Asian American Affinity Group
Greenberg Traurig’s Asian American Affinity Group’s mission is to create an inclusive and engaging environment to promote success for its members by supporting opportunities for collaboration, advancement, professional growth, and business development. Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion is an integral piece of GT’s DNA which GT’s Asian American Affinity Group embodies. Through professional development opportunities, partnerships with external organizations, and community involvement, our group is committed to empowering our firm’s Asian American employees and promoting opportunities for our members and beyond.
Our Goals
- Support the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy by building relationships with community and professional organizations, as well as with local, national, and international bar associations to enhance opportunities for Asian American attorneys.
- Amplify Asian American and diverse voices within the legal community.
- Develop programs that move the needle on the dialogue surrounding inclusion and equality in Big Law, as well as elevating Asian American and other diverse attorneys and colleagues in the legal industry.
- Partner with external affinity groups to enhance the diversity efforts of the legal profession at large.
- Build networks between clients and the community.
- Provide a platform to share experiences, challenges, cultures, advice and interests.
Diversity in Action
Year-in-Review Video
Throughout the month of May, GT’s Asian American Affinity Group celebrated Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In recognition of AAPI Heritage Month, Legal Eagles spotlights were shared internally of Asian American lawyers who have distinguished themselves, broken barriers and have/are paving the way for the next generation of AAPI lawyers. GT attorneys also shared their voices with video messages on social media of what it means to be an AAPI attorney at GT:
Greenberg Traurig joined The Alliance for Asian American Justice (The Alliance). The Alliance is a national pro bono initiative committed to providing legal support and advocacy to victims of anti-Asian hate.
The Alliance is designed to coordinate and drive pro bono resources from member firms on behalf of victims to assist and support them in obtaining legal remedies. Victims of anti-Asian hate crimes often lack access to legal services and support due to language and cultural barriers, among other inhibiting factors. The Alliance has said it will work with victims to bring lawsuits seeking compensatory and other civil remedies or to collaborate with law enforcement so that those committing the attacks are brought to justice. The Alliance will also help victims find specialized legal services, social services, and other community support.
On March 18, 2021, Greenberg Traurig issued a statement, as it did in April 2020, condemning hate crimes against Asian Americans:
We Are Better Than This
Already it has been a difficult 2021 for the Asian community given the growing incidents of traumatic and extremely violent crimes against Asian Americans – in our own backyard most recently in Atlanta, and across the nation in Queens, NY, San Francisco, CA, Denver, CO, and other cities. Hate is never OK. It is not who we are as a nation. The crimes against Americans of Asian descent or origin have no place in our society. And we cannot remain silent.
Because of the current situation, these crimes are particularly heinous in that they target people of color, a population that has been disproportionally affected by the health and economic fallout of the pandemic.
We urge community leaders of every race, religion, ethnic background, gender, or gender identity and expression, to raise their voices and denounce those responsible; address conditions that compromise the safety of communities of color; silence false information and thinly veiled racism delivered in public forums; and take swift and measurable action to end hate crimes, prioritizing the safety of Asian Americans everywhere.
Unfortunately, hate knows no boundaries — not racial, ethnic, economic, or gender lines. Action is the key and the timeframe is urgent because an attack on Asian Americans is an attack on all of us. To combat it and win, we must double down, and stand together, forging personal and community relationships, having open conversations, and reaffirming that we are better than this.
Greenberg Traurig hosted a program, Courageous Conversations: Renaming the “China Initiative”: Will anything change? In recognition and celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this Courageous Conversation addressed the impact of legal issues and criminal justice disparities faced by these communities, as well as the positive impact of community advocacy. Attendees learned how to be allies and, if qualified, use their legal backgrounds to support Asian communities on difficult issues such as racial profiling, violence, and discrimination.
Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Assistant Director of the Anti-Racial Profiling Project at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Dr. Anming Hu, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, served as the guest speakers for this program presented by Greenberg Traurig attorney Andrew Chongseh Kim, who has written extensively on the topic. Greenberg Traurig Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager Daniel Taylor provided opening remarks.
We regularly collaborate with:
- Asian American Bar Association
- Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts
- Asian Law Alliance
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association Silicon Valley
- Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center
- Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento
- California Minority Counsel Program
- Chinese Business Leaders in Life Sciences
- India Development Service
- International Association of Korean Lawyers
- Korean American Bar Association of Minnesota
- Korean American Bar Association of Southern California
- Korean Americans for Political Action
- Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- Muslim Public Affairs Council Foundation
- National Asian American Bar Association
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Leadership Advancement Program
- National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys
- National Filipino American Lawyers Association
- South Asian Bar Association of North America