law professors from around the country.
Highlights of the Annual Convention will include what is anticipated to be the largest gathering of state and federal APA judges in history, a celebrity-studded welcome reception, an international law symposium, a public interest summit, and many other special events, such as interview sessions conducted by the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
The Convention will kick off with an opening plenary session focusing on images of APAs in media that will feature film producer Teddy Zee (producer of Hitch, Pursuit of Happyness, and Saving Face), actor Karin Anna Cheung (Better Luck Tomorrow), actor Justin Chon (Twilight, Crossing Over), actor Michelle Krusiec (Sweet Home Alabama, What Happens in Vegas, Dirty Sexy Money, and Saving Face), actor James Kyson Lee (Heroes), actor Nikki SooHoo (Stick It, The Lovely Bones), and comedienne Amy Hill (American Girl, Tokyo Bound).
The Convention will also feature a team of NAPABA all-stars in a re-argument of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the landmark birthright citizenship case of 1898. Participants will include the Honorable Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice, California Supreme Court; the Honorable Denny Chin, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; the Honorable Susan Oki Mollway, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court of the District of Hawaii; the Honorable A. Wallace Tashima, Senior Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; and the Honorable Amul Thapar, District Judge, U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Actress Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club and Karate Kid) will host the Anniversary Gala and Celebration Dinner, which will close out the Convention. The Dinner will feature remarks by the Honorable L. Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 62 local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members represent solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes professional development of minorities in the legal profession.
