Executive Director
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Les Jin has been appointed executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. Jin will be based in Washington, DC. He will direct the association’s overall operations, including planning and executing development efforts, coordinating with sponsors, supervising staff, working with the NAPABA board in the development and execution of programs and policy, and managing day-to-day operations.
Most recently, Jin served as the staff director for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. There, he was the federal agency’s chief operating officer for over four years. He has also served as general counsel for two federal agencies, the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors. Before moving to Washington, DC, Jin practiced law in Chicago, ILL.
A longtime NAPABA member, Jin served on the NAPABA board in the 1990s. Jin also served as national general counsel for the Organization of Chinese Americans, was on the board of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, and was the founder and original director of the Asian Legal Services Pro Bono Clinic in Chicago. He has received distinguished service awards from many community and professional organizations, including a NAPABA Trailblazer Award.
Jin received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis, his law degree from the University of Oregon, and his master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is a member of the California and Illinois Bars.