Blog : NAPABA

Minami Tamaki at NAPABA Convention 2017

Minami Tamaki at NAPABA Convention 2017

TOP PHOTO: (back row) Partner Dale Minami (second from left) with the Hon. Holly J. Fujie (left), Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge; Pankit Doshi (second from right), incoming NAPABA national president; Ameek Sidhu (right); (front row) David Louie (left), former Attorney General for the State of Hawai’i; Joan Haratani (middle), the 2006 president of the Bar Association of San Francisco; and Michelle Park Chiu (right), AABA Bay Area board member (photo courtesy of AABA).


Minami Tamaki LLP attorneys Dale Minami, Sean Tamura-Sato, Suhi Koizumi, Lisa P. Mak, and Seema Bhatt recently attended the annual National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) National Convention in Washington, D.C.  The Convention had a record-breaking turnout of over 2,000 Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law students, and elected officials from around the country.

Suhi Koizumi, a Senior Associate in our Immigration Practice Group, was honored with the prestigious NAPABA Best Under 40 Award, which recognizes talented individuals in the Asian Pacific American legal community who are under the age of 40 and have achieved prominence and distinction in their respective fields, and who have demonstrated a strong commitment to Asian Pacific American civic or community affairs.

Minami Tamaki’s Suhi Koizumi (left of podium) receiving one of NAPABA’s ‘Best Under 40″ awards at the 2017 national convention (photo by Lisa P. Mak).

During CLE breakout sessions, Dale Minami, a Partner in our Personal Injury Group, joined with members of the Asian American Bar Association of New York in a moving re-enactment of the story and trial of Fred Korematsu, which resulted in the overturning of a 40-year-old conviction for Mr. Korematsu’s refusal to obey exclusion orders aimed at Japanese Americans during World War II.  Since Dale was the Lead Counsel for Fred Korematsu, he played himself in the re-enactment, which he described as “quite stressful.”

Minami Tamaki Partner Dale Minami participating in a re-enactment of the Korematsu trial (photo by Lisa P. Mak).

At the Convention, our firm also raised awareness about the Stop Repeating History (stoprepeatinghistory.org) campaign, which seeks to educate the public on the dangers of unchecked presidential power and the parallels between the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II with the current administration’s travel ban executive orders.

All of our attorneys who attended the Convention were a part of the NAPABA Solo and Small Firm Committee, which promotes the interest of small firms through “Boot Camp” seminars, networking, and cross referrals.

The Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA), represented by President Miriam Kim, was honored with the NAPABA Affiliate of the Year Award, which recognizes an outstanding local affiliate bar association for its best practices and accomplishments in its local community.  Nassiri & Jung LLP of San Francisco, represented by Charles Jung, was recognized as the APA-Owned Law Firm of the Year.  Pankit Doshi of San Francisco was sworn in as the new President of NAPABA.

Dale was a co-founder of AABA.  Sean Tamura-Sato, a Partner in our Consumer & Employee Rights Group, and Lisa P. Mak, an Associate in the same group, currently serve on AABA’s Board of Directors.

Associates Seema Bhatt (left) and Lisa P. Mak (right) attended their first NAPABA convention (photo courtesy of Lisa. P. Mak).

Lisa and Seema were first-time Convention attendees and were inspired by the experience of seeing so many influential API attorneys in diverse roles and meeting many judges, politicians, and other prominent members of the legal community.

Minami Tamaki is proud to continue supporting NAPABA and its efforts to address civil rights issues, promote community service, and increase diversity in the legal profession.

Partners Dale Minami (left) and Sean Tamura-Sato at the NAPABA 2017 convention (photo by Lisa P. Mak).

Minami Tamaki Honored as APA Law Firm of the Year by NAPABA

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) honored Minami Tamaki with its inaugural APA-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award in Nov. 2012.

NAPABA established the APA-Owned Law Firm of the Year Award to recognize NAPABA’s law firms—solo, small, and large—that have achieved prominence and distinction, and have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Asian Pacific American community.

The Award celebrates law practices that embrace the APA community while maintaining the highest ethical and legal standards in our profession. The Award also recognizes firms that have advanced the goals and ideals of NAPABA and APA legal advocacy groups.

Read more in NAPABA’s latest newsletter (pg. 13)

Minami Tamaki at NAPABA Convention 2011

Minami Tamaki at NAPABA Convention 2011

By Olivia Lee and Sean Tamura-Sato

Minami Tamaki attorneys recently attended the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention, held in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 17-20, 2011. Partners Dale Minami and Brad Yamauchi, and Associates Olivia Lee, Sean Tamura-Sato, and Eunice Yang joined over 1,200 other Asian American and Pacific Islander lawyers, judges, legal scholars, and law students at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center.

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Minami Tamaki LLP Associates Olivia Lee (far left), Eunice Yang (third from left) and Sean Tamura-Sato (far right), with Attorney General of Hawaii David Louie (middle).

This year’s Convention theme of “Sustainability” focused on planting the seeds of renewal and growth for AAPIs, and celebrated the achievements of AAPIs in the legal community. Minami Tamaki attorneys reconnected with old friends and made new ones during the four day event filled with CLE panels, receptions, committee meetings, plenary sessions, and after-hours events. Among the dozens of inspiring and dynamic panels were sessions on the impact of 9/11 on the AAPI community ten years later, the introduction of state immigration laws patterned after Arizona Senate Bill 1070, AAPI representation in the judiciary, and an examination of race, color, and citizenship through reenactments of U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in the cases of Ozawa and Thind. Members of the Ozawa family also attended these reenactments.

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Minami Tamaki Partner Dale Minami (third from right) with Attorney General of Hawaii David Louie (far left), Hawai’i Supreme Court Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna (third from left), California Supreme Court Associate Justice Goodwin Liu (fourth from left) and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (fifth from right).

The Minami Tamaki delegation attended several Solo & Small Firm Committee events, including a Committee dinner and planning meeting. Minami Tamaki is committed to increasing solo and small firm membership and benefits within NAPABA, and to providing a support and referral network for Committee members. Future plans include educational programs focusing on solo/small firm practice, and increased dialogue regarding the interests of consumers, employees, and accident victims.

Associates Olivia Lee, Sean Tamura-Sato, and Eunice Yang also attended several Young Lawyer / First Time Attendee events at the Convention, allowing them to build bonds with the next generation of NAPABA trailblazers. It was truly rewarding to meet so many impressive young attorneys from around the country.

Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Denny Chin was the keynote speaker at the Anniversary Gala and Celebration Dinner on November 19. Judge Chin entertained the crowd with stories from numerous cases he presided over during 15 years on the U.S. District Court (S.D. N.Y.) bench, including the trial and sentencing of financier Bernard Madoff.

The annual NAPABA Judges Panel featured three AAPI Supreme Court Justices: Justice Ming Chin (California Supreme Court); Justice FernandeDuffly (Massachusetts Supreme Court); and Justice Sabrina McKenna (Hawai’i Supreme Court). California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu also offered special remarks to the capacity crowd regarding his journey to the State high court. The esteemed panelists shared stories from their diverse experiences and dispensed vital tips for oral advocates (“Answer the question asked!”).

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Minami Tamaki Partner Dale Minami (right) with, from left, Attorney General of Hawaii David Louie, California Supreme Court Associate Justice Goodwin Liu and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono.

The Convention also included Plenary Session remarks by Yale Law Professor and best-selling author Amy Chua. Professor Chua’s entertaining and engaging speech ranged from recounting the media firestorm around her book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” to providing advice to young AAPI lawyers and law students on how to succeed in legal practice.

The 2011 Convention reinforced Minami Tamaki’s commitment to NAPABA, and our goal of mentoring and supporting members engaged in civil rights, social justice, and small firm practice. We look forward to participating in the 2012 NAPABA Conference in Washington, D.C.