APABA consists of the following committees:

Activities (Professional Networking, Professional Development, and CLE)
Chairs: Venkatesh (Vee) Iyer, Sherene C. Stenger, Dan Sweetser

We host numerous activities including the Minoru Yasui Scholarship Awards Banquet, monthly general membership meetings, mixers, an end-of-summer BBQ, receptions, joint activities with other Asian professional organizations. These social events offer networking opportunities and, of course, good food. We encourage our members to meet each other and to strengthen their professional ties. We regularly conduct lunch meetings, at which prominent members speak on a range of topics.

We are an authorized CLE provider. As part of our commitment to develop and improve the legal skills of our members, we participate and sponsor various programs that include lectures and demonstrations by seasoned trial attorneys and judges to actively employ the techniques and skills learned through the program.

Community Concerns (Legislature, Civil Rights Advocacy, Asian Concerns)
Chairs: Elsa Djab Burchinow, Andrea Wang

As a minority bar association, we are committed to serving our Asian Pacific American community. We explore civil rights and other issues between legal and community organizations. In recent years, we joined other Asian Pacific organizations in resisting initiatives and other efforts to erode civil rights. Our members donate numerous hours of their time as volunteers for various legal and community concerns of the Asian communities including Asian community voter registrations, clinics providing free legal advice, Asian community legal education, and a holiday food basket program. At our annual Awards Banquet, we recognize an outstanding member of the community that has improved and contributed to the community for the benefit of others.

We strongly encourage our members to participate in the activities and programs of the State Bar and county bars and, as a result, our members serve on committees of the Colorado State Bar as well as other bar association committees and sections. We support programs that help minority lawyers fully participate in the legal community. We are committed to strengthening our ties to other local minority bars and are active meetings with other minority bar associations – Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, Sam Cary Bar Association, and the Colorado Womens Bar Association. The Presidents of these local bar associations periodically meet to discuss issues implement strategies assisting minority participation in the legal community.

Judicial & Political Appointments
Chairs: Kerry S. Hada, Franz Hardy, Hon. Alfred C. Harrell, Jr.

We encourage Asian Pacific American attorneys to seek judicial appointments. The judicial and political appointments committee has contact with the offices of the Governor and Mayor, Supreme Court, CBA, and the DBA. The judicial appointments committee advises the membership of openings, candidates, and recommendations for endorsement.

We regularly receive requests for endorsements from judicial candidates. The candidates we have endorsed have been fairly successful in obtaining the judicial positions, and we have built good relationships with the judges. It is a great opportunity to get to know the judicial candidates personally and a great opportunity to have input on our judicial appointments, which impacts our community.

Law Student Services (Scholarship, Programs)
Chairs: Vivian M. Barrios, Sabina Chung, Honorable Melvin Okamoto

Our scholarship fund annually awards scholarships to local law students to encourage public service to the Asian Pacific American community and to recognize commitment to the Asian Pacific American community as a student. In an effort to assist the newest members of the progression, we sponsor or participate in various law student activities including a law student orientation program, mentor-mentee program that includes mentee office visits with the mentors and informal Dim Sum lunches, and summer mixers. We also participate in the annual Pledge to Diversity Program receptions for new and future attorneys. To improve our commitment, relationships, and ongoing communications with law students, we maintain a Student Representative at the Colorado law schools.

Membership and Communications
Chair: Mechelle Y. Faulk, Victoria O. Williams

We pride ourselves on our activities but also on our ability to communicate with our membership in a timely and informative fashion. In our e-newsletters, regular newsletters, and web page, we describe our activities, explore legal and social issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community, and profile new and outstanding members of APABA and the community.