Arizona Asian American Bar Association

The Arizona Asian American Bar Association (AAABA) is a voluntary bar association for individuals of all backgrounds, including judges, attorneys, law professors, law students, and community members with an interest in the Arizona legal profession. This organization is focused on increasing access to justice throughout the Arizona community and on promoting equity and inclusion for Asian-American legal professionals.

The idea for the AAABA formed when five founding members met for lunch in 1993 with the idea to engage with the Asian Pacific American community. One of the founding members, Lisa Loo, recalled the first meetings of the AAABA. “We were so small, at the time, there was a restaurant called Mr. C’s, [we] actually went to the back room of his restaurant, that was our first banquet—it was really small! [We] also did lunches [in] Mr. C’s restaurant, Judge Tang would bring other judges with him to come and sit with us and we would talk about issues.” Judge Thomas Tang, who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, was a founding member of the AAABA and a leading pioneer of diversity and inclusion within the legal profession.

By 2001, the AAABA had grown to thirty members. That year, the membership hosted the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention, thereby introducing the AAABA to a wider audience and earning national recognition. By 2005, membership had expanded to over fifty members. Lisa Loo recalled this time period, noting that,“eventually we grew out of Mr. C’s back room—we had fifty people by that point and thought, we can’t do that anymore!” Currently, the AAABA is a thriving and influential organization with over 100 members, to include members of the judiciary, attorneys, law students, and members of the public.

The AAABA encourages and promotes professional growth and advancement for its membership by providing professional development and educational programs as well as opportunities for mentoring and networking. An early goal of the AAABA was to promote diversity in the legal profession by assisting law students financially and academically. The AAABA hosted its First Annual Fundraising Banquet in 1996. This event opened AAABA’s doors to the Asian-American attorney membership as well as the larger Asian-American community. AAABA continues to host annual fundraiser banquets. These banquets, typically held in the spring, are used to raise money for law student scholarships. The AAABA currently offers the Thomas Tang Law Scholarship, funded by the AAABA and the Tang Family Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is named after the late Judge Thomas Tang, who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Law student applicants need not be of Asian American Pacific Americans descent to apply. Rather, applicants must demonstrate commitment to increasing access to justice for the Asian Pacific American community. Amanda Chua, AAABA member and Commissioner for the Maricopa County Superior Court, encouraged those who are interested to become involved in AAABA regardless of their background: “Anybody can join the Asian bar, as long as they care about highlighting and elevating the Asian Pacific American lawyers in the community. We have many members who are not Asian who support our mission. We couldn’t be as impactful if we were just Asian lawyers, judges, and students.”

Aside from scholarship programs designed to promote diversity in the legal profession, the AAABA also provides groundbreaking mentorship programs that connect seasoned professionals with emerging talent, creating ripple effects of leadership and guidance. These programs ensure that the legal profession profession reflects the diversity of Arizona’s communities.

Throughout its history, the AAABA has been committed to serving underserved populations in Arizona and amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities within and beyond the legal profession. In 2008, the AAABA launched its first series of Community Legal Clinics to provide pro-bono services to the community. AAABA founding member Lisa Loo spoke about the AAABA’s goal to serve the legal community, noting: “I think just being a trusted resource is something we’d like [to be], especially in the legal profession.” The service-oriented nature of the AAABA is encompassed in a tradition that began in 2009 of gifting signed copies of Shel Silverstein’s book “The Giving Tree” to new Asian American judges to remind them of the book’s message of service to the community. This tradition symbolizes AAABA’s nurturing nature, providing shelter and resources to its members and community.

The AAABA celebrated 30 years in 2023. That year, record-breaking scholarship funds were awarded to law students across the country. This significant milestone showcases the AAABA’s ongoing legacy and bright prospects of future growth. Looking to the future, the AAABA is committed to expanding membership in the years to come, strengthening partnerships with other affinity bars to broaden impact, and launching innovative programs to address contemporary issues such as AI ethics, immigration reform, and climate justice. This forward-looking plan emphasizes the AAABA’s aspiration to set a national example for inclusivity and representation within the legal profession, as well as the enduring wisdom of founding member Judge Thomas Tang—“Justice is not a destination, it is a journey.”

For more information on the Arizona Asian American Bar Association, please visit www.azasianbar.org.