November 19, 2015 Judges’ Dinner

On November 19, 2015, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County (APABA), along with co-sponsors APAWLA, JABA, NAPABA, OCAABA, PABA, SABA-SC, SCCLA, and TABA, hosted its inaugural Asian Pacific American Judges Dinner in LA's Chinatown to kick-off its new Judicial Pipeline Project. 

The dinner was attended by over 30 state and federal judges, as well as representatives of co-sponsoring bar associations from throughout the greater Los Angeles Area, including Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Ventura County. During the dinner, which celebrated the achievements of APA members of the judiciary, the judges caught up with each other and learned about APABA’s Judicial Pipeline Project. The group also engaged in candid discussions about diversity on the bench and related issues. At the end of the event, the judges signed up to serve as mentors for Pipeline Project participants and to provide other support such as application review and mock interviews.

APABA’s Judicial Pipeline Project will identify and outreach to potential APA judicial candidates, establish a formal mentorship program between current APA judges and applicants, support candidates in the application and vetting process, and cultivate relationships with the Governor’s office and others to facilitate APA appointments.

Sandhya Ramadas and Christina Yang, Co-Chairs of APABA’s Public Appointments and Judicial Endorsements Committee, coordinated the event, with significant support from committee member Jason P. Lee, former Chair of California’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE); Project Advisors Hon. Holly M. Fujie, Hon. Rupa S. Goswami, and Wendy Wen Yun Chang; and the APABA Board of Governors. APABA’s Judicial Pipeline Project is generously supported by a 2015 NAPABA Affiliate Grant.

January 21, 2016 – Snaps, Velcro, or Zippers?  A Conversation About Being a Judge, Good Judging, and Justice

Join APABA and an esteemed panel to discuss the judicial selection process for the state judiciary and to hear about what work, play and life experiences make for good judges. Bring your questions and help decide if this is the right job for you

Featuring panelists:

• Joshua Groban, Senior Adviser to Governor Brown
• Kimberly Knill, Chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation
• Justice Nora M. Manella, 2nd District Court of Appeal
• The Honorable Burt Pines, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge (ret.)

For more information, please visit the event page.

July 14, 2016 - Event for Young Lawyers Interested in the Judicial Appointments Process

Please join APABA for an evening program targeted to young lawyers interested in learning about the judicial application process and what it is like to be a judge. The event will begin with a panel and Q&A session with three terrific state court judges, moderated by Jason P. Lee, current member of the State Bar Board of Trustees and past chair of the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE). For more information, please visit the event page. 

Late Summer or Early Fall 2016 (tentative) - A to Z: Federal and State Judicial Appointment Application and Vetting Process

Please join Wendy Wen Yun Chang, co-chair of NAPABA’s Judiciary Committee, and Jason P. Lee, State Bar Trustee and former JNE Commission Chair, for an in-depth review of the federal and state judicial appointment process. Designed for leaders and members of judicial appointment and rating committees, this is a rare opportunity to hear from individuals directly involved in the process and participate in a frank discussion of your committee’s and the community’s role in that process.