Asian Pacific American Bar Association celebrates growth

Five years ago, the organization now known as the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana was just an idea in the minds of 11 Asian-Pacific American attorneys in the Indianapolis area. The group gathered one August evening in 2013 to meet one another for the first time and discuss the possibility of creating an affiliate chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Together, the APA attorneys formed APABA-IN on July 21, 2014, with a total of 12 members. But today, the group has grown to an organization of 50 members and has earned the support of the roughly 150 attorneys who attended APABA-IN’s second annual dinner Thursday.

Nick Huang, an attorney at Harrison & Moberly and the current APABA-IN president, joyfully celebrated the organization’s steady growth over the past five years, noting its board now consists of 16 attorneys and two law students. Speaking to a crowd at the downtown Indianapolis Skyline Club after being presented with the bar’s Spirit of Excellence Award, Huang said the bar group has used its growing voice to endorse APA judicial candidates, provide official opinions on federal policy and host diversity-centered CLE and social events.

Next year the group will welcome other APABA chapters to Indianapolis for the 2019 Central Regional Conference, then will open the doors of the Circle City for the “Super Bowl” of APA events — the 2023 NAPABA Conference. That event will draw several thousand members of the APA legal community to the Indianapolis area, creating more networking opportunities for local attorneys and the growing bar association.

“… With the continued efforts of the APABA board and the vision of the APABA board, along with all the help of our membership, APABA will continue to grow at remarkable rates,” Huang said. “The results have been positive, and I’m excited to be part of this bridge to diversity.”