July 2026 through February 2027 Applications Are Due March 4, 2026
Unleash Your Leadership Potential with NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program
Are you ready to elevate your career and make a lasting impact in the legal profession? NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program is a premier, year-long experiential journey designed to accelerate the growth of rising attorneys like
you. This transformative program empowers participants to discover and activate their authentic leadership style while building powerful, enduring connections across the legal community and
deepening relationships between in-house counsel and law firm attorneys
Through immersive, hands-on learning, guided reflection, and dynamic peer engagement, participants emerge as confident, self-aware leaders equipped to thrive in high-stakes environments. Here’s what you’ll gain:
Unlock Your Leadership Strengths: Gain a deeper understanding of your unique leadership style and areas for growth.
Command Presence with Confidence: Elevate your leadership presence in ways that inspire trust and recognition from colleagues and supervisors.
Conquer Complex Challenges: Step boldly into greater responsibilities and navigate high-pressure situations with poise.
Master Communication: Speak with influence, listen with intention, and foster meaningful connections across diverse stakeholders.
Navigate Resistance and Drive Outcomes: Strengthen your ability to anticipate challenges, resolve conflicts, and lead with impact.
Adapt and Thrive Anywhere: Develop the mindset and agility to lead effectively in any role or setting.
Advance Your Career Strategically: Clarify your vision and take actionable steps toward your short- and long-term career goals.
Forge Lifelong Connections: Join an exclusive cohort of 24 trusted advisors and allies who will champion your growth and success.
This is more than a program—it’s a launchpad for your leadership journey. Step into your potential, amplify your impact, and shape the future of the legal profession with NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program.
The program is designed for mid-career NAPABA attorney members who are seeking to develop their leadership skills. Enrollment in the program is limited to 24 participants, with an even balance between IHC and law firm attorneys. All
NAPABA members are encouraged to apply, although the selection committee will focus on the following criteria this year:
Law firm candidates: preference for candidates with between 6-10 years of experience
In-house candidates: preference for a minimum of 3-4 years of IHC experience, with 6-10 years of overall practice experience
Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of former Leadership Advancement Program participants. In addition to basic information about the applicant, their professional background, and understanding of the program’s
requirements, applicants should be prepared to respond to the following prompts. Responses should be approximately 100–150 words each.
What do you hope to achieve through participation in this program?
What leadership challenges do you currently face? Please discuss any gaps in skills or tools, areas for personal growth, and the leadership
capacities you hope to strengthen or develop.
What is your “origin story,” or a significant challenge you have overcome that has shaped your leadership journey?
Provide noteworthy examples of your leadership experience, including roles, initiatives, or impacts you are most proud of.
What leadership training or development programs have you previously participated in, if any? What aspects were most effective, and what did you feel was missing?
Costs and Fees
NAPABA will provide the trainers, program materials, venue, and in-program meals. If accepted, attendees will be expected to commit a program fee and provide their own travel and accommodations, if required.
Rudhir Krishtel
is a certified Co-Active Coach and facilitator focusing on workplace wellness and intensity. Many lawyers struggle with stress and lack of purpose in their practice. As a former lawyer, Rudhir coaches clients and hosts workshops
to identify the issues that hold lawyers back from advancing in their career with clarity and fulfillment.
Prior to becoming an executive coach and consultant, Rudhir practiced law for 15 years as a federal clerk, patent
litigation partner at Fish & Richardson, and then as senior patent counsel at Apple.
His lawyer days led him to train as a teacher for yoga (Baptiste Institute) and mindfulness meditation (Warrior One), and as a Professional Certified Coach (Coaches Training Institute & International Coaching Federation), to serve
as much-needed support for the legal community.
Program Chair
Dawn Yamane Hewett
Dawn Yamane Hewett is a
partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, where she assists clients with transnational disputes and government investigations. She specializes in investment treaty arbitration, where she represents investors and sovereign
states in multi-million and multi-billion dollar foreign investment disputes. She also assists companies of all sizes with inquiries and investigations by US government agencies, including the Department of Justice, Federal Trade
Commission, and Department of Commerce. Dawn speaks Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and her cases often require the use of one or more of her languages.
Before Quinn Emanuel, Dawn was Deputy General Counsel
for Strategic Initiatives at the US Department of Commerce, practiced at another global law firm, and was a law clerk on the Ninth Circuit. Prior to her legal career, she worked at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Sierra
Leone and an international human rights NGO in Ireland, and conducted field research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico, Brazil, Cambodia, and Japan. Dawn holds advanced degrees from Yale Law School, Princeton University
School of Public and International Affairs, and Trinity College Dublin, and two bachelor degrees from the University of Washington.
Dawn is active in the legal community, having served as a President of the Asian Pacific
American Bar Association of Greater Washington, DC Region and on the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law. She also coaches her daughter’s elementary school running team through the Girls on the Run program,
which teaches empowerment and self-confidence for young girls.
Please note: If accepted into the program, you are making a commitment to attend all sessions.
Workshop One
July 9-10, 2026 | San Francisco, CA
The program will commence with a two day program. The workshop will include:
Team building exercises
Assessments and overview of leadership and communication style
Storytelling for Leadership
Grounding your career vision with goal setting and planning exercises
Workshop Two
November 12, 2026 | Los Angeles, CA
The second workshop is held in conjunction with the 2026 NAPABA Convention. The workshop will include:
Executive presence
Navigating advancement and influencing stakeholders
Hearing from other leaders in the field
Launching a cohort driven coaching program to push cohort members to pursue leadership goals
Workshop Three
February 18-19, 2027 | Washington, DC
The program will culminate with a gathering. Workshop activities include:
Exercises to deepen your understanding of your leadership skills and values
Steps to overcome leadership challenges
How to overcome imposter syndrome
Exploring your evolving leadership style
2026-27 Leadership Advancement Program (LAP) Application
You must click the submit button for your application to be accepted. You will receive a confirmation email with your application upon submission. To receive the member price for the program, please activate your
membership by visiting napaba.org/membership.
Rudhir Krishtel
is a certified Co-Active Coach and facilitator focusing on workplace wellness and intensity. Many lawyers struggle with stress and lack of purpose in their practice. As a former lawyer, Rudhir coaches clients and hosts workshops
to identify the issues that hold lawyers back from advancing in their career with clarity and fulfillment.
Dawn Yamane Hewett is a
partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, where she assists clients with transnational disputes and government investigations. She specializes in investment treaty arbitration, where she represents investors and sovereign
states in multi-million and multi-billion dollar foreign investment disputes. She also assists companies of all sizes with inquiries and investigations by US government agencies, including the Department of Justice, Federal Trade
Commission, and Department of Commerce. Dawn speaks Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and her cases often require the use of one or more of her languages.