old-fashioned hard work. Be reliable. Be prepared. Be pro- fessional. Be committed to your job, your clients, and your community and you will succeed.” Others have a diff erent and less traditional, but just as
helpful, tool for success: sustaining self. With all of the chal- lenges APA attorneys face, especially stereotypes and limited opportunities to advance, these honorees didn’t fi nd the path to success an easy road to travel, but they do have advice for others on that journey. T e value of minority attorneys hav- ing mentors to guide their careers cannot be overstated. “It’s important to have a personal board of directors,” says Kim as she thought back on what she wished she had early on in her career. “You should fi nd people who genuinely care about your personal and career development—they should have your best interest at heart. T ese are the people who continue to push me to be uncomfortable and take risks.” As noted by the honorees, the equation for the BU40
Award is rather simple: a lot of hard work + commitment to self and community = NAPABA Best Lawyer Under 40. T e diffi cult part is how an individual determines how to add the meat to those skeletal variables. But what we all know is that the end sum of this equation is someone who is recognized by peers as exceptional in his/her practice, both in and out of the legal profession.
42 Profi les: NAPABA’S BEST LAWYERS UNDER FORTY
Shiraz D. Tangri
SHIRAZ TANGRI is shaping the Southern California real estate landscape through his exceptional success leading several high-pro- fi le land use, environmental, and real property development cases. A sought-after expert in the envi- ronmental and land development fi elds, Tangri is regularly quoted in the media. Tangri was named in April 2011 by the Daily Journal as one of California’s Top 25 Land-
Use Leaders. In April 2010, he was one of only 10 environmental lawyers nationwide named as a “Rising Star” by Law360. These recognitions acknowledge his success in delivering quality results on high-profi le and controversial projects, as well as his commitment to pro bono and community engagement. As a commu- nity service leader, he is a strong advocate for urban redevelopment, including the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles. Tangri also chairs Alston & Bird LLP’s Southern California Pro Bono Committee, and co-chairs NAPABA’s Pro Bono & Community Service Committee.
Anh-Thu “Anh” P. Mai- Windle
ANH-THU “ANH” P. MAI-WINDLE is employed as a senior litigation counsel with the Civil Division’s Offi ce of Immigration Litigation in the U.S. Department of Justice. In that capacity, she supports the recruitment, hiring, training, development, and supervision of attorneys, and litigates numerous immigration cases before the vari- ous U.S. circuit courts of appeals and district courts. Mai-Windle previously served as a judicial law clerk and attorney advisor in the
Executive Offi ce for Immigration Review after joining the Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program and working in a variety of legal posi- tions. Committed to public service, Mai-Windle has been a longtime leader and volunteer in the department and for professional, community service, cultural, and civic organizations. She earned a J.D. and certifi cate in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University School of Law and a B.A. in Criminology, Law, and Society with a minor in English from the University of California at Irvine.
A PROMISING FUTURE Over the years, past NAPABA BU40 honorees have gone on to establish accomplished careers. T is year’s class joins the distinguished list of NAPABA BU40 honorees that includes: Honorable Amul T apar, the fi rst South Asian American federal district court judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Bettina Yip, Associate General Counsel for Del Monte Foods; Delegate Mark Keam, who represents the 35th District in the Virginia House of Delegates; and Frank Wu, chancellor and dean of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. A select few have even gone on to win NAPABA’s most
coveted award—the Trailblazer Award. Past BU40 honor- ees who have gone on to become a NAPABA Trailblazer include: Honorable Jacqueline H. Nguyen, Article III Federal District Court Judge for the Central District of California; Marty Lorenzo, Partner at DLA Piper LLP; and Wan J. Kim, former Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. T eir footsteps are not easy to follow, but placing a bet on the 2011 BU40 honorees to successfully follow in those footsteps while creating their own paths would probably result in a winning hand. D&B
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
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