A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0 is the second report published by the American Bar Foundation and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). The report is "a deeper exploration of the reasons for and potential solutions to the current challenges facing the Asian American legal community." We hosted a presentation on Portrait Project 1.0 in 2021.
Ajay K. Mehrotra, who is the William G. and Virginia K. Karnes Research Professor of Law at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and an Affiliated Professor of History at Northwestern University, joined us to present on the report and its findings. Mehrotra also serves as the current Research Professor and former Executive Director of the American Bar Foundation, a Chicago-based, independent, non-profit research institute.
Mehrotra was joined by research assistants Tyler Dang and Michael Tayag. Dang is a 2022 Yale Law School grad, where he was co-chair for the Asian American Law Student Association. He is currently serving as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Ronald Gould of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Tayag is a recent graduate of Yale Law School, where he served on the executive boards of the Capital Assistance Project and First Generation Professionals. He currently serves as a Judicial Law Clark for the Hon. Jacqueline Nguyen, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The trio focus on attrition of Asian attorneys in the legal community, social engagement, and the focus on mental health. Additionally, they discuss the departure of some Asian attorneys into the business world, as well as the appointments of APA judges.