Biglaw, Conferences / Symposia, Minority Issues

NAPABA President And Managing Partner Cyndie Chang Aims To Continue Her Family's Legacy of Community Building

Inspiration and advice from a leader in the Asian-American bar and a Biglaw firm.

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Cyndie Chang, delivering her president's address at the 2016 NAPABA Convention.

Cyndie Chang, delivering her president’s address at the 2016 NAPABA Convention.

“Hey yo, I’m just like my country / I’m young, scrappy, and hungry / And I’m not throwing away my shot!” — Lin-Manual Miranda, “My Shot,” Hamilton

Last weekend, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) hosted their 28th National Convention in San Diego, California.

Nearly 2,000 members attended this year’s convention, making it the most popular NAPABA meeting to date. With fourteen Article III Judges, numerous state judges, senior partners, law professors, and trailblazers in attendance, it was one of the most impressive conventions to date as well. Even though George Takei was the recipient of NABAPA’s 2016 Inspire Award, he said that it was attorneys who inspire him to be civically engaged.

There was a feeling amongst the younger lawyers and law students that we were standing on the shoulders of giants. We felt blessed to have the opportunity to meet so many luminaries in one place. There was also a sense in the room that many veteran lawyers were excited to pass the torch of community building, pro-bono involvement, and trailblazing to greener lawyers. Lawyers are at their best when they are serving, and NAPABA is a community testament to this.

During a lunch panel, Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stressed how important it is to generations before us that we do our part to ensure progress, but it is even more important to generations after us that we do our part to advance progress.

In her inaugural address, Cyndie Chang, NAPABA President and managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Duane Morris, discussed how important NAPABA, family, and community are to her. Her family’s legacy of helping to build our nation’s infrastructure, rebuild the Japanese-American sense of community in Los Angeles, and pass down immigrant values to her left an indelible impression on me. I believe her story will resonate with you as well. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to catch up with Chang.

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Here is a (lightly edited and condensed) write-up of our conversation:

Cyndie hang (by Bradford Rogne Photography)

Cyndie Chang (by Bradford Rogne Photography)

RC: What does NAPABA mean to you? And why is it important for you to be a leader in this organization?

CC: NAPABA is my family. This sentiment arose from attending a NAPABA convention well over a decade ago where I was embraced in the NAPABA community with a sense of welcome, belonging, and collaboration.

RC: Why should lawyers join and become involved in bar associations?

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CC: I know I wouldn’t have had the legal opportunities and leadership experience were it not for the connections I made through the bar associations and the opportunities to lead through active involvement in the bar association. I have been and continue to be guided by many bar leaders and mentors, who have spent a great deal of time in paving the way for minorities and women in the profession. Bar associations provide a great affinity network and community.

We all feed off each other, and we all succeed together. Bar associations that are successful are those that encourage their members to work together and to give to each other and the organization, which includes volunteerism, leadership, pro bono, mentorship, sponsorship, and referrals.

RC: You were told by a partner, very early in your career, that you wouldn’t make it as a trial lawyer. How were you able to rebound from this, and how have you used this as motivation throughout your life?

CC: As a junior associate, a major partner of my law firm told me I’d never be a trial lawyer because I was too quiet and meek. Maybe I was, or maybe I was painted with the brush of implicit bias because I’m an Asian-American woman.

I am grateful for that comment because that lit a fire under me to become a trial lawyer and an office managing partner of an Am Law 100 firm, the first Asian-American in that role in its over 100-year history. What helped me overcome the doubt that was directed to me as a young lawyer was to find and eventually stay at a place that valued my contribution to the firm. My current firm had faith in me and my leadership, and it made such a difference to work in a positive environment and a place that believed in me.

RC: Currently, minority attorneys are struggling to make the transition from associates to partners. Why do you think this is, and what are some possible ways we could address this struggle?

CC: I would first encourage minority attorneys to have excellence in their work product, as that is a baseline to build your legal career. In addition, it is important to own and value your reputation in the community where you treat others with respect.

I will not say that the path to partnership is easy. We still unfortunately face overt or implicit bias in our profession, and many of us have our own respective war stories where we have had to go above and beyond just to demonstrate our competency and to garner respect and trust.

As we strive for partnership or leadership, I encourage readers to anticipate that there will be challenging times, and during those times, please don’t doubt yourselves. I almost did and it could have derailed my career. That’s part of having grit. We’ve all had to have grit and to find our own voice, and that will be further developed as we encounter each new challenge.

Renwei Chung (RC): Many of us in the audience were inspired by the remarks about your family in your inaugural speech. For those who weren’t able to attend this year’s NAPABA Convention, could you briefly share your family’s role in rebuilding and restoring many Japanese Americans’ sense of community in Los Angeles?

Cyndie Chang (CC): My President’s speech at the NAPABA convention detailed my personal and family story that is rooted in immigration and assimilation to the U.S., and it emphasized our community’s strength during hard times and overcoming adversity. One of the stories I shared involved my grandfather and his partners’ humble little Chinese restaurant. The restaurant, the Far East Café, opened in 1935, serving the Japanese-American community in what is now called Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. The remnants of the restaurant still stand today, with its neon sign that says “Chop Suey.”

After WWII and the internment camps, many Japanese Americans came back home to nothing, but they returned to the Far East Cafe that continued to serve families needing to rebuild. Apparently the Far East Cafe was popular to generations of Japanese Americans who wanted to celebrate weddings, birthday parties, and other milestones there. If one didn’t have enough money to pay for a meal, that was OK there because you could just wash dishes or you’d make it up next time because there was an understanding that we all had to stick together and look out for each other in hard times.

While the restaurant had great Chinese food, its greater significance was it being an informal hub of the Japanese-American community after the camps. And, the building is now designated a national historic landmark.

RC: What life and lawyerly advice do you have for law school students and recent graduates?

CC: I think many of us experienced incidents of unfairness and missed opportunities as a result of unconscious bias, whether it is because of the color of our skin, our age, our sex, or background. And, on top of that, many of us are juggling other balls in the air, like staying active in the community or maintaining roles as a parent, spouse, or caregiver.

There is a lot to balance, with the backdrop of the pressures and stress, in our profession. I can say from personal experience that it’s exhausting, but also fulfilling, especially if you are involved in the community and passionate about causes important to you.

Please remember to take of yourself as you are not alone in times of stress, anxiety, and pressure, and we all need to take a deep breath and be cognizant of the present, so we can enjoy this journey of a long and fulfilling legal career.

RC: On behalf of everyone here at Above the Law, I would like to thank Cyndie Chang for sharing her experience and wisdom with our audience. We wish her continued success in her career.

Renwei Chung is the Diversity Columnist at Above the Law. You can contact Renwei by email at projectrenwei@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@renweichung), or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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