NAPABA’S BEST LAWYERS UNDER
40
the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP) and the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), only a small ratio of APA associates are making the jump to partnership. Although APAs make up roughly half of all associates of color, they are less likely than other racial groups to become partners. T e IILP and ALA study found that only 11.5 percent of APA lawyers transition from associ- ate to partner, compared to 90 percent of Latino and 81 percent of African American associates. T ese low conversion rates are staggering, how-
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“ NAPABA’S BEST LAWYERS UNDER 40 AWARD IS ROOTED IN THE NOTION THAT APA LAWYERS OFTEN FEEL RETICENT ABOUT PROMOTING THEMSELVES.” —Jim Goh
ever not a new discovery in the APA legal com- munity. In 2000 the BU40 Award was created in part to help the best APA lawyers break those barriers and move up in their career paths. As Jim Goh, chair of the BU40 Selection Committee, states, “NAPABA’s Best Lawyers Under 40 Award is rooted in the notion that APA lawyers often feel reticent about promot- ing themselves… Over the years, we have heard many accounts of how the award had made a diff erence in the recipients’ careers and professional endeavors. T e award is highly sought after, and the nomination process
highly competitive. Nominations go through rig- orous scrutiny by the Selection Committee. T ose selected enjoy the prestige of an award reserved only for the best of the best.” APA lawyers from various fi elds also face
misconceptions about their performance. “Being an APA female, people are sure that you’re not capable,” says Melissa Ho, shareholder at Polsinelli Shughart in Phoenix, Ariz. Nicole Kubista, a lawyer in the Offi ce of the Public Defender in St. Paul, Minn., echoed Ho’s sentiment. “We’re under- estimated and have to fi ght with the idea of ‘you might not be the best candidate for this job,’” says Kubista. Both Ho and Kubista say they have had to prove that not only are they capable lawyers, but that they are among the brightest in their fi elds. Fortunately, not every APA woman has had
the same experiences. Some, like Jeannie Suk, a professor at Harvard School of Law, have had the
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013
opportunity to work in settings that allow them to embrace being diff erent. “When I started my law teaching career, many who gave me advice assumed that I would have disadvantages as a woman, a minority, and a young person—a triple whammy—since there were hardly any law profes- sors who were all three. However, I enjoy the real- ity that my just doing the job I love each day and naturally inhabiting the role of law teacher make those qualities more and more unremarkable. I’m aware of being a novelty in some ways but I truly don’t experience that as a burden!”
REACHING COMMUNITY An essential part of the BU40 Award is service and dedication to the APA community. BU40 honor- ees are not only stellar lawyers, but have actively demonstrated a responsibility to give back. T e 2012 class is no exception—collectively this year’s honorees have performed hundreds of hours of pro bono and community service. Working in the community is nothing new
for Steven Choi, executive director at the MinKwon Center for Community Action, who has committed his career to serving the APA community. Since law school Choi has had a special interest in serving low-income APAs, by fi rst interning and eventually working as a fellow with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. At MinKwon Center for Community Action, Choi continues his commit- ment through organizing, advocacy, legal services, voting engagement, and youth empowerment in Flushing, Queens, N.Y. Tirzah Abe Lowe, a partner at Knobbe
Martens, is the immediate past president of the Orange County Asian American Bar Association and past NAPABA Southern California regional governor. Although her clients include Shaquille O’Neal and Oscar de la Hoya, it is her pro bono work with the Tronie Foundation, an organiza- tion to combat human traffi cking founded by a survivor, that helps set Abe Lowe apart from many of her peers. Abe Lowe connected the Tronie Foundation and founder Rani Hong with NAPABA’s anti-human traffi cking eff orts, result- ing in Hong speaking to a sold-out crowd at the NAPABA annual convention. T rough a special fundraiser and awareness campaign, NAPABA helped raise over $15,000 for the Tronie Foundation during the convention.
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