Advocating for the Next Generation of AAPI Lawyers

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May is a time when we celebrate the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Asian Americans are the fastest growing population in the country. It grew 81% to 18.9 million from 2000 to 2019, according to the Pew Research Center.

NAPABA, the National Asian and Pacific American Bar Association, represents the interests of 80,000 attorneys, judges, law professors and law students in the United States. The organization advocates for increased representation in the leadership ranks of the legal profession and provides members key professional development opportunities and mentorship. NAPABA addresses the many obstacles its members face such as the rise in anti-Asian rhetoric and discrimination by lobbying for better laws and banding together with other groups to achieve shared goals.  

Inspired after her first bar convention among hundreds of AAPI partners, general counsel, judges and government attorneys, Phelps partner Rebecca Sha volunteered for leadership roles at NAPABA. Nowadays, Rebecca leads a volunteer team that vets and curates CLE courses for 30 programs serving 2,000 lawyers at its annual convention. She serves on the selection committee for the Leadership Advancement Program where she uses her experience in the program to select 24 members from around North America to be part of an immersive leadership training program. And Rebecca will use her employment experience to guide a new Cannabis/CBD/Hemp Law and Policy Committee as a co-chair exploring this emerging area.

Through NAPABA, Rebecca has found mentors helping her as she has risen in her career. In turn, she mentors younger lawyers “in the hopes of inspiring others in the practice of law as an AAPI attorney the way NAPABA inspired me,” she said.