PRESIDENT

Jennifer Tsao is the head of Americas Employment Law at ByteDance and TikTok. Previously, Jennifer managed the employment law function at Forever 21, and was a senior associate with the employment and labor law firm Littler Mendelson, P.C. Jennifer has been actively involved with APABA since she was a law student at USC Gould School of Law. During law school, Jennifer served as President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, a legal services intern with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and as a judicial extern for the Honorable Ronald S. W. Lew, U.S. District Judge. Jennifer received her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley.

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Travis Kaya is a public law associate in the Los Angeles office of Richards, Watson & Gershon, representing local governments and public agencies in a wide variety of transactional matters. Prior to joining RWG, Travis served as a commercial real estate associate with Venable LLP in Los Angeles where he represented real estate investment funds in purchase and sale transactions across the United States. As a real estate associate with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Travis also represented national banks and institutional lenders in complex affordable housing financing transactions. He received his B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics from Pomona College, Master of International Studies from the University of Sydney, and J.D. from Loyola Law School. During law school, Travis served as president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, judicial extern to Judge Fernando M. Olguin and Judge Suzanne H. Segal (Ret.), both of the United States District Court, Central District of California, and a Senior Editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. Travis is a founding member of the Loyola Law School Asian Pacific Alumni Chapter and serves as Fundraising Chair of the Japanese American Bar Association Educational Foundation and Vice President of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library Board of Trustees.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Grace Pak is the Policy Associate Counsel for the Democratic Attorneys General Association. Previously, she practiced employment law, focusing on wage and hour class action, PAGA representative suits, and wrongful termination/whistleblower cases. Grace received her J.D. from Southwestern Law School, and her B.A. in English Literature from UCLA. In law school, Grace was a certified law clerk for the Public Defender's Office of Riverside County, and a law clerk for the Honorable Fred J. Fujioka of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Sylmar Juvenile Courthouse and the Honorable Timothy R. Saito of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Edelman Children’s Court. Before commencing law school, Grace worked as an educator.

SECRETARY

Tin Le is an Associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He received his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from UC San Diego and his J.D. from Loyola Law School. During law school, Tin served as the President of Loyola's Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, a Production Editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, and a Vice President of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society. Previously, Tin was a Law Student Representative for APABA from 2020-2021.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Amy Chau is an associate in Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles office. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Chau served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Myrna Pérez on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as an inaugural law clerk to the Honorable Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Ms. Chau previously worked as an associate at one of the nation’s top law firms, where she represented clients in all aspects of employment law in both single-plaintiff and class action matters and maintained an active pro bono practice. Ms. Chau earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, Ms. Chau served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Gonzalo P. Curiel in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. She also served as Managing Editor of The Georgetown Law Journal, President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and a student attorney in the Center for Applied Legal Studies asylum clinic. She received her B.S. from the University of Southern California. An active member of her community, Ms. Chau currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association and and is looking forward to re-joining board of governors for APABA.

Ming Chuang is Associate General Counsel at Astrana Health. Previously, he was a member of McDermott's Healthcare practice group focusing on regulatory and transactional matters affecting a variety of health care industry clients, including health systems, healthcare districts, hospitals, physician groups, ambulatory surgery centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, health plans, and digital health companies. Ming received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law.

Toan Chung is Co-Chair of the Business Restructuring & Reorganization group at Roquemore, Pringle & Moore. A certified bankruptcy law specialist by the California State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization, Toan represents Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustees, municipalities, creditors’ committees and shareholders in all phases of bankruptcy litigation. He has litigated numerous adversary proceedings, contested matters and appeals in Bankruptcy Courts, District Courts, the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The son of Vietnamese war refugees, Toan values giving back to the community and serves as pro bono counsel on bankruptcy matters for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services, Public Counsel, ACLU of Southern California and Bet Tzedek.  He is a regular volunteer at APABA’s legal clinic in Monterey Park and at SCCLA’s legal clinic in San Gabriel. Toan is the founder of the Lulu’s Water Buffalo Farm Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships to high school seniors.

Emily Duong is an associate attorney at Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP. Emily previously served as a student representative for APABA. She is also a senior production editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. Previously, Emily worked as a judicial extern for the Honorable Martin R. Barash in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

Edward Han will be President-Elect of the Korean American Bar Association. He teaches legal research and writing at UCLA School of Law. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the District of New Mexico, where he prosecuted matters ranging from violent and firearm-related crimes to white collar frauds. He has successfully tried numerous cases before juries and argued before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits. Professor Han is also a judge advocate in the Air Force Reserve, holding the rank of captain and serving the 452d Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base. Professor Han earned his B.A., cum laude, at the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. at the New York University School of Law. After law school, he worked as a litigation associate at Jones Day in Los Angeles and clerked for the Honorable Fernando M. Olguin in the Central District of California.

Ruth Kwon is an Associate Attorney at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP where she focuses her practice on representing businesses in various stages of civil litigation in California state and federal courts. Ruth is a member of the firm’s Consumer Class Action Defense Practice Group and focuses on cases asserting statutory damages on a classwide basis. Ruth handles commercial matters, including disputes involving misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair business practice, breach of contract, fraud, false advertising, and employment disputes. Ruth has also worked on wildfire litigation and real estate disputes. Prior to attending law school, Ruth worked as a college educator, teaching Asian American Studies, English, and Humanities. She also owned and operated a retail tile store and worked with contractors, builders, and large institutions such as the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports.

Matthew Lin counsels health care clients on transactional and regulatory matters. Before joining Polsinelli, Matt worked as a white collar investigations and litigation associate at an international law firm. Matt also maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing asylum seekers through the immigration process and counseling small businesses on contract matters. During law school, Matt externed with the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. He also served on the boards of the Harvard Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.

Stacy Kwon is an associate attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She obtained her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she was a senior editor for the UCLA Law Review, a member of the Moot Court Honors Executive Board, a staff editor for the Entertainment Law Review, and a mentor for the Law Fellows Program. Stacy was also one of ten students selected for membership in The Order of Barristers. During law school, she was a summer associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, a judicial extern to the Honorable Michael W. Fitzgerald of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, a Business & Legal Affairs intern at Marvel Studios, and an APABA law student representative. Prior to law school, Stacy obtained her B.A. in Philosophy and French from UC Berkeley, studied abroad at Sciences Po in Paris, and worked as a practice assistant at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and as a legal assistant for boutique law firms.

Anthony Lai, CFLS, is an associate attorney at Feinberg Mindel Brandt & Klein LLP. He brings nearly a decade of substantial litigation experience to assist clients in their of dissolution of marriage, paternity, child custody and visitation, spousal and child support matters, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and domestic violence restraining orders. The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization named Anthony Lai as a Certified Family Law Specialist, which requires completion of an extensive application, references from colleagues, judges, and opposing counsel, and passing a rigorous written exam administered only every two years. A Certified Specialist must have served as principal counsel in at least ten contested evidentiary hearings or trials. Anthony was selected as a Superlawyers Rising Star from 2021-2023, a distinction given to the top 2.5% of attorneys, as well as one of Pasadena Top Attorneys for 2022-2023 by Pasadena Magazine. Anthony is an active leader in the legal community, and is honored to serve on several bar association. Anthony serves as the secretary of the California Lawyers Association, Board of Representatives, is a Board Member on the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Committee. He is a Member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles Board of Directors and the Loyola Law School Alumni Association – Asian Pacific American Chapter. As a strong advocate for the unique needs and interests of new attorneys across the state of California, Anthony has previously served as Chair of the New Lawyers Section of CLA and is a member of the LACBA Barrister’s Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee. Anthony volunteers at the St. Francis Center to serve breakfast to the homeless and offers legal advice to the immigrant and underserved APA community at the APABA and SCCLA Pro Bono Legal Clinics. In his spare time, Anthony enjoys taking his family to Disneyland, is an avid follower of Tiki culture and is  an unapologetic fan of the Dodgers and the Chargers.

Bonnie Fong is a the Language Access Manager and Staff Attorney for the Labor and Employment Division at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. She provides legal assistance and consultations to individuals regarding labor law disputes and access to justice. Prior to joining the Advancing Justice-LA staff, Bonnie litigated employment law matters in private practice. She graduated with a J.D. from University of West Los Angeles and received her B.A. from California State University - Northridge.

Dinh Luu practices estate planning and elder law at Goldfarb & Luu P.C., where she is a founding partner. She received her J.D. from Southwestern School of Law and her B.A. from Colorado College in History and Political Science. In law school, she clerked at the Children’s Law Center and Hon. Dean D. Pregerson of the United States District Court, Central District. Following law school, she clerked at the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County. After returning to the Los Angeles area, she was an associate at several Los Angeles firms before going on to serve as the Supervising Attorney of the Compton Court Legal Self Help Center.

Don Nghiem is a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He previously worked as in-house counsel for JM Eagle, the world’s largest PVC and plastic pipe manufacturer. Don received his J.D. and Certificate of Business Law from the USC Gould School of Law. While attending law school, he was president of the USC Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and an active student volunteer of the various Los Angeles API bar associations. Prior to law school, Don volunteered in the Philippines with the Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment, where he assisted Vietnamese refugees and stateless families resettle to Canada. Don graduated from the University of California, San Diego with dual degrees in Political Science – Public Policy and Management Science.

Na Hyun Seo is an associate attorney at Berman Berman Berman Schneider & Lowary, LLP. Her area of practice includes premises liability, automotive negligence, and personal injury. She obtained her law degree at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she received the Bernice and Arthur Ullman Endowed Award. During law school, she worked as a clinical student for the Youth Justice Education Clinic and was a research assistant for Professor Karl M. Manheim. She also worked as a summer law clerk at the Law Offices of Robert J. Nachshin, P.C, a family law firm. In law school, Na served as the APABA law student representative from 2018-2019, APALSA board member from 2017-2019, and Treasurer for the International Student Association. Na holds a Bachler of Arts Degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA, she received the Chancellor’s Service Award for her services at Project WILD (Working for Immigrant Literacy Development), UCLA Student Legal Services and JusticeCorps. After college, she taught English in Arnedo, Spain, through the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program.

Candice Shikai is an associate attorney at Seki, Nishimura & Watase, LLP, where she focuses her practice on defending public entities, corporations, and businesses in general liability cases, mainly in the areas of premises liability, products liability, and complex general liability.  Candice serves in the position of Treasurer on the Japanese American Bar Association Board of Governors. She also serves on the JABA Educational Foundation Board of Directors and is the JABA Liaison for LACBA’s Litigation Section Executive Committee.  Outside of the legal community, Candice also serves on the Kizuna Board-at-Large and the TAIKOPROJECT Board of Directors. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and her B.A. from UCLA.

Jasmine Song is an associate attorney at Consumer Law Experts, where she represents plaintiffs in lemon law litigation. Before transitioning to litigation, she worked as an immigration attorney, helping thousands of foreign nationals obtain employment visas and permanent residency (commonly known as a “green card”). Jasmine earned her J.D. from Southwestern Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, where she participated in the UC Washington, D.C. program (UCDC).

Katelyn Taira is an associate attorney at Winston & Strawn LLP. She obtained her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, where she was a Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review. During law school, Katelyn interned with the SEC and served as a student representative for APABA and JABA’s Young Lawyers Group. Prior to law school, Katelyn obtained her B.A. in English Literature and Psychological & Brain Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis, her master’s degree in English from the University of Oxford, and volunteered at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.

Liana Wong is an associate at Turner Henningsen Wolf & VanDenburg LLP. She graduated from California State University, Los Angeles with a B.S. in Public Health and received her J.D. from Loyola Law School. During her time at Loyola, she served as Vice-President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and interned as a certified law clerk with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. Liana served as Student Representative to APABA for 2020-2021.

Rong (Summer) Xia is currently a J.D. candidate at the University of Arizona.  Previously, she was an attorney in the Law and Mediation Offices of Elizabeth Yang, where she practices family and immigration law. Prior to joining this firm, she practiced immigration law at the Law Offices of Vivian Szawarc. Summer was born in China, where she earned a Bachelor of Law degree from the Southwest University of Political Sciences and Law and a Master of Law degree from Wuhan University. After that, she worked for more than a decade as a government officer in the Customs agency of China. In 2016 she graduated with a Master of Laws degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. During law school, she served as a judicial extern to Judge Mary Thornton House of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, Pasadena Courthouse. Summer has been active with APABA since her law school. She regularly serves as a volunteer attorney at the APABA and SCCLA monthly pro bono legal clinics since her law school. In 2020, Summer was named Volunteer of the Year by APABA. She is also an active volunteer in other non-profit organizations, such as Asian Pacific Advance Justice, the Public Counsel Law Center, and the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law.

Marlon B. Baldomero obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law and his undergraduate Bachelor's degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. Upon migrating to the United States, he took up and earned a Master of Laws degree from Whittier Law School with a focus on the U.S. legal system for foreign-trained lawyers. Because of his background, Mr. Baldomero is very sensitive to the needs of southern California's immigrant communities, particularly in the area of Immigration law. He has helped countless of immigrants obtain legal permanent resident status and US citizenship. He has appeared before Immigration judges in behalf of clients in removal proceedings and has successfully argued to terminate their deportation cases. He currently practices as a solo attorney with offices in Glendale and Torrance, California.

Sharlene Lee will be President-Elect of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association and is a partner of Hawkinson Yang LLP. Sharlene represents companies, shareholders, and executives in resolving business litigation and employment disputes. She prosecutes and defends actions involving trade secrets, non-solicitation, non-competition, unfair competition, founder disputes, privacy, defamation, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and real estate issues, with a focus on closely-held business disputes. In Sharlene’s counsel to employers and executives, she advises on and defends a range of matters involving wrongful termination, equity, bonus, commission, independent contractor and exempt classification, discrimination/harassment, reasonable accommodation, wage & hour, PAGA, whistleblower, and retaliation claims, including in state court and in administrative matters (Labor Commissioner, EEOC/Civil Rights Department, and EDD). She has conducted employment investigations, as well as advised companies and executives in handling investigations.  Sharlene is a 2018 NAPABA Leadership Advancement Program Fellow. She is also a past president and board member of Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA (APA UCLA).

Avni P. Mehta is a Senior Managing Associate at Sidley Austin LLP’s office in Century City, where she focuses her practice on global corporate and private equity transaction matters, representing privately held corporate entities and funds in domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, other business combinations, equity investments, corporate restructurings, and general corporate matters. She earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.S. in Foreign Service with a focus on International Politics – Security Studies and Asian Studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Avni enjoys singing, cooking and traveling in her free time.

Noelle Frances Natividad is a 2L at LMU Loyola Law School and a student representative for APABA. She also serves on the Executive Board for LLS' APALSA. Previously, Noelle worked as a judicial extern for Administrative Judge Louis Garcia with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Derek Song is a second-year law student at UCLA School of Law and serves as a student representative for APABA. He holds the position of Co-Chair for the Let's Go Liberation! Clinic through UCLA's El Centro Legal and will be the incoming Treasurer for UCLA's APILSA. Additionally, Derek is a Staff Editor for the UCLA Entertainment Law Review. This summer, he will join Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AJSOCAL) as a State Bar Fellow.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Seaton Tsai is an Attorney IV in the Corporate Legal Department for California's State Compensation Insurance Fund. His practice entails advice and counsel to internal partners and executives, litigating State Fund's complex civil RICO, class action, and insurance bad faith disputes in state and federal court, civil appeals, and administrative writs. Previously, he worked in private practice representing a Fortune 100 insurance carrier in Cumis counsel disputes, Buss and Crawford recovery cases, insurance bad faith, and other additional insured issues. Having represented both institutional and individual clients, he has also extensively litigated consumer-side TCPA/FDCPA, fraud, personal injury, and breach of warranty actions. He graduated from University of California, Davis with a dual B.A. in English and Communications, and earned his J.D. at University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, where he graduated as a member of The Order of Barristers. He presently serves on the Board of Directors for CASE - the California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment Union. He is also a professional actor signed with Image Powerhouse for theatrical work and Prestigious Models for commercial projects, and has worked on multiple Amazon and Netflix productions.