News

APABA is working with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) to conduct a poll monitoring program for the June 5 primary and November 6 general elections. APALC will recruit and train volunteers who will be sent to poll sites across Los Angeles County with high numbers of Asian American voters to make sure that voters are being treated fairly and have access to language assistance, which the county is required to provide. The volunteer monitors go inside poll sites and observe whether translated materials and bilingual poll workers are available, and if problems occur, interact with poll workers to rectify them. APABA encourages members to participate in this program. Los Angeles County is implementing several new language requirements, including assistance to Cambodian, Indian and Thai American voters.

APALC will conduct a training session on Thursday, May 24 for individuals who wish to volunteer as poll monitors. Click here for more information.

APABA is pleased to announce that it will be awarding a public interest fellowship in the amount $5,000 to a law student during the summer of 2012. Please visit our Law Students/Fellowship Committee page to apply or learn more about the fellowship. Applications are to be postmarked no later than April 20, 2012.

For immediate release: December 28, 2011
Contact: Christina Yang at (213) 229-5149 or christina.t.yang@gmail.com

Los Angeles, CA – The Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) of Los Angeles County (www.apaba.org) applauds the appointment of APABA Advisory Board member Holly J. Fujie to the Los Angeles Superior Court. APABA graciously thanks Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. for the appointment. “APABA is proud to have endorsed Holly, and to have pushed for such an eminently qualified applicant for appointment to the state judiciary,” stated Edmond Sung, president of APABA. For the last twelve years, she has been a shareholder at Buchalter, Nemer, APC. She is an expert in insurance and surety industry related litigation, and has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer from 2004-2011, one of the “Top 100 Lawyers” by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, and one of the “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California.” In 2009, Ms. Fujie was elected to membership in the prestigious American Law Institute. She graduated, at the age of 22, from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law. “Holly Fujie truly personifies the best of our profession. She has a fierce commitment to increasing access to legal services for the underserved, an unwavering dedication to diversity, and an immense passion for justice and equality,” stated Christina Yang, co-Chair of the Public Appointments and Judicial Endorsements Committee. In her various leadership positions, such as President of the State Bar of California, Board member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, President of the Chancery Club, and Chair of the Board at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Ms. Fujie has tirelessly sought to better our profession. For her efforts, she has been bestowed the “Trailblazer” Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the “Distinguished Advocate for Diversity” Award from the Philippine American Bar Association, the Public Service Award of the Japanese American Bar Association, and the "Breaking the Glass Ceiling” Award from the Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys in Law and Business. Ms. Fujie’s appointment is celebrated and rejoiced by all corners of the Los Angeles legal community, especially the Asian Pacific American community, for whom she has been a role model and advocate.

Congratulations to APABA's incoming officers and board members, who are starting their new term today: Edmond Sung (President), Michelle K. Sugihara (President-Elect), Lorraine Y. Yu (Executive VP), Dennis M. Wu (Treasurer), Judy Suwatanapongched (Secretary), Halim Dhanidina, MyLoc Dinh, Asha Saund Greenberg, Derek Ishikawa, Robin Jung, Hyongsoon Kim, Winston Keh, Tim Laske, Kasie Lee, Cynthia Loo, Jason Pu, Jacob Satayaviboon, Byron Shibata, Jennifer Song, William Sung, Kira Teshima, Helen Tran, Felix Woo, Mia F. Yamamoto, Christina Yang, Deborah Yim and Steven K. Yoda. Please join us in celebrating the installation of our new board and honoring California Supreme Court Associate Justice Goodwin Liu and U.S. District Court Judges Edward Chen, Virginia Phillips and Jacqueline Nguyen at APABA's 14th Annual Installation Dinner on February 24, 2012.

We would also like to thank our outgoing board members -- Jane Oak, Carmina Ocampo, Judy Sethna, Stacey Wang and Bryant Yang -- for all their hard work on behalf of APABA this year!

Attention law students! If you are interested in attending the NAPABA Convention in Atlanta next month and would like to apply for funding to help with your travel expenses, let us know! Several LA-area APA bar associations have contributed to a limited pool of funds to assist. Please email contactapaba@gmail.com (subject line "Law Student Funding") with your resume and estimated budget by Monday, October 31. As a prerequisite, you must also request funding from your law school.

Please note that early-bird registration rates for law students will expire on Friday, November 11. If you are a current member of APABA or another NAPABA affiliate, you are eligible for a $100 discount on your registration fee in addition to the early-bird discount.

Congratulations to APABA board member, civil rights activist and defense attorney Mia Yamamoto, who will be honored by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and Board of Supervisors at the October 11 John Anson Ford "Champions of Equality & Justice" Awards Ceremony! The John Anson Ford Award is given to individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted better human relations in the Los Angeles community.

For immediate release: September 23, 2011
Contact: Christina Yang, (213) 229-5149, contactapaba@gmail.com


Los Angeles, CA - The Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) of Los Angeles County congratulates Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen on her historic nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Yesterday, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Nguyen for a seat on the Ninth Circuit, making her the first Vietnamese American and the first Asian Pacific American woman to be nominated for a federal appellate judge position.

"Judge Nguyen's nomination to the Ninth Circuit is very significant to us," said Flora Yin, APABA president. "She was a founding member of APABA and served as our second president. Her commitment to access, inclusion, and diversity, however, goes beyond APABA. She has been a member of many minority bars, including the Women Lawyer Association of Los Angeles, the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Orange County, the Korean American Bar Association, the Japanese American Bar Association, and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association."

Judge Nguyen has served as a United States District Judge in the Central District of California in Los Angeles since 2009. Before her current appointment, she served as a California Superior Court judge. Her life and accomplishments are distinctly American and emblematic of an immigrant family's contributions to American society. Born in Dalat, South Vietnam, Judge Nguyen fled with her family to the United States in 1975, settling in California. Her parents had to work several jobs simultaneously to support their children. Often, Judge Nguyen worked alongside them as a child. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she graduated from Occidental College in 1987 and UCLA School of Law in 1991. She began her career as an associate at Musick, Peeler & Garrett in Los Angeles before joining the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office.

"APABA is thrilled that the President has nominated Judge Nguyen to the Ninth Circuit. She has served the community for years, both on the bench and off. She will truly contribute a valuable viewpoint to the federal appellate court because of her distinctive background and experiences. We look forward to a speedy confirmation by the Senate," stated Christina Yang, APABA board member.

APABA applauds President Barack Obama for nominating Judge Nguyen to the Ninth Circuit.


The Asian Pacific American Bar Association was established in 1998 to establish a broad base of membership that is reflective of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Asian/Pacific Islander American community in the greater Los Angeles area.

Thanks to all of the law students, attorneys and judges who joined us on September 15 at APABA's 5th Annual Law Student Welcome Mixer!