HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 30, No. 1 | Page 30

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 Get SoCial with the hCBa on FaCeBook, twitter, linkedin and inStaGraM! 28 SEPT - OCT 2019 | HCBA LAWYER