an ExCiTing YEar for asian amEriCan divErsiTY
Diversity & Inclusion Committee
Chairs: Marsha Moses - Law Offices of Kubicki Draper and Abraham Shakfeh - Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig, LLP
Photo courtesy of Second District Court of Appeal
T
his has been an exciting
year for Asian American
attorneys. With the
swearing-in of Grace
Yang on July 5, she became the
first Asian American president of
the HCBA. On April 26, Denise
Kim Beamer became one of the
first Asian American judges in the
Ninth Judicial Circuit. Moreover,
there has been a marked increase
of Asian American attorneys all
over the country.
Equally exciting, on March 20,
the Second District Court of
Appeal of Florida held an
investiture for Judge Andrea Teves
Smith, the first Asian American
judge on the Court of Appeal.
I was honored to be invited
to speak at her investiture,
representing the Asian Pacific
American Bar Association of
Tampa Bay (APABA Tampa Bay). 1
Her personal achievements,
of course, are a testament to her
intellect, ability, and dedication.
For Asian American attorneys —
and there have not been many of
us in Florida — she is truly a role
model, inspiring all of us and those
following behind us. Judge Smith’s
leadership in organizing diversity
training and activities for voluntary
bar associations is particularly
noteworthy. She was the judge-
member of the Supreme Court
Judges Silberman and Villanti extending a warm welcome to Judge Andrea Teves Smith, who
was sitting on her first oral argument panel with the Second District Court of Appeal in April.
we support the notion that our judiciary be made up
of judges who directly reflect the makeup of the communities
in which they serve, and with judges on the bench
like Judge smith, florida is well on its way.
Diversity Team for the Tenth
Judicial Circuit and one of the
most active and prolific Diversity
Team judge members in the state!
To be sure, we have not been
without trailblazers in our area.
Former Judge Sonny Im was the
first Asian American Judge in
the Sixth Judicial Circuit. Judge
Anuragg Singhal currently sits on
the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
Most of us have immigrant
ancestors who made their way
into this great nation in search of
opportunity, safety, freedom, and
the American Dream. For some,
that was a few generations ago.
For others, we are the first. But
regardless, APABA Tampa Bay
hopes that our esteemed Florida
judges keep their own ancestors in
mind, remembering their ancestors’
struggles with learning English and
in trying to become Americans
in their newly adopted home. We
also support the notion that our
judiciary be made up of judges who
directly reflect the makeup of the
communities in which they serve,
and with judges on the bench like
Judge Smith, Florida is well on
its way.
On behalf of APABA Tampa Bay,
we want to thank all the attorneys
and judges for their service to our
profession and our community, and
offer a special thank you to those
who have been trailblazers within
and for the Asian American legal
community. We wish you the best. n
APABA Tampa Bay is a voluntary
bar association that includes law
students, judges, and of course,
attorneys, of Asian descent and
heritage, from all across Tampa Bay.
We are an affiliate of the National
Asian Pacific American Bar Association
which represents
the interests of
almost 50,000
attorneys
nationwide.
1
Author: Haksoo
Stephen Lee -
Lee Law Group,
PLLC
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28
SEPT - OCT 2019
|
HCBA LAWYER