member of the Massachusetts AIDS Prevention Project and volunteer at Ricesticks & Tea Food Pantry. “T e law touches so many people and only when you interact with people outside the legal profession are you grounded in that reality,” Kim says.
WORDS OF ADVICE When asked about their reactions when they were fi rst noti- fi ed of winning the award, a majority of the honorees stated that they were both honored and humbled. Many did not boast, and many only told their closest friends and family members. However, what they failed to mention about themselves, and what their peers and NAPABA knows about them is that being the best is not easy. T is year’s class, like its predecessors, has worked hard and built valuable assets to off er. “Good work is about
Profi les: NAPABA’S BEST LAWYERS UNDER FORTY 40
My Chi To
MY CHI TO is a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton and a member of the fi rm’s Bankruptcy & Restructuring Group. She represents debtors, creditors, and
investors in complex restructur- ings, bankruptcies, and distressed acquisitions. Ranked as an up- and-coming lawyer in Chambers USA (2011), To frequently speaks and writes on bankruptcy-related topics. She is actively involved in the Business Bankruptcy Committee of the American Bar Association and the American College of Investment Counsel and is on the Board of the Asian American Law Fund of New York, Inc. After receiving her LL.L./LL.B. from the University of Ottawa, To served as a law clerk to the Honorable Claire L’Heureux-Dubé, Supreme Court of Canada, and received an
M.Phil. in Politics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.
Julian Poon
JULIAN POON is an appellate and general commercial litigation part- ner in the Los Angeles offi ce of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He has handled
a broad range of cases at both the appellate and trial court level, including successfully resolving several major wage-and-hour class actions and presenting oral arguments to the Ninth, D.C., and Federal Circuits, and the California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. Poon clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia (U.S. Supreme Court) and Judge J. Michael Luttig (formerly of the Fourth Circuit). He graduated fi rst in his class and summa cum laude from Harvard Law, and with distinction and hon- ors from Stanford University. Poon was featured on the February 2011 cover of Los Angeles Lawyer, and named one of the “Top 20 Under 40” lawyers in California (Daily Journal, 2008).
Liani Reeves
LIANI REEVES was chosen by Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber to serve as his chief legal advisor and to oversee a portfolio that includes
public safety policy, tribal rela- tions and tribal gaming, clemency petitions and extradition warrants, and judicial appointments. She previously worked at the Oregon Department of Justice where she most recently served as deputy chief trial counsel. She has represented the State of Oregon in hundreds of lawsuits involving torts, employment, and constitutional claims. Reeves was also staff attorney for the National Crime Victim Law Institute where she worked on high-profi le victims’ rights cases, including the Kobe Bryant case. She has served in numerous leadership roles in organizations dedicated to equal access to justice and diversity in the legal profession.
“THE LAW WAS A MEANS BY WHICH I COULD HELP OTHERS AND
CHALLENGE MYSELF.” —ANH-THU MAI-WINDLE
quality, not quantity,” says Tangri. “Junior lawyers have a tendency to want to ‘blend in’ to their fi rm or whatever environment they fi nd themselves working in, but to suc- ceed you have to stand out. Find out what you care about, what sets you apart from your peers—and get noticed for the unique value you bring to the table.” Reeves echoes that sentiment, noting that, “T ere are
no shortcuts. T e BU40 recipients aren’t successful because we are APA; we are successful because we have put in good
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
MCCA.COM
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