Legally Asian Pre-Law Conference Promotes Diversity in Legal Profession

The 7th Annual Legally Asian Conference was held on February 6 at the University of San Francisco School of Law, Downtown Campus. Minami Tamaki LLP Associate Lisa P. Mak served as one of the conference coordinators. Minami Tamaki LLP Associate Sean Tamura-Sato was a panelist.

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Minami Tamaki Associate Lisa P. Mak (right), one of the conference coordinators, and USF law student Victor Ng welcome attendees.

Started in 2010, the all-day conference encourages Bay Area high school, college, and post-college students, especially those from diverse backgrounds, to consider law school and the legal profession.

The Legally Asian conference is hosted by the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA) and co-sponsored by other local minority bar associations, law firms, and law schools.

Panels and keynotes featured notable firm attorneys, public sector attorneys, judges, and in-house counsel, as well as those who have used their law degrees outside traditional law practices. A panel of Bay Area law students shared their experiences about law school, and attendees also got a taste of the law school setting through an interactive mock class. Dean John Trasviña of USF School of Law delivered opening remarks.

Minami Tamaki Associate Sean Tamura-Sato speakers with USF School of Law Dean John Trasviña.Minami Tamaki Associate Sean Tamura-Sato (right) speaks with USF School of Law Dean John Trasviña.

Sean spoke on the Law Firm and In-House Panel, providing attendees with perspectives on working at Minami Tamaki, a minority-owned law firm with a social justice background and diverse practice areas, such as Immigration, Consumer and Employee Rights, Corporate and Nonprofit, and Personal Injury.

Other panelists during the day included San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Tracie Brown; Salle Yoo, General Counsel of Uber; and Victor Hwang, Deputy Director of API Legal Outreach.

Claire Y. Choo, James J. Lee, Stephen T. Chong, and Lisa coordinated the conference. Lisa is also Co-Chair for the AABA Community Services Committee.  The Committee organizes pro bono legal clinics, community service volunteer events, and diversity-oriented events for Bay Area attorneys and law students.

The Legally Asian Conference co-sponsors included the USF School of Law, Vietnamese Bar Association of Northern California, South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, and the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California.

Visit legallyasianlaw.com for more information about this annual event.

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