TABA Updates February 2015

Welcome to the February edition of TABA’s 2015 Announcements!

1. TABA Membership Renewal for 2015

TABA membership runs from Jan 1 to Dec 31 each calendar year. Please take this opportunity to renew for 2015. A fillable PDF is available at http://www.tabalawyers.org/membership.


2. Twelfth Annual New Admittee Reception and Law Student Mentoring Circles / 630pm Thu Feb 26, Oiwake Restaurant, Los Angeles

Please join TABA, APABA-LA, and other co-sponsoring bar associations in welcoming new admittees to the California Bar!

We will also be having law student mentoring circles, where students will be matched up specifically with attorneys in their areas of interest, including business law, health law, nonprofits, and government. Students will have the opportunity to gain valuable insight while also enjoying tasty food provided by sponsors.

Appetizers will be served. FREE with RSVP for all new bar admittees, law students, and current members of sponsoring bar associations; $15 for all others.

Validated parking available in the Japanese Village Plaza garage (entrance on Central between 1st and 2nd Streets).

** RSVP BY FEBRUARY 19, 2015 to CONTACTAPABA@GMAIL.COM **

Please indicate “New Admittee Reception” in the subject line and mention that you are affiliated with TABA.


3. Exclusive TABA Event: Thai Town Food Tour with Celebrity Chef Jet Tila / 11am Sat Mar 7

Please join us for an amazing opportunity to participate in a walking food tour of LA’s Thai Town led by celebrity Chef Jet Tila at 11am on Saturday, March 7, 2015!

This LA native and culinary storyteller was appointed the official Thai Culinary Ambassador to the United States by the Royal Thai Government. He completed his education at Le Cordon Bleu where he established a framework of classical French technique to match his extensive knowledge of Asian cooking. He is a highly sought-after consultant in the Pan-Asian dining niche, hosts his own radio show on KLAA Los Angeles and is a regular judge on the popular TV show Cutthroat Kitchen. You can find additional details at http://chefjet.com/.

Chef Jet offers Melting Pot Food Tours of Thai Town at the cost of $125/person. However, in collaboration with and in support of TABA, Chef Jet is offering his tour to TABA members at the significantly reduced rate of $60/person!! For this reason, space is extremely limited.

Only current TABA members may participate in this event. So please renew or apply for TABA membership using the form available here before you RSVP. You may RSVP for the Food Tour by emailing RSVP@tabalawyers.org. Space permitting, we will confirm your spot by February 21, 2015.

4. Save the Date – TABA’s Third Annual Banquet Dinner / 6pm Fri Apr 10, Thailand Plaza, Los Angeles

TABA will be holding its Third Annual Banquet Dinner on Friday, April 10, 2015, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Thailand Plaza Restaurant in Los Angeles. Our keynote speaker is the Honorable Paul C. Lo from the Merced County Superior Court of California, the first Hmong-American judge in the United States. Please save the date.


Announcements from TABA’s Affiliates

1. Thai CDC Seeking Applications/Nominations for 2015 Board Members

The Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) is seeking applications and nominations for new board members in 2015.

Founded in 1994, Thai CDC has made it its mission to advance the social and economic well-being of low and moderate income individuals in the greater Los Angeles area through a broad and comprehensive community development strategy based upon human rights advocacy, affordable housing, access to healthcare, promotion of small businesses, neighborhood empowerment, and social enterprises. While we work closely with the Thai community, we also work together with an array of other communities and community organizations in the East Hollywood area and throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

We are seeking applications from candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to the Thai community and who also have a strong interest or background in non-profit sector work. More specifically, we hope to garner applications from those with experience in law, fundraising, and/or finance, though all applications received will be accepted and duly considered. Thai language ability is not required for the position.

In general, our Board of Directors is tasked with governance, oversight, and also with leadership and promotion of Thai CDC. New board members will become part of a cohesive team composed of diverse and dedicated colleagues from a variety of professions.

We ask that incoming members commit to a renewable 2-year term (beginning upon their election) and to attending quarterly meetings. Furthermore, and among other things, new Board members will serve on Board committees, provide fundraising support, and represent our organization at various functions and events. This is a non-compensated position, but Board members may be reimbursed for expenses reasonably incurred in the performance of their duties.

To obtain further information or to apply, please contact Mac Bunyanunda at mac@thaicdc.org and visit our website at www.thaicdc.org. We thank you for your interest and look forward to receiving your application.

2. NAPABA’s IP Publications Subcommittee Seeks Publication Submissions

The Publications Subcommittee of the NAPABA Intellectual Property Committee is seeking submissions to publish in a quarterly newsletter. Potential types of submissions include:

1) Legal topics pertaining to IP, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and the prosecution/enforcement/monetization thereof, in the U.S. or other countries (e.g., analysis/discussion of a particular practice area, trend, court decision, practice pointers, etc.). Currently, priority will be given to submissions pertaining to licensing and technology transactions.

2) New administrative decisions/rules/guidelines/programs, such as at the USPTO or other patent offices (e.g., fee changes, guidelines in response to a court decision, pilot programs).

3) Achievements & career-related news of APA professionals (e.g., honors, awards, recognitions, speaking engagements, promotions, job changes).

4) Upcoming & recent IP events (e.g., IP events hosted or notably attended by Asian professional organizations and/or Asian law student associations).

Preferably, the length of a submission will be 1000 words or less. Submitters are also invited to optionally include a profile photo and/or a brief bio (for submission types 1-3 above) and/or a recent event photo (for submission types 3-4 above) for publication. Please email submissions and/or questions to Alex Chang at achang@hdp.com, Srikant Viswanadham at srikant.viswanadham@sutherland.com, and John Gray at JHGray@perkinscoie.com by March 1, 2015.