JUGGLING WORK and PASSION How NAPABA Members Mastered the Art of Juggling
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VOLUME XXIII LAWYER NO. 4 FALL 2013 JUGGLING WORK AND PASSION How NAPABA members mastered the art of juggling Juggling Work and Passion • The Tronie Foundation: One Year Later • The Dentist and the Immigration Attorney • Leadership Corner PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BOARD of GOVERNORS Dear NAPABA Members and Friends, OFFICERS As we prepare to gather in Kansas City to celebrate NAPABA’s 25th anniver- sary, I write this farewell message with feelings of pride in NAPABA’s accomplish- President Wendy C. Shiba ments, and of gratitude for the tremendous honor and privilege of having served as President. While space does not permit me to catalogue all of the past year’s President-Elect highlights, a few deserve special mention. William Simonitsch Amplifying Our Relationships with Sister Diverse Bar Associations. NAPABA Vice President of deeply values its relationships with other diverse bar associations. I have had the Communications Alexander M. Lee privilege of representing NAPABA at the annual meeting and advocacy day of the Coalition of Bar Associations of Color (CBAC), which comprises NAPABA, the Hispanic National Bar Associa- Vice President of Finance & tion, the National Bar Association, and the National Native American Bar Association. Representing NAPABA at Development the annual conventions of the North American South Asian Bar Association, the National LGBT Bar Association, Ekwan E. Rhow and the Hispanic National Bar Association provided other special opportunities. I also had the deep satisfac- tion of working with leaders of our sister members of CBAC and the American Bar Association in designing and Vice President of Membership implementing the inaugural Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy. By strengthening our ties with other diverse Brad Yamauchi bar associations, we reap the benefits of knowledge sharing and sensitivity to issues affecting each other’s communities and the synergy generated by support of each other’s initiatives. These benefits, not the least of Vice President of which are new friendships and professional relationships, are immeasurable for NAPABA and our members. Programs & Operations Jin Y. Hwang Increasing the Number of APA Article III Judges. In the first quarter of 2012, NAPABA achieved an important Secretary milestone: since President Obama took office in 2009, we had doubled the number ofAPA Article III judges, Cyndie M. Chang from eight to 16. But, we said, our work was hardly done. With the recently announced nominations for federal district court judgeships, which included four APA nominees, we stand poised for yet another milestone: if these Treasurer nominees are confirmed, the number will have tripled, from eight to 24, four of whom sit on circuit courts of George C. Chen appeal. We applaud the confirmation to the bench of these exceedingly well-qualified judges and recognize the tireless work of NAPABA’s Judiciary Committee for its advocacy in this arena. Immediate Past President Nimesh M. Patel Executing Our Three-Year Strategic Plan with Excellence. At the start of the year, I commended then- REGIONAL GOVERNORS President Nimesh M. Patel for his vision in having the Board of Governors embark upon a strategic planning Northeast Region process. The result of that prodigious effort was our 2012-2015 Strategic Plan, whose five major goals will Judy H. Kim enable us to realize the Plan’s Vision Statement: “Through the strength, talent, and engagement of our diverse Jason Leung and growing membership, NAPABA is the preeminent professional development organization and voice for the Asian Pacific American legal community, and is a leading proponent for justice.” Your Board has been hard at Central Region work executing the specific action items under the plan with discipline, which will ensure our success as a high- Peter Chung performing organization. A key priority under the Plan is growing the NAPABA enterprise and strengthening Southeast Region relationships with our affiliates. To that end, we are developing an affiliate toolkit to share best practices across Rosy L. Lor our enterprise and we have institutionalized the practice of conducting town hall meetings with affiliate leaders during our regional conferences. Southwest Region Gina Shishima Elevating the Conversation About Our Convention Culture. With the adoption of the new Convention Credo, acknowledgement of which was a prerequisite to registration for the 2013 Annual Convention, your Board of Northwest Region Trung Tu Governors has taken an important, tangible step toward reinforcing the goal of maintaining a positive culture at our national convention and other events. We fully expect that our conventions will remain unsurpassed in the Central California Region quality of our programming and will continue to provide professional enrichment for all attendees in an atmo- Pankit Doshi sphere that promotes collegiality and respect for all. Southern California Region Celebrating 25 Years of Achievement. During the 2013 Annual Convention, we will celebrate NAPABA’s 25th Lloyd Costales anniversary and honor the contributions of the many leaders who have built our great organization over the Nevada & past quarter century. We are deeply indebted to the pioneers who had the vision and commitment to found and Eastern California Region nurture our organization. While NAPABA has been many things to our diverse and growing membership, I am Jamie Chu confident that our members stand firm in their commitment to our underlying shared values of professionalism, friendship, community service, and advocacy for justice, equity, and opportunity for Asian Pacific Americans. I Northern California look forward to celebrating our Silver Anniversary with you in Kansas City. Quyen Ta Congratulations to President-Elect Bill Simonitsch and our incoming Board members as we prepare to AT-LARGE MEMBERS launch our 2013-2014 bar year. I look forward to my final year on the Board as Immediate Past President and Han C. Choi to serving under Bill’s leadership. As always, my sincerest thanks and appreciation to the many people whose Janet Shih Hajek support, contributions, and commitment have built and strengthened NAPABA – our talented staff, Board of Steven Y. Reeves Governors, committee co-chairs, affiliates, individual members, sponsors, and community partners – all are Bijal Vakil valued members of our NAPABA family. Sincerely, Wendy C. Shiba PAGE 2 FALL 2013 NAPABA LAWYER table of contents President’s Message.................................................................................................................2 The Dentist and the Immigration Attorney: In Praise of “Commodity” Work By Frank H. Wu...........................................................................................................................4 Juggling Work and Passion By Azizah Ahmad........................................................................6 Leadership Corner: Kiran Jain................................................................................................8 p. 6 Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy................................................................................10 ON THe COveR NAPABA Northeast Regional Conference Highlights by Will Wang....................................11 Read about how NAPABA mem- bers mastered the art of juggling The Tronie Foundation, One Year Later By Rani Hong and Azizah Ahmad..........................12 work and passion. NAPABA Thanks Direct Members..........................................................................................14 p. 6 NAPABA LAWYER - Vol. 23 No. 4 FALL 2013 ©National Asian Pacific American Bar Association p. 4 CO-EDITORS: Azizah Ahmad, Alexander M. Lee, and Tina Matsuoka Newsletter submission general guidelines: Letters to the Editor (500 words or less) and newsletter articles (1000 words or less) may be sent to [email protected]. The opinions expressed in the NAPABA LAWYER are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect NAPABA policy or editorial p. 10 p. 8 concurrence. Publication of any written or graphical material or p. 12 p. 11 advertisement does not constitute an endorsement. The editors reserve the right to edit, accept or reject prospective materials or advertisement in accordance with their editorial judgment. NAPABA retains the copyright to this publication and its contents, unless otherwise indicated. Please contact NAPABA for permission to reproduce any of its contents. THE DENTIST AND THE immigration attorney The Dentist and the Immigration Attorney In Praise of “Commodity” Work By Frank H. Wu ast week, I went to the dentist. I enjoy having my teeth Lcleaned. I have an hour of calm in the most comfortable chair, and I’m the focus of attention for everyone who enters the room. I used the occasion to mull over different models for the delivery of legal services. Perhaps dental care offers a useful comparison. My dentist has an excellent job. She enjoys it -- I happen to know her father before her was a dentist to the stars. She controls her own hours, has friendly clientele, makes a good living, enjoys more than a modicum of prestige, and oversees a pleasant office environment. I spent almost all of my time with the dental hygienist rather than the dentist. The dentist herself said hello at the beginning of the appointment, examined x-rays in the middle, and chatted a bit about the condition of my teeth at the end of my appointment. She had several appointments proceeding simultaneously. There was a time when the dentist had more significant contact with the typical