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Asian Americans historically have been underrepresented in the legal profession due to several factors. But one group, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), is looking to change all that. Here are some of the issues and how NAPABA is looking to address them to get more Asian American lawyers and, hopefully, judges.
The Role of Cultural Attitudes
"Judges typically come out of the pool of litigators -- lawyers in the courtroom," says John Yang, president of NAPABA. "And there is that stereotype that Asians are passive and meek. Asian Americans who go into law typically have not been litigators."
Judges are often elected or appointed, at least in part, through the political system, Yang explains. Asian Americans "still lag in political activity," he says. "We’re not very involved in politics, and when we are, we don’t always feel comfortable advocating for ourselves."
But advocacy is important. "The biggest issue among Asian Americans is access to courts and the legal system," Yang says. "Sixty percent of Asians in the US are foreign-born, and many have limited legal proficiency. That hampers them when they have to fight for rights with something like a lease or contract problems. I hate to use stereotypes, but it’s a little bit true that Asians view public disputes as something to avoid. We don’t report domestic violence or even being a victim of a crime."
The Remedy
To prevent this, NAPABA has begun educating Asian Americans on their legal rights and the availability of Asian American lawyers. The organization has three missions. One is to encourage more Asian Americans to enter the legal profession. "We need more judges and more partners in law firms," Yang says. "We need people in our community to see that these are goals they can achieve."
A second mission for NAPABA is empowering its members to do pro bono work and give back to the community. "We’re very privileged to be lawyers," says Yang. "We have to give something back, especially those of us who speak another language."
Third, NAPABA pushes members to be politically involved. "We’re nonpartisan, so we don’t care if people work with Democrats, Republicans or the Green Party," says Yang. "The important thing is to get a seat at the table. Lawyers are in a great position to make things happen, because the law is such an important part of politics."
Making a Difference
Those reasons appealed to Ivan Fong, who clerked for Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor before entering corporate law. "The promise of equal justice under law, and the desire to make a difference, motivates many students to become lawyers," Fong says.
He believes the legal profession is increasingly attractive for Asian Americans. "Perhaps a decade or more ago it was true that Asian Americans, particularly those from immigrant families, felt it would be difficult to succeed in the legal profession," says Fong. "But I think those days have passed, certainly for Asian Americans who have grown up in the US."
Amy Lin Meyerson agrees. A solo practitioner, she has gone so far as to keep her Chinese maiden name, despite a mentor who advised that "Amy Lin" sounded too cute. Although clients sometimes look surprised the first time they meet her in person, they soon realize her expertise is more important than her ethnic background, she says.
Asian Americans are themselves a diverse group, and the NAPABA is doing what it can to open the legal profession’s doors to all. The hope is that the next generation of judges will include many Asian Americans, from all corners of the Asian American community.
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