Dallas Asian American Bar Association (“DAABA”)

This week we want to highlight a longtime member of DAABA, Michael Ma, who is a Founding Member and Equity Partner at Baker Moran Doggett Ma & Dobbs LLP and specializes in eminent domain litigation. Mike went to law school at SMU Dedman School of Law (“SMU”), where he excelled as a student and, in 2005, became the National Championship winner of the Thomas Tang National Moot Court (“TTMC”) competition. In 2007, Mike graduated from SMU and was a member of the prestigious National Order of the Barristers. Early on in his career, from 2013 to 2017, Mike was consistently recognized as a Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers, a division of Thomas Reuters, and since 2019, Mike has been recognized each year between 2019 and 2023 as a Super Lawyer by the Texas Super Lawyers. Moreover, Mike is an expert in Texas eminent domain matters and has published and presented speeches numerous times on the topic, including, without limitation, authoring an article titled “Considering Liens When Acquiring Easements” published by the Texas Tech Law Review, leading CLE presentations for the State Bar of Texas including “Overview of the Eminent Domain Process in Texas”, and authoring “Eminent Domain from Each Side” published by the Dallas Bar Association, Energy Law Section. Recently, Mike has taken on a teaching role as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Texas Tech’s law school teaching a seminar in eminent domain as part of Texas Tech Law School’s Energy Law program. Furthermore, for over a decade, Mike has consistently fostered a love of oral advocacy and brief writing in young Asian-American attorneys by returning to SMU to act as a coach, supervisor, and sponsoring SMU’s Thomas Tang Moot Court teams. During his time as a coach and supervisor, Mike has brought the TTMC national championship cup back to SMU five times and has trained numerous students up to become Championship, Best Brief and Best Oral Advocate winners. DAABA is honored to highlight Mike for all of his achievements and continued contribution to the AAPI community!

This week we will be highlighting Bailey Pham a partner in the Global Finance practice group at Paul Hastings who represents both borrowers and lenders in all types of credit facilities and other private debt financing arrangements with a specialty focus in asset-based lending credit facilities. Prior to attending law school, Bailey spent three years working as an auditor for Ernst & Young in Dallas, TX. Bailey attended SMU Dedman School of Law (“SMU”) for law school. During law school, Bailey served as President of the SMU Law Review Association and Treasurer of the Asian American Law Students Association (now APALSA). She graduated magna cum laude in 2008 and was a member of the Order of the Coif. Bailey has been a member of SMU’s Emerging Leader Board since 2018 and enjoys giving back to the SMU community and all of the law students, especially the APALSA members, she has met over the years. Thank you, Bailey, for your continued contribution to the AAPI Community!

Please don’t forget to join the Mentorship & Connections Committee for a fun evening of drinks and pickleball TOMORROW, August 1, 2024. All members including law students are welcome. Happy Hour will start at 6 pm at Chicken N Pickle (Grand Prairie) and pickleball will start immediately after at 7 pm. RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/guPTDknY

This week we will be highlighting Professor Leo Yu. Professor Yu is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy at SMU Dedman School of Law School of Law. Professor Yu’s primary research interests are civil rights litigation and Asian American jurisprudence. He is a frequent speaker and moderator on civil rights, equality, and diversity issues. Professor Yu has been, and remains, a strong advocate against the unconstitutional alien land laws that have been enacted in a multitude of states. He is the creator of Plead the Fifth (Cir.) podcast, a platform for attorneys to discuss the Fifth Circuit’s jurisprudence on constitutional issues and criminal justice reform. Professor Yu also provides faculty support to SMU APALSA and encourages his students to pursue careers in public interest. DAABA is honored to highlight Professor Yu for all his achievements and continued contribution to the AAPI Community!

Congratulations to DAABA member Kristy Le for her recognition in Best Lawyers “One to Watch” 2024 Edition! Kristy is an attorney at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. specializing in Corporate Immigration.? She received her Juris Doctor from Texas A&M University School of Law, and she earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.? During law school, Kristy received the 2020 DAABA Taryn Vu Memorial Scholarship, and she was part of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association Leadership Class for 2020.? Kristy currently serves as Secretary for the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA) Board of Directors.? Kudos to Kristy for such an amazing accomplishment and for all the accolades she’s received in her burgeoning career!

This week we will be highlighting Hope Shimabuku the Regional Director of the Texas Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office.? She is a featured panelist for DAABA’s Annual AAPI Luncheon highlighting AAPI Lawyers in Public Service, which will be held this Friday, May 10th at 12:00 p.m.? Hope has almost two decades of experience as an engineer and IP attorney.? Hope is a legacy member of DAABA and former DAABA President. Throughout her career she has championed diversity in the legal profession, earning her the Champion of Diversity Award by the Association of Corporate Counsel and D CEO and separately by Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas.? She has received numerous accolades and served as a leader in many organizations in her field, including serving as past chair for the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of Texas, chair of the Dallas Diversity Task Force, facilitator for the DFW Women in Intellectual Property, and the board of the Dallas Bar Association.? We are grateful that Hope will be a panelist on our upcoming AAPI Month Luncheon and can’t wait to hear more about her illustrious career in the public sector! Thank you, Hope! If you haven't RSVP'd for DAABA's Annual AAPI Luncheon (this Friday), please use the following link to do so: https://lnkd.in/gCtvmRc7

We are excited to share that DAABA's AAPI Heritage Month Luncheon is returning! DAABA's Annual AAPI Heritage Month Luncheon: AAPI Lawyers In Public Service will be held at the Arts District Mansion on Friday, May 10, 2024. The esteemed panelists include Hope Shimabuku (Regional Director, US Patent and Trademark Office), Madeleine Le (Senior Governance and Compliance Manager, Amazon and former OSHA Counsel, US Department of Labor), and Judge Tina Clinton (Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 1).? The panel will be moderated by Andrew Spaniol, Deputy Chief of General Litigation for the City of Dallas. Please make sure to RSVP via the following link: https://lnkd.in/gB5qdR8C

Congratulations to Sophilia Wu on winning the Asian Pacific Interest Section's (APIS) award for Best Under 40 and being recognized as one of Dallas’ Best Lawyers Under 40 by D Magazine! Sophilia is a seasoned commercial transactions attorney at BakerHostetler, specializing in drafting and negotiating complex agreements. With a proven track record, she excels in implementing reliable processes to aid businesses during turbulent transitions. As a trusted principal attorney on the General Counsel Services Team, Sophilia supports in-house legal teams as an extension of clients’ departments. She has represented clients across various industries, with a particular passion for working in advertising, entertainment, and media. Congratulations Sophilia we are so proud of you!??

This week we are highlighting Jason Shyung, past DAABA President (’19) and recipient of the ACC-DFW and Texas LawBook Outstanding Senior Counsel of a Large Legal Department Award (’21). Jason was recently promoted to Director, Assistant General Counsel – Corporate & Transactions at Southwest Airlines, where he will lead a team focused on providing legal support to several departments including Supply Chain, Finance, and Renewable Ventures. Prior to joining Southwest in 2018, Jason managed corporate transactions and intellectual property matters on a global basis for a Carlyle Group portfolio company, where he was part of driving a successful divestiture of the company’s businesses. Jason received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Bachelor of Science in Economics from Southern Methodist University. Jason and his wife, Diane, are active in the community, including in South Dallas and their local church, and they enjoy spending time with their two kids (Elijah, age 4 and Emerson, age 2), traveling, eating good food, and sharing a good laugh with friends. We are grateful for Jason and his tremendous contributions to DAABA, and celebrate his promotion to AGC at Southwest.

Congratulations to Saba Syed on being recognized as one of Dallas’ Best Lawyers Under 40 by D Magazine! Saba is currently the Chair of APIS (Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas) and is leading the efforts for an outstanding APIS Conference this year in Austin on April 12-14. She is a partner at Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP where she represents companies and high-net-worth individuals in complex commercial litigation covering a variety of areas, including securities, business torts, partnership disputes and real estate litigation.?Congratulations Saba on the well earned recognition!?