Sid Kanazawa
Candidate for President-Elect
Candidate Statement #1
I humbly seek the office of President-Elect because I believe this is our moment and, to paraphrase Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” “we can’t throw away our shot.” In this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Asian and Pacific Islanders have shown a remarkable
ability to respect each other and appreciate our collective responsibility to each other. The low numbers and rates of infection are not simply because of location. Rather, I believe they stem from cultures that seek harmony rather than absolutes.
We can and must help our fellow lawyers and citizens understand and see the value of this perspective. It goes beyond stopping hate and being treated as an “other” and as a perpetual foreigner. It goes to the harmonizing value of singing karaoke
together, breaking bread together, and listening to each other. It goes to an appreciation that the adversarial model of “one way” and “one truth” is a myth. We settle 98% of the cases filed without determining “one truth.” In trials, different
trial courts and appellate courts regularly come to different “truths.” Even at the U.S. Supreme Court, we accept a “truth” pronounced by a 5-4 majority, where four justices disagree with that final “truth.” It goes to a recognition that we are
all imperfect and that our march to a “more perfect union” will be imperfect but, like our karaoke singing, our imperfection does not mean we cannot find a way to smile, harmonize, and collectively move forward. I believe that we as APIs can and
must “rise up” and lead.
I became NAPABA’s Pro Bono General Counsel and served for 10 years to bridge conflicts and was proud to see the respectful way in which differences were addressed and embraced. It was imperfect. But we came together for the larger good.
Consistent with the existing Strategic Plan, I want to help each and every NAPABA member hone their talents, develop strong relationships, and get the recognition they deserve for their contributions to our larger community. It is not in our nature
to brag. So it falls upon NAPABA and its leaders to brag for you. To spotlight the sometimes less than glamorous things we do to “get the job done.” I will be doing everything I can to help tell and spread your stories.
The hate by some directed at our community should not deter us. We have been here before. And time and again, we have quietly and effectively overcome all of these obstacles by heeding Abraham Lincoln’s words - “The best way to destroy an enemy is
to make him a friend,” Our Lobby Day, our collaboration with diverse and other community organizations, our efforts to maintain and spread contacts in government and in the private sector, our promotion of judges, our invitations to speakers,
our regional conferences, our mentoring, and our in-house counsel programs and connections to outside counsel are all examples of our collective effort to make friends. This is our strength. I will be doing everything I can to provide more opportunities
to connect and strengthen bonds within and outside of NAPABA through our nationwide network of friends.
I want to help educate our internal and larger community about how our self reflection, listening, and respectfulness are the very tools we all need right now in this time of change. We want to “be in the room where it happens.” We want to show how
our organization of different cultures comes together as one. We want to show how our membership of Democrats and Republicans, big firms and solos, government and private sectors, in-house and outside counsel, academics and judges, coastal cities
and inland towns, plaintiffs and defendants, immigrants and native born, young and old, and all the nuanced cultures of Asia and the Pacific can somehow unify with one voice. We want to show how we unite rather than divide. We want to show how
we embrace and appreciate difference rather than fear it. We want to show how we stay in the present looking forward rather than wallowing in the unchangeable past. We want to tell our stories – our imperfect stories – about our imperfect past
and imperfect present and how we creatively instill imperfect harmony for an imperfect future with our imperfect “friends.”
As a full-time mediator/arbitrator, I have seen first-hand how bombast, bullying, and uncompromising purity – the tools of “one way” “one truth” “my way or the highway” advocacy – are ineffective in bringing people together and moving us forward.
We’ve seen it in the streets. When armed police tried to bully unarmed protesters, counter-violence erupted. By contrast, when police took off their helmets, kneeled, listened, and showed respect, they were met with an equally respectful response.
We have the tools. We need to use our internal networking, education, and support to strengthen those tools and our external voice to promote, recognize, and spotlight our members as they effectively deploy those tools. As reflected in our NAPABA
founding documents, we are part of an organization that took a clear- eyed look at the present and future and created an organization and representation that did not simply bow to who had more numbers but instead structured the organization for
the good of all of us. In this moment, we need more who think of the larger good than those who think only of themselves. Our fellow professionals and fellow citizens need our balanced approach more than ever. If elected, I will do my best to
direct NAPABA toward an appreciation of our history, our strengths, and our challenges, and will tell your stories so that you can help all of us by being “in the room where it happens”
This is our moment. “Rise up.” We’re not going to “throw away our shot.”
Candidate Statement #2
Dear NAPABA Members,
SPECIAL MOMENT
In this special moment of racial reckoning, NAPABA needs a leader experienced in transforming conflict into unifying paths forward.
My name is Sid Kanazawa and I was urged to run for
President-Elect of NAPABA by many of my endorsers because they know I can turn danger into opportunity and enemies into friends for the benefit of our big tent of 50,000 diverse APA legal professionals.
AIMING HIGH
I am excited and aiming high. Amidst our current politics of angry shouts, APAs offer real hope for sustainable change right now. As John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Norm Mineta, Daniel Inouye, and so many of
us have recognized, minorities cannot change majorities by answering hate with hate, drawing lines between us, or yelling at those who refuse to hear. Hate breeds fear, and fear breeds fight, flight, or freeze. Entrenchment. Not change. NAPABA was
formed in the aftermath of the death of Vincent Chin, murdered because his killers were angry at Japanese automakers invading Detroit. He was not Japanese. We recognized then and must recognize now that we are stronger and more powerful if we unite
within and unite with others outside of NAPABA and use our smart power. Our cultural heritage of humility, empathy, and respect are the perfect vehicles for bringing people together. We, APA lawyers, must lead and change the narrative. Our country
needs us now.
APA MOMENT
This is our APA moment. Despite all the historical and current attacks on APAs as undesirable “foreigners” or “others,” COVID-19 has shown us that our bias toward a collective approach over a selfish “me first” entitlement
is powerful. When the richest country in the world, with only 4% of the world’s population, has more than 25% of the COVID-19 infections and deaths and its citizens are banned from traveling to Europe and Asia, you’ve got to ask why. The answer is
simple. Leadership grounded in humility, empathy, and respect – hallmarks of APA culture – is the same type of leadership taught in military academies and business schools and is being employed by the great leaders who inspire a path forward for all.
This is our moment to change the narrative about who APAs are and what we contribute.
HOW WE CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
All my life, I’ve been a leader who highlighted others, opened doors, and brought people together. I’ve done this as a teacher, state legislative staffer, local, state, and national bar leader, trial lawyer,
law firm partner, industry group leader, and invited member to various exclusive national organizations.
But I am particularly proud of bringing people together who do not agree. For NAPABA, as pro bono General Counsel for
10 years, I suggested higher planes to bring disparate views together. For JABA, in the “Comfort Women” statue controversy, I initiated a path forward that brought potentially opposing parties to join in a unified position. For the State Bar of California,
I brought together divergent views to create a unified position on new proposed legislation before the California legislature. For the American Bar Association, I instituted a new rule requiring diverse voices in ABA CLE programs, something that had
been talked about for more than 20 years without action. For the American Law Institute, I helped the Reporters shape the Restatement of Torts 3d: Product Liability. With the Days of Dialogue project in Los Angeles, I’ve facilitated many difficult
discussions among community groups and the police. As a writer, I’ve opened eyes to new perspectives (samples at
ARC website). As an invited speaker, I’ve opened hearts and
minds to new possibilities (samples at
IILP/AT&T/Dallas and
NAPABA/Jen Won/John Iino/Sid Kanazawa). And now, as a mediator, I bring people together who never thought it possible.
If elected, in addition to implementing the Strategic Plan being spearheaded by President
Bonnie Wolf and President-Elect A.B. Cruz and improving upon NAPABA’s existing programs, subsidies, and tasks forces (including the Hate Crimes Task Force), here are my plans for NAPABA:
- In my first 90 days, I will work with NAPABA’s Regional Governors to visit virtually all 90 affiliates and national associates and hear directly from them how we can best serve each other’s needs, wants, and hopes. I will simultaneously reach
out to the new leaders of other minority and majority bars and our nation’s government leaders to expand upon and deepen the dialogue with them, finding and building upon common ground for future collaborations.
- To build pipelines of leadership, I will develop programs to teach how minorities change majorities and will work with our affiliates to design effective strategies for programs, publications, news releases, videos, social media, and other actions
to raise the profile of our young members, ensure they take center stage, and connect them with our elders (“kupuna”) who forged earlier paths forward.
- To connect our members, I will propose an ambassador program to connect new members within and outside of NAPABA.
- To make our external voice stronger and more thoughtful, I will conduct town halls and discussions throughout the year to clarify and refine our thoughts about the divides and challenges that lie ahead for all of us, e.g., affirmative action and voter
referenda, and explore the possibility of establishing think tanks to further our voice.
- To address the busy schedules of our affiliate leaders, I will explore an Executive Director-sharing program.
Real sustainable change does not happen without listening, reaching out to friends and strangers, developing trust, and engaging in honest, and sometimes difficult, conversations. Real sustainable change needs a broad network of people who are engaged
and feel a part of the movement. Real sustainable change needs thoughtful leadership that can lift disparate voices to new levels of common purpose inside and outside of NAPABA. That’s what I bring.
I would be honored by your vote for me and
work hard to make you proud. The last day to vote is September 4, 2020 at 8:00 PM Eastern. PLEASE VOTE.
Mahalo,
Sid
Candidate Bio
Sid Kanazawa is a mediator/arbitrator with ARC and a prolific writer and speaker. https://www.arc4adr.com/arc-articles.php
He was a trial lawyer at Lillick McHose; Pillsbury Winthrop; Van Etten, Suzumoto, & Becket; and McGuireWoods for 40 years, a “Southern California Super Lawyer” since 2004, a National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) instructor and program director
for 30 years, and a LCA Senior Fellow in 2019.
Sid served as NAPABA’s Pro Bono General Counsel, with his firm (McGuireWoods), from 2007 to 2017 and received NAPABA’s President’s Award in 2014 for their service and establishment of two annual NAPABA Internships.
As subcommittee chair for the ABA Standing Committee on CLE, he successfully changed the ABA’s diversity and inclusion rules for all ABA CLE programs. He has also served as an Executive Board Member for JABA, PLAC, and the California State Bar Litigation
Section; as Chair of the DRI Trial Tactics Committee; and as Chair of the California State Bar Committee on the Administration of Justice.
Through a petition to the California Supreme Court, and with the help of many NAPABA friends, Sid obtained posthumous admission and recognition for Sei Fujii, a lawyer/activist who could not be admitted to the bar during his lifetime but was instrumental
in overturning the Alien Land Laws in California. Sid also chairs the Board of Trustees for a Japanese community center in Hawaii.
Sid is a graduate of the University of Hawaii (B.Ed.), University of Southern California (J.D.), and numerous negotiation/mediation programs. He is licensed in California and Hawaii. https://sklawmediation.com
Endorsements
- Submit an affiliate endorsement here.
- Submit an individual endorsement here.
- Endorsements will be posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by 12 p.m EDT.
NAPABA Affiliate Endorsements
| Affiliate Name |
| Japanese American Bar Association |
| Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Solano County |
| Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance |
| Tennessee Asian Pacific American Bar Association |
| Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers Ontario |
| Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania |
| NAPABA--Hawaii |
| Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana |
| Asian American Bar Association of Houston |
| Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York |
| Asian American Bar Association of New York |
| Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley |
| Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association |
| Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California |
Individual Endorsements
*All work or organizational affiliations disclosed are for identification and disclosures purposes only, and do not constitute endorsements by those institutions.
| Name |
Company* |
| Michael Wu |
Madewell, Inc. |
| Vincent Gonzalez |
Southern California Gas Company |
| Craig Nakanishi |
Cades Schutte LLP |
| Jayanne Hino |
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP |
| Annette Kwok |
Cronos Group Inc. |
| Marissa Machida |
Bank of Hawaii |
| John Ratnaswamy |
The Law Office John Ratnaswamy |
| Riya Kuo |
Culver City, CA |
| Ryan Iwasaka |
GreenbergGlusker LLP |
| Sandra Yamate |
Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession |
| Judy Lam |
Maynard Cooper & Gayle LLP |
| Anthony Wang |
O'Melveny & Myers LLP |
| Alan Tse |
Jones Lang LaSalle |
| Jin Hwang |
West Orange, New Jersey |
| Joseph Centeno |
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC |
| Diana Iorlano |
Iketani Law Corporation |
| Tirzah Lowe |
Fox Corporation |
| Gina Shishima |
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP |
| Parkin Lee |
New York, NY |
| Peggy Nagae |
Peggy Nagae Consulting |
| Don Liu |
Target Corporation |
| Donald Tamaki |
Minami Tamaki LLP |
| Jim Goh |
Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP |
| Paul W. Lee |
Goodwin Procter LLP |
| Lily Hughes |
Arrow Electronics, Inc. |
| Fiona Ong |
Shawe Rosenthal LLP |
| Angela Hsu |
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP |
| James Derry |
Roku |
| Ruthe Ashley |
American Canyon, CA |
| Dale Minami |
Minami Tamaki LLP |
| Bryce Kumimoto |
Holland & Hart, LLP |
| Aimee Contreras-Camua |
Pircher, Nichols & Meeks LLP |
| Jeffrey Hsi |
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks PC |
| Dale Minami |
Minami Tamaki LLP |
| Diane Tan |
Tan & Sakiyama, a Prof.Corp. |
| Danika Marshall |
Golden, CO |
| Jen Won |
Larson O'Brien LLP |
| Susan Moon |
The Walt Disney Company |
| Michael Yap |
Gen Mobile |
| Benes Aldana |
The National Judicial College |
| Les Jin |
Washington, DC |
| Javade Chaudhri |
Jones Day |
| Wendy Shiba |
Altadena, CA |
| Teddy Kapur |
Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP |
| Kenzo Kawanabe |
Davis Graham & Stubbs |
| Gary Yoshimura |
Santa Barbara, CA |
| Millicent Sanchez |
Swerdlow Florence Sanchez Swerdlow & Wimmer |
| David Louie |
Kobayashi Sugita & Goda |
| John Iino |
Pacific Palisades, CA |
| Daniel Hu |
Houston, TX |
| Martin Tachiki |
Los Angeles, CA |
| Kimberly Kam |
Starbucks Coffee Company |
| Kenneth Tanaka |
MUFG Union Bank |
| Caroline Tsai |
Western Union |
| Carlton Chen |
Kurien Oullette LLC |
| Rahat Babar |
Trenton, NJ |
| Bettina Yip |
Petco |
| Nancy Eng |
Eng Law, PC |
| Dean Zipser |
Umberg Zipser LLP |
| Mike Madokoro |
Bowman and Brooke LLP |
| John Kuo |
Charles River Laboratories |
| Edward Toyozaki |
U.S. Department of Energy |
| Kira Conlon |
Sheppard Mullins Richter & Hampton LLP |
| Bruce Yamashita |
Law Office of Bruce I Yamashita PLLC |
| Paul Hirose |
Perkins Coie LLP |
| Cedric Chao |
Chao ADR, PC |
| Bruce Ishimatsu |
Ishimatsu Law Group P.C. |
| Vivian Hsu |
Hsu & Associates LLC |
| Evelyn Gong |
Perkins Coie LLP |
| Eric Nishizawa |
Law Office of Eric Y. Nishizawa |
| William Simonitsch |
K&LGates LLP |
| Marcine Anderson |
King County, WA |
| Steven Wong |
The Home Depot |
| Ekwan Rhow |
Bird Mirella Boxer Wolpert et al. |
| Wilson Chu |
McDermott Will & Emery LLP |
| Michele Lau |
McKesson Corporation |
| Marty Lorenzo |
Petco |
| Hon. Howard L. Halm (Ret.) |
ADR Services, Inc. |
| Ronald Low |
Marina Del Rey, CA |
| Anne Benedict |
Summit Materials, Inc. |
| Jason DeJonker |
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP |
| Priscilla Park |
Law & ADR Office of Priscilla Kim Park |
| Cyndie Chang |
Duane Morris |
| Linda Mar Weidman |
Marriott International Inc. |
| Tsiwen Law |
Law & Associates |
| Joan Haratani |
Morgan Lewis |
| Andrew Hahn |
Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP |
| Yankun Guo |
Goldstein & McClintock |
| Robert Yap |
Gen Mobile |
| Pankit Doshi |
McDermott Will & Emery LLP |
| Simone Wu |
Choice Hotels International |
| Nimesh Patel |
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP |
| Ivan Fong |
3M Company |
| Rudy Figueroa |
Mitsui Rail Capital, LLC |
| Henry Su |
Constantine Cannon LLP |
| Justin Im |
Superior Essex |
| Timothy Wang |
Delta Air Lines |
| Bobby Woo |
King & Spalding LLP |
| Bonnie Lau |
Morrison & Foerster LLP |
| Emily Kuo |
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Lawrence Tu |
Austin, TX |
| Yuri Mikulka |
Alston & Bird LLP |
| Paul Chan |
Bird Mirella Boxer Wolpert et al. |
| Felix Woo |
FTW Law Group |
| Carolynn Beck |
Goldstein & McClintock LLLP |
| Brian Sun |
Jones Day |
| Catherine Chuck |
McBirney & Chuck PC |
| Alice Truong |
Summit Law Group |
| Barbara Lum |
Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP |
| Diana Lin |
Chicago, IL |
| Lee Cheng |
Maschoff Brennan |
| John Chou |
AmerisourceBergen Corporation |
| Robert Zung |
Chevy Chase, MD |
| Debbie Crockett |
Cheffy Passidomo, P.A. |
| John Rhee |
Dentons US LLP |
| Quynh Truong-Johnson |
Cruz & Associates |
| Sandra Leung |
Bristol-Meyers Squibb |
| Ted Ting |
Bank of America |
| Melissa Lin |
Righi Fitch Law Group |
| Bryce Suzuki |
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP |
| Kathleen Chen |
University of Pennsylvania |
| Rakesh Gopalan |
McGuireWoods LLP |
| Donna Chin |
Donna C. Chin, Esq. |
| Jeannie Kim |
Sheppard, Mullins, Richter & Hampton LLP |
| Lynn A. Whitcher |
Md7 |
| Randy Aoyama |
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP |
| Kevin Fong |
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP |
| Toni Nguyen |
Holland & Knight |
| Vanessa Lee |
Seattle City Attorney's Office |
| Marla T. Reschly |
K&L Gates LLP |
| Curtis Jung |
Jung & Yuen LLP |
| Louise Ing |
Dentons US LLP |
| Eileen Sullivan |
Coconino County Legal Defender |
| Tony Chan |
Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP |
| Julia Markley |
Perkins Coie LLP |
| Tina Matsuoka |
Arlington, VA |
| Sang-yul Lee |
K&L Gates LLP |
| Christopher Yook |
King & Spalding LLP |
| Marie Oh Huber |
eBay Inc. |
| Julie Cheng |
New Bamboo Consulting |
| Laura Hong |
Tucker Ellis LLP |
| Paul M. Igasaki |
Alexandria, VA |
| Ed Lew |
Los Angeles, CA |
| Paxon Sinsangkeo |
Charlotte, NC |
| Grace Yoo |
Law Offices of Grace E. Yoo |
| Rob Vasquez |
Ewa Beach, HI |
| Naho Kobayash |
McGuireWoods LLP |
| Alexander Su |
LimNexus LLP |
| Julie D. Soo |
California Department of Insurance/Commissioner, San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women |
| Ruoya Burns |
Northeastern University School of Law |
| Mimi Nguyen |
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County |
| Tina Ngo |
Alston & Bird LLP |
| Sam Yoon |
L3Harris Technologies, Inc. |
| Kevin Lyn |
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP |
| Benjamin Lumicao |
Allstate Insurance Company |
| Karen Narasaki |
Washington, DC |
| Laura Hong |
Tucker Ellis LLP |
| Tina Dorr |
Cantor Colburn LLP |
| Mark Uyeda |
Washington, DC |
| Monkia Oyama |
Masuda Funai Eifert & Mitchell Ltd. |
| Christine Noma |
Wendel Rosen LLP |
| Clara Ohr |
Goldwind USA, Inc. |
