Rising Stars Raising Voices

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association's 2005 Best Lawyers Under 40

"It is unimaginable how many domestic violence victims do not have a voice in court," remarks Pui Chi Cheng. "Because there are few qualified interpreters available-or because the interpreters themselves interject personal or cultural bias," says Cheng, there is a real need for improvement.

For years, Cheng kept busy building her insurance defense firm, Cheng & Haigney LLP, but she found her thoughts returning time and again to the need for qualified interpreters. "I found that many Chinese here try to navigate the courts without being able to speak or read English," says Cheng. "When I ask in Cantonese if they need help, it is amazing to see the relief in their faces when I explain where they need to go."

This need raised a question that Cheng could not easily ignore: Without equal access to the courts, how can there be equal justice under the law? "People need to be understood," she says. "They need to know they are being treated with fairness and that their rights are not being abridged."

Struck by the lack of qualified court interpreters, Cheng helped lead a New York City initiative to increase their number and quality. It is not an easy solution-New York City's language-access problems are only complicated by the diversity of the city's population-but, says Cheng, "Diverse cities with diverse populations must be prepared to serve their citizens." And so, for her work in fostering equal justice by providing equal access, Cheng was honored by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association's (NAPABA) as one of its 2005 Best Lawyers Under 40.

NAPABA's 2005 Best Lawyers Under 40 at its annual convention. (L to R): Eugene Pak, George Chen, Wes Hsu, Pui Chi Cheng, James Hsu, Audrey Wang, Michael Kim, Michael Wang, James Nguyen, Edwin Prather, Esther Lim, Alan Tse, Eileen Lanterman, Rick Sueyoshi, and Corinna Wong.

NAPABA's 2005 Best Lawyers Under 40

NAPABA's 2005 Best Lawyers Under 40 list was unveiled on October 23, 2005 in Chicago at NAPABA's annual convention. "Perhaps the only thing more impressive than our honorees' achievements," says Jim Goh, chair of the selection committee and partner at Holland & Hart LLP, "is the fact that some of them are almost a decade away from turning 40." This year's list includes rising stars in public practice, government service, and in-house counsel, as well as the newly confirmed U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights.

The honorees on the list have evinced leadership, accomplishments, and a commitment to public service. "As in the past, we again honor those whose leadership benefited not just themselves, but the community as well," says selection committee member Don H. Liu, senior vice president and general counsel of Toll Brothers, Inc. Liu is also a member of the MCCA's board of directors.

This list honors not just the hardest workers, but those who have demonstrated able leadership, according to selection committee member Wilson Chu, partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP. "As accomplished as our honorees are today, we are confident that the years to come will reveal their true promise."

Goh conveyed that NAPABA's 2005 Best Lawyers Under 40 list has drawn increasing attention from the legal and business community. "One of our honorees was asked by his CEO to vacate a previously scheduled business engagement so that he could personally accept the award," Goh notes. "With this kind of attention, we take great care in selecting our honorees."

Making a Difference

As some of the honorees discovered, sometimes seemingly straightforward jobs can lead to extraordinary situations. Recently, Thomas Kim, vice president and principal legal counsel of Reuters America, LLC,workedclosely with his editorial colleagues to obtain the release of a colleague who was being detained by the U.S. military in Iraq. "Earlier this year, one of our soundmen, Waleed Khaled, was shot to death by U.S. soldiers while he tried to drive himself and a young Reutersreporter named HaiderKadhem near the scene of earlier fighting," says Kim. Kadhem survived, but was wounded and detainedwithout charge by the military. "While we grieved the loss of Waleed,we workedaround the clockto obtain Haider's release." Ultimately, as a result oftheirefforts, Kim's colleague was released into the care of Reuters' bureau chief in Baghdad.

NAPABA's 2005 honorees also include a trio of Asian Pacific American (APA) federal prosecutors who have taken increasingly visible roles as the face of the U.S. government. Wes Hsu is the deputy chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office (C.D. Calif.). Among other cases, Hsu obtained the first-ever conviction under the CAN-SPAM Act, a statute that limits unsolicited email messages. "Essentially, the defendant drove around a neighborhood with a laptop computer in his passenger seat. When the laptop connected to an unprotected wireless router in the neighborhood, he sent out in a 24-hour period hundreds of unsolicited spam emails advertising pornography web sites," says Hsu. "Attempts to trace the spam would come back to the unsuspecting person with the unprotected wireless router rather than the defendant." Hsu recently garnered the Outstanding Service Award from the United States Attorney for the Central District of California.

Another honoree, Michael Wang, chief of the White Collar Crimes Section for the U.S. Attorney's Office (N.D. Calif.), has tried nearly 20 jury trials to verdict without a loss. Among his cases include a landmark alien-smuggling case in which children from El Salvador were held hostage and threatened after their family was unable to pay the full smuggling fee. In two separate jury trials, Wang secured convictions of all defendants on charges of alien smuggling and hostage-taking-the first convictions under the international hostage-taking statute ever obtained in the Northern District of California. Wang then argued the appeal before the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed the conviction. As a result of this and other cases, Wang received the U.S. Department of Justice 2004 Director's Award for Superior Performance.

Perhaps most visible of all is Wan Kim, who was recently confirmed as the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. As the nation's top civil rights enforcement officer, Kim will oversee over 120 litigators of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Kim will be the first immigrant to serve in that position, and, thus, in a sense, represents every American who emigrated from another country.

Overcoming Stereotypes and Misconceptions

These accomplishments come despite common stereotypes about APAs. Thomas Kim opines, "Too often, we see APAs automatically dismissed as not strategic enough or bold enough to lead a team or a company." Otto Lee, managing attorney of Intellectual Property Law Group LLP, agrees: "There is still a perception that APAs make great 'workers' but not great 'leaders,'" citing the absence of APA national political leaders. "APAs make up four percent of the U.S. population and almost 30 percent of the Santa Clara County population, but we are far less represented in elected positions," observes Lee, who recently won election as a councilman for the City of Sunnyvale. Similarly, Lee also laments the lack of APAs in the media, and notes that, "If APAs are underrepresented or misrepresented in the media, it means that APA voices are often not heard."

More troubling, stereotypes such as the "model minority myth" prevent those who need help from receiving it. "While the perception is that APAs are overachievers who are doing just fine, the reality is that there is a significant portion of the APA population-particularly immigrants-who need public assistance," says George Chen, an intellectual property attorney with Bryan Cave LLP. "This portion of the APA population remains extremely isolated from the rest of American society for various reasons, including distrust of the government, which originates from the government in their home country," says Chen. Otto Lee concurs: "Too many other Asian Americans who are not financially or academically successful are forgotten, and much needed social services such as language access are not provided."

Similarly, the perceived success of APAs makes it too easy to pretend that discrimination against AsianAmericans does not occur, says Michael Wang, citingincidents of racism while growing up in Missouri. When asked about what inspired him to join the U.S. Attorney's Office, Wang, a former law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recounts: "As a college reporter, I saw firsthand how Caucasian fraternity brothers mocked Asian Americans." When Wang interviewed the university chancellor about these and other incidents, the chancellorcited their burgeoning minority faculty and asked Wang to judge their effortsby their actions, not their words. "But incidents like that remain a reality," says Wang, "and it's easy for old wounds to reopen on the thin white line."

Sometimes, this discrimination takes a violent turn. Edwin Prather, an attorney with Rogers Joseph O'Donnell & Phillips, represented pro bono the victim in the 2003 Taraval hate crime case. There, five Asian American teenagers were assaulted by a group yelling racial slurs. "It's sad that after years and years of forward progress, one hate crime victimizes not only the actual victim, but also an entire community," says Prather. "It moves us backward."

Change for the Future by Participation and Mentorship

"By bringing APA leaders to the public eye, NAPABA hopes the honor will help dispel these stereotypes about Asian Pacific Americans," says Goh. However, many agree that change will take time-and that it will not come easily. "Unfortunately, it seems like it takes an event with great impact," says Wes Hsu, "like internment for Japanese Americans or Proposition 187 for Latinos on both sides of that issue, to galvanize a group to take political action." Wan Kim, recently confirmed as U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, is blunt: "APAs need to take a more active role in government."

First, APAs should voice their opinions more openly, says Otto Lee. "We can encourage more APAs to actively disagree when television or radio shows or media organizations stereotype APAs." James Hsu, a transactional partner with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosehthal LLP, agrees, noting that APAs should be more vocal with their elected officials on issues that concern them. "While APAs have come a long way in recent years," says Hsu, "we still lag in terms of our political participation vis-à-vis other minority groups. We need to continue to encourage fellow APAs to be politically active."

Second, APAs can seek elected office. "I think change for the better will happen when more Asian Pacific Americans become visible through leadership roles in the community, business, and legal arenas," says James Nguyen, partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. "This will inspire more young APAs." Audrey Wang, university counsel for Harvard University, agrees, "I am happy to see more APAs holding elected office and taking other visible leadership roles, but we obviously have far to go."

Finally, APAs can use mentorship to play a key role in molding young leaders, says James Nguyen. "For the APA community to truly progress," says Nguyen, "we need to foster and mentor a pipeline of prospective leaders from the young APA population."

Recognizing that mentorship is the lifeblood of a young career, NAPABA conducts a mentoring program for in-house counsel. "It's probably the most important benefit that the In-House Counsel Committee offers to NAPABA members," comments Gordon Yamate, vice president and general counsel of Knight Ridder, and chair of the committee. "It's a two-way relationship: mentees have a confidential, nonjudgmental sounding board for personal and career development, while mentors develop their leadership skills," says Yamate, noting that NAPABA hopes this access will accelerate the capability of members to take on leadership roles.

Audrey Wang stated that not only does mentorship help APAs advance, but it is also rewarding. "When I recently switched jobs, I was surprised-but pleased-that many of the associates and younger partners in my firm came to thank me for being a mentor. That means more to me than any of the deals I've closed." Michael Chu, Esq. practices business litigation with Haynes and Boone, LLP in Houston, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and is a former law clerk for the Hon. Kenneth M. Hoyt (S.D. Texas).

LIST OF NAPABA'S 2005 BEST LAWYERS UNDER 40

George C. Chen
George C. Chen is a registered patent attorney at Bryan Cave LLP. His practice includes patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, and other intellectual property litigation. Chen also prepares and prosecutes patent and trademark applications for semiconductor devices, the internet, telecommunications, business methods, software, computers, and electronics. In addition, Chen holds several U.S. patents for his own inventions. He also counsels clients on intellectual property portfolio management, intellectual property, due diligence, and technology licensing.

As the president of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association (AAABA), Chen represents the Asian Pacific American community by serving on the Arizona Governor's Asian Advisory Council. Chen has also coordinated fundraisers for AAABA's Judge Thomas Tang Law Student Scholarship Fund, which currently has an endowment of over $100,000.

Pui Chi Cheng
Pui Chi Cheng is the first Asian American female attorney to establish an insurance defense firm in New York City. In January 2004, Cheng formed Cheng & Haigney LLP, thus achieving a longtime personal goal. Cheng has been a trial attorney for the last 15 years and successfully tried many cases to verdict. Uprooted at the age of six from Hong Kong to the United States, Cheng learned to speak up for others and herself while growing up in South Carolina. She is the president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, a member of the House of Delegates to the New York State Bar Association, and sits on the Advisory Committee on Court Interpreters for the New York State Office of Court Administration.

Kathay Feng
Kathay Feng is the executive director of California Common Cause. Under Feng's guidance, California Common Cause has taken a leadership role in elections and redistricting, government accountability, campaign finance, media access, and voting rights for traditionally disenfranchised communities.

Prior to the California Common Cause, Feng directed voting rights and hate crimes work atthe Asian Pacific American Legal Center. She was instrumental in the creation of Los Angeles' Office of Independent Review overseeing the Sheriff's Department and passage of consumer and hate crime legislation. Feng also organized protests against Abercrombie & Fitch and in support of Dr. Wen Ho Lee. Feng counseled the family of hate crime victim Joseph Ileto to champion change in intergroup relations. Feng is currently president of the L.A. County Human Relations Commission and serves on the Executive Council of Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA).

James Hsu
James Hsu is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, and securities offerings. Hsu has handled numerous complex corporate transactions in excess of $5 billion. A native of Taiwan who grew up in Costa Rica and South Central Los Angeles, Hsu is fluent in Chinese and Spanish. Due to his unique upbringings, Hsu developed a special interest and empathy in the plight of socio-economically disadvantaged minorities. While in college, Hsu worked as a law clerk at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and tutored Latino students in inner cities. Hsu was the editor-in-chief of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) Asian Pacific American Journal and admissions representative of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association on UCLA School of Law's Admission Committee. Hsu has received numerous awards for his public service and community involvement. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a juris doctorate from UCLA.

Wesley L. Hsu
Wesley L. Hsu is the deputy chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section at the United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. He has tried more federal computer intrusion cases than anyone in the country and has received an outstanding service award from the United States Attorney. He has given presentations to the media, bar associations, and law enforcement groups. Prior to becoming a prosecutor, Hsu was a litigation associate in the intellectual property group of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Hsu also teaches trial advocacy at Loyola Law School and will teach this spring at the University of Southern California. He was a law clerk for the Hon. Mariana R. Pfaelzer and attended both Yale College and Yale Law School.

Michael S. Kim
Michael S. Kim is a partner at Kobre & Kim LLP, a law firm in New York City specializing in white-collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation, including international arbitrations, antitrust, and financial institutions litigation. He previously served as a federal prosecutor in the Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, where he was an executive editor of the Harvard Law Review. Kim serves on the boards of various civic and public service organizations related to Asian American causes. For a number of years, Kim also served as an infantry officer and rifle platoon leader in the United States Army Reserves.

Thomas Kim
Thomas Kim is vice president and principal legal counsel with Reuters, the international news and information provider. Kim oversees litigation and compliance matters for Reuters' North and South American businesses. He also helped establish Reuters' Global Diversity Advisory Council and Reverse Mentoring program. Prior to joining Reuters, Kim was in private practice with Baker & McKenzie. Kim obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University, where he co-founded AP Magazine and was co-president of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association. He is a member of the Ethics Officers Association, the Media Legal Resource Center, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York's Communications and Media Law Committee. In his spare time, Kim enjoys traveling with his family and writing, and has had a travel story published by Reuters.

Wan J. Kim
Wan J. Kim is a deputy assistant attorney general at the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice. He has spent nearly his entire legal career at the Justice Department, where he has tried more than three dozen cases. Kim received his juris doctorate with honors from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as an associate editor on the Law Review. He was a law clerk to the Hon. James L. Buckley on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Kim received his bachelor of arts degree with general and departmental honors from the Johns Hopkins University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received the Max Hochschild Award as the outstanding graduating student in the field of economics.

Eileen Sullivan (Nguyen) Lanterman
Eileen Sullivan (Nguyen) Lanterman serves as a guardian ad litem with the Maricopa County Office of the Legal Advocate, and was previously a deputy public defender. She received her bachelor's degree from Arizona State and her juris doctorate from John Marshall. Lanterman also served an internship with the U.S. Department of State.

Lanterman is a diversity fellow for the American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Section and has served as a NAPABA delegate to the American Bar Association's Young Lawyer Division. She is vice president of the St. Thomas Moore Society, treasurer of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association, and community outreach chair and a steering committee member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. She is also chair and commissioner of the City of Phoenix Pacific Rim Advisory Council, sits on the city's Art and Culture Commission, and serves as advocacy chair for The Junior League of Phoenix. Lanterman also mentors freshman high school students for Boys Hope Girls Hope.

Otto Lee
Otto Lee is the founder and managing partner of Intellectual Property Law Group LLP, a Silicon Valley-based law firm that specializes in international intellectual property, unfair competition, customs, and trade secrets matters. Previously, Lee served as a senior attorney at Intel Corporation's Intellectual Property Department. After serving over five years on the Sunnyvale Planning Commission, Lee was elected in 2003 to serve as a Sunnyvale council member. Additionally, he is a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and is currently the executive officer of a Commander Naval Air Pacific Reserve Unit supporting aircraft carriers on logistics. Lee's community involvements include serving on various boards-Moon Festival of Silicon Valley, All Come Together (ACT) for Mental Health, and the California State Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology.

Esther Lim
Esther Lim is a partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett, & Dunner, LLP. She specializes in district court and appellate patent litigation in all technologies, including computers, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. Lim has lectured widely both nationally and internationally on issues relating to procurement and enforcement of U.S. intellectual property rights. She teaches the Advanced Patent Law and Public Policy Seminar as an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law.

Lim served as a law clerk to the Hon. Randall R. Rader of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Lim is serving on the Board of Governors of the DC Bar and NAPABA, and is past president of the DC Computer Law Forum and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of DC.

Audra Mori
Audra Mori is a partner at Perkins Coie LLP, where her practice focuses on copyright and trademark litigation. She manages a national anti-piracy program for one of America's largest software developers. She also practices general commercial litigation.

At Perkins Coie, Mori is on the Steering Committee for the Diversity Committee. Additionally, she serves on the boards of the Japanese American Bar Association of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bar Foundation. For the last two years, Mori was on the Planning Committee for the Justice Ball, a fundraising event for the pro bono organization Bet Tzedek.

Mori received her bachelor's degree from University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and her juris doctorate from Cornell Law School. She also clerked for the Hon. Richard Goldberg, United States Court of International Trade.

James Nguyen
James Nguyen is an intellectual property litigation partner in Foley & Lardner LLP's Los Angeles office. He co-leads Foley's Entertainment and Media Industry team, and its Trademark and Copyright Enforcement and Litigation team. Excelling early, Nguyen finished law school at the age of 22. He was named a 2004 "Rising Star" by Law & Politics and Los Angeles magazines, and later was named a "2005 Southern California Super Lawyer" by the same publications. Nguyen serves on intellectual property executive committees for the California and Beverly Hills bars.

An advocate for diversity, Nguyen chairs his firm's Asian Pacific American Affinity Group and participates in Asian Pacific American bar associations. He also serves on the California Minority Counsel Program's Steering Committee.

Nguyen provides pro bono work to various causes. A national speech champion, he volunteered for 10 years as an assistant coach to a college speech team. In 2001, Nguyen received his firm's community service award.

Eugene Pak
Eugene Pak is an intellectual property attorney and litigator in the San Francisco office of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP. Pak has represented some of the largest and most well-known companies in the areas of anti-counterfeiting, trademarks, and copyrights. He is past president of the Korean American Bar Association (KABA) and currently serves on the boards of the Korean Community Center of the East Bay and the Asian American Bar Association (AABA), and formerly ran AABA's legal clinic. He received AABA's Distinguished Service Award in 2005 and a Unity Award from the Minority Bar Coalition and KABA in 2003. Pak previously worked at the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco's Employment Law Center, representing employees in civil rights and wage-and-hour cases. He graduated from the University of California (Boalt Hall), where he served on the California Law Review.

Edwin Prather
Edwin Prather is a criminal defense attorney with Rogers Joseph O'Donnell & Phillips in San Francisco, who has substantial experience representing individuals and corporations in both state and federal courts, including over two dozen jury trials. After law school, Prather clerked for both the Hon. Robert Takasugi (C.D. Calif.) and the Hon. Edward Chen (N.D. Calif.) and had remarkable tenures at the Asian Law Caucus and the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.

Prather served as pro bono counsel in a number of high-profile anti-Asian hate crime cases in the Bay Area, including the Taraval hate crime case (featured in the Fall 2004 NAPABA Lawyer) and the case involving the arson of a south-Asian family's home. His anti-Asian violence work has been recognized by the American Bar Association, among others. In 2005, Prather also received the Exceptional Legal Advocacy Award from the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area and the Asian Law Caucus' Pro Bono Award. Prather is the chair of the Takasugi Public Interest Fellowship-NAPABA Law Foundation.

Rick Sueyoshi
Rick Sueyoshi is a business and commercial litigation partner at Downey Brand LLP, the largest law firm in the Sacramento region. Sueyoshi has served as the NAPABA regional governor for Eastern California and Nevada, and as president of the Asian Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento. He also serves on the Sacramento County Judiciary Committee in its evaluation of judicial candidates to the Superior Court, and on the Sacramento County Bar Diversity Hiring and Retention Committee, promoting diversity in law firms. Sueyoshi is a board member of the Sacramento Asian/Pacific Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which annually awards scholarships to Asian Pacific American students. He previously served on the boards for the Sacramento Asian/Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Sacramento Barristers Club. He has also helped to organize the Unity Bar Association's Diversity Career Forum.

Alan K. Tse
Alan K. Tse is general counsel of LG Electronics Mobilecomm U.S.A., Inc., the nation's second-largest cell phone manufacturer, with sales of over $3.5 billion. Prior to joining LG, Tse was general counsel of two Silicon Valley companies, Ligos Corporation, a video compression software company, and Centerpoint Broadband Technologies, Inc., a telecommunication equipment company. Tse started his career as a business and technology associate at Brobeck Phleger and Harrison LLP in its Silicon Valley office, representing technology companies and venture capitalists. Tse is also the co-founder and serves on the board of the Asian American Legal Foundation. Tse holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley in economics and political science and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Audrey Wang
Audrey Wang was formerly a partner in the Boston office of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP. In November, she joined Harvard University as a university attorney. Wang specializes in representing commercial real estate developers, including hotel chains and public and private developers, in all aspects of land use planning and development. Wang serves as general counsel to The Wang Center for the Performing Arts (no relation), Boston's largest performing arts venue. She has represented numerous community organizations in Boston's Chinatown, and is a member of the board of overseers for Newton Wellesley Hospital. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where she served on the Law Review.

Michael Li-Ming Wang
Michael Li-Ming Wang is an assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of California. As the chief of the Major Crimes Section, Wang currently supervises the largest unit in his office's Criminal Division. He has tried nearly 20 jury trials to verdict without a loss and argued numerous times before the Ninth Circuit. In 2004, Wang received the U.S. Department of Justice's Director's Award for Superior Performance for his outstanding trial work. Wang is active in bar and community activities and is frequently asked to speak on topics such as corporate fraud and terrorism. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Wang served as law clerk to José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Second Circuit) and to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Corinna Wong
Corinna Wong is the Hawaii Commissioner of Securities. Appointed in November 2004, Wong oversees the Business Registration Division of the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, which is responsible for state-level securities market regulation and investor protection, and maintaining the state's commercial registry for business entities and trademarks and service marks. Prior to her appointment as Commissioner of Securities, Wong served as a senior policy analyst for Hawaii's Governor Linda Lingle. Before moving to Hawaii with her husband, Roger Satterthwaite, who has a medical practice, she was a corporate and securities partner in the Palo Alto/San Francisco office of Baker & McKenzie. Wong earned her bachelor's degree in economics and business from the University of California in Los Angeles, and her juris doctorate from Boston University School of Law.

Nicole Wong
Nicole Wong is associate general counsel for Products and Intellectual Property at Google. Prior to joining Google, Wong was a partner at the law firm of Perkins Coie LLP. She is a frequent speaker and author on issues related to law and technology. Wong previously served as a co-chair of the Practising Law Institute's Internet Law Institute from 2001-2004, and as a NAPABA Governor from 1996-98. In addition, she taught media law as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. She was one of the founders and the first editor-in-chief of the Asian Law Journal. Wong received her law degree and a master's degree in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley.

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From the January/February 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar^®