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All Members: Please join us for KABA-SD’s first annual family potluck and picnic at Crown Point in Mission Bay Park on Saturday, March 29, 2008, at 1:00 p.m.. Meet your fellow KABA members and their families in a fun setting. Please RSVP to Jae Park at jpark@mckennalong.com.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee for KABA-SD, please click on the Mentorship Program link for a full description of the program and applications. Please consider signing up for a worthwhile experience.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Luch H. Koh to the Santa Clara County Superior Court bench, making her the first Korean American to be appointed to the bench in the Bay Area. Judge Koh fills the seat made vacant by the retirement of Judge Randolf Rice. The 39 year old IP litigator has been a partner at McDermott, Will and Emery since 2002. Prior to that, she was a senior associate at Wilson, Sonsini, Goddrich and Rosati from 2000 to 2002 and an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Major Frauds Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, from 1997 to 2000. From 1996 to 1997, Judge Koh was a special assistant to the U.S. Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice and from 1994 to 1996, served as special counsel at the Department of Justice. She earned her JD and BA degrees from Harvard. KABA-SD congratulates Judge Koh on her appointment. This is a tremendous achievement for Judge Koh and for the Korean American legal community. Congratulations Judge Koh.
The Honorable Tammy C. Ryu of the Los Angeles Superior Court spoke at the downtown San Diego office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. The Honorable Patricia Cowett and the Honorable Lillian Lim of the San Diego Superior Court were also in attendance. Judge Ryu spoke to a crowd of approximately 30 law students and attorneys. KABA-SD could not have asked for a better speaker.
During her talk, Judge Ryu stressed the importance of organizations like KABA-SD, and how her involvement with similar organizations has helped shape her career. Judge Ryu engaged the audience with personal anecdotes and valuable insight into the legal profession that provided a backdrop into how and why she became a judge.
Afterwards, Judge Ryu graciously answered questions from those present, and offered guidance as to how KABA-SD might move forward as a group.
The KABA-SD board and members thank not only Judge Ryu, but Judge Cowett and Judge Lim, and everyone who attended for making KABA-SD’s first event a success.
LESSONS LEARNED: BEFORE & AFTER BECOMING A JUDGE
The Hon. Tammy C. Ryu is the first Korean-American woman to be appointed a judge in the history of the State of California. She was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in August 2002.
Please join us as Judge Ryu shares her experience on how she became a judge, and the reasons for some of her career choices along the way. She will also discuss the challenges she faced both as a Korean-American attorney, and as a female attorney. Judge Ryu will also offer insight into life on the bench, as well as why there should be a Korean American Bar Association in San Diego.
Korean food and drinks will be served. Meet and get to know the KABA-SD board and other members. Family and friends are welcome. Come get the inside scoop on what the KABA-SD board has been working on because we would like your feedback!
Please RSVP to KABA.SD@gmail.com, so we can plan accordingly for food. Thank you!
Date, Time, and Place: TBD
Due to the wildfires, our event with Judge Ryu scheduled for October 27th has been postponed until further notice. We hope that you and your loved ones are safe. Please e-mail us at KABA.SD@gmail.com if you have any questions or if we can assist you in any way. Thank you.
This site is dedicated to the growth and development of the Korean American Bar Association of San Diego. Please feel free to take a look around.
The KABA-SD board was established on September 14, 2007.
OFFICERS
President: Jenny J. Yoo
Vice President: Byeong Ho Yuu
Secretary: Carol M. Lee
Treasurer: Gina Song
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Professional Development & Mentoring: Nancy Song
Membership & Events: Ahyoung Kim
Law Students: Jihee Kim
BOARD MEMBERS
Saerin Cho
Grace Hwang
Bryan Lee
Jae Park
Board Member Statements:
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Jenny J. Yoo
As President of KABA-SD, Jenny Yoo would like to establish a strong foundation for the longevity of this newly founded organization. Jenny is committed to serving the Korean-American legal, political, and civic communities. She hopes that KABA-SD will bring the Korean-American community in San Diego closer together so that we may support one another as well as other groups on causes of common concern.
Born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Jenny spent several years on the East Coast, receiving an A.B. in 2003 from Brown University, where she founded and chaired the Korean Adoptee Mentoring Program (KAMP), and a J.D. in 2006 from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA). Jenny is a litigation associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.
VICE-PRESIDENT: Byeong Ho Yuu
As vice president, Byeong Ho Yuu is committed with honor to shaping the early stages of KABA-SD. Byeong shall break ground for quantitative expansion and qualitative advance of association. During the term Byeong will try to provide an open channel to promote the exchange of ideas and information among members, connect it to a variety of Korean community bodies, arrange social events including golf tourneys (his favorite) and mixers, and develop sponsorship and subcommittees.
Byeong graduated from Korea University earning a B.S. and M.S.E.E. therefrom. He received his J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2005. Byeong is a Korean Patent Attorney since 1996, and registered with the CA bar and USPTO. He worked for Hyundai Electronics as an engineer and NAM & NAM Patent Law Firm as a Patent Attorney. Byeong is in-house counsel of Qualcomm Inc since April 2001 and currently focusing on patent litigations as Sr. Patent Counsel.
SECRETARY: Carol M. Lee
Carol Lee has served the public interest for her entire legal career. She is a graduate of Tufts University and Pace University School of Law. After law school, Carol clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann in the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn), then moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a Special Assistant to the Chief of the Criminal Division and as a Trial Attorney in the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section at the U.S. Department of Justice. Here, in San Diego, she continues to work in the public sector. Carol views KABA-SD as a new outlet to work with the Korean-American legal community in San Diego on issues important to the Korean community and the region as a whole.
TREASURER: Gina Song
Gina Song graduated from UC Hastings, College of Law in 2005 and is currently a transactional associate at Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps, LLP, in their downtown San Diego office. Gina was the prior president of UC Hastings’s student chapter of KABA and is eager to help foster a strong Korean-American community within the Southern California legal community.
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & MENTORING: Nancy Song
Nancy Song attended California Western School of Law and graduated in 2004. During Nancy’s law school years it was hard not to notice that there were not that many Asian-American students and there were even fewer Korean-American students. Currently working as a deputy public defender for the San Diego County, Nancy notes that there are about ten Asian-American attorneys in the entire Public Defender’s Office. As an officer for the Professional Development and Mentoring Committee, Nancy would like to reach out to our community, especially in our law school community, to encourage people of color to become a part of our legal community to strengthen diversity. She will mentor or otherwise provide useful information to those who are trying to become professionals in our legal community.
MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS: Ahyoung Kim
Ahyoung Kim would like to be a part of KABA-SD because, as a first generation Korean-American, she has seen her parents struggle to make ends meet throughout their entire lives. She feels deep compassion and a strong connection towards the Korean community and believes that KABA-SD would provide her with an opportunity to help the Korean community in San Diego.
LAW STUDENTS: Jihee Kim
Jihee Kim chairs KABA’s Law Students Committee and is grateful for the opportunity to become a part of KABA-SD. Jihee is a 3L at University of San Diego School of Law. She currently interns for the San Diego District Attorney’s office, pursuing a path to becoming a prosecutor.
Jihee believes that connecting with a larger legal community such as KABA is one of the best ways to enrich the law school experience. She feels the opportunity for students to interact with attorneys in the community is highly beneficial and can be very exciting. However, as a law student, Jihee knows that the idea of getting involved beyond the classroom can be burdensome and even daunting. In this area Jihee seeks to serve a great purpose. For those students who are interested but have not yet discovered the right channels to get plugged in, Jihee wants to help by being accountable and providing timely information. Jihee is excited about the launching of KABA in San Diego. According to Jihee, when you belong to a group of supportive people based on common grounds, you avail yourself of a great opportunity to grow and mature, both professionally and personally.
BOARD MEMBERS
Saerin Cho
As a board member, Saerin is committed to ensuring that KABA-SD develops into a solid organization and continues to grow with time. As other diversity bar organizations have done, Saerin hopes that KABA-SD will serve to connect the legal professionals – current and future – and empower the group to become a strong voice for the Korean American community.
Saerin was born and raised in Korea, survived five winters in Minnesota, and moved to California for its sunshine where she earned two B.A.s in Criminology and International Studies at the University of California, Irvine. She is expected to receive her J.D. in May 2008 and LL.M. in Taxation in December 2008 from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Grace Hwang
Grace Hwang is currently a 3L at the University of San Diego. Originally from Valencia, California, Grace braved the east coast to study at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for her undergraduate education. Now, she’s enjoying life in sunny San Diego, and looks forward to being part of KABA-SD.
As a member, Grace would like to contribute her efforts into building a strong Korean American presence in the San Diego legal community. She is very excited about creating a forum where Korean American attorneys and law students can come together and take advantage of the resources and skills each of us bring. She is a firm believer in taking advantage of the cultural bond we share to bring together our experiences and achievements so that we can increase our participation in the legal field and the community.
Bryan Yong-Jae Lee
Bryan Yong-Jae Lee was born and raised in the Midwest. He spent 10 years in the New England area, attending private school, college, and working as a software consultant. During his time there, he earned an A.B. in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.
His next ten years were split between Northern and Southern California. He worked many years for a Internet dotcom, as a software engineer. During his time in Southern California, he earned a J.D. from USD Law School. Bryan is a relative newcomer to the legal profession, but he is honored to serve the Korean American community here in San Diego, and looks forward to help build a healthy and strong organization.
Jae Park
Jae Park is a sixth year resident of San Diego and a third year attorney at McKenna Long & Aldridge. Jae has been active in the local APA bar and student associations since arriving in San Diego, including as past-president of USD SOL’s APALSA, and the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego, member since 2001 and current member of the board of directors. Jae looks forward to an exciting year ahead for the new Korean American Bar Ass’n of San Diego, developing our member base, establishing KABA’s presence in the community, and meeting and working with fellow Korean American attorneys.
