COMMENTARY: Living the American Dream

Author(s): PETER M. SUZUKI

Source: ABA Journal, Vol. 85, No. 11 (NOVEMBER 1999), p. 73
Published by: American Bar Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27841281 .
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 COMMENTARY

the American Dream

Living
BY PETER
M. SUZUKI When I was growing up in Los An ting-edge litigation across America and
geles in the 1960s, my parents taught me the world."
a lesson about the American Dream: Chu's accomplishments at his own
The success "Success comes to those who work hard
and give it their best."
firm are noteworthy. A partner at Haynes
and Boone in Dallas, he built the South
The proof of this lesson is the suc west's largest Asia practice group support
ofAsian Pacific cess of the 15,000 Asian Pacific American ed by 10multilingual Asian Pacific Amer
lawyers, judges and law professors in the ican lawyers, all educated in the United

Americans,one United States today. Their success is the

story of bright, hard-working individuals
States.
success of Asian Pacific Ameri
The

ofthefastest
committed to serving society in the legal cans practicing as in-house counsel is
profession. And it is a story of living the equally impressive, and the list ofAsian
American Dream. Pacific American in-house counsel has
growinggroups Fifty years ago, it was difficult to
find an Asian Pacific American in law
topped 1,000.
"There are great opportunities for
at all levels practice. Following the conventional wis
dom back then, many Asian Pacific
Asian Pacific American in-house counsel
at this time, especially those with Asian
American parents encouraged their chil language abilities, given the growth in
ofthelegal dren to study the sciences. The sciences
were viewed as being more objective and
Asian markets," says Naoko Fujii, corpo
rate counsel at Pfizer Inc. and chair of

profession, less political than the law?and thus less

open to discrimination. Harold H. Koh, a
napaba's corporate counsel forum.

ofNoncitizenship
is impressive distinguished international human rights
expert and former Yale law professor,
Presumptions
The success of Asian Pacific Ameri
recalls that his father gave him three can lawyers today is all the more impres
in lightof the words of advice for success in the work sive in light of the challenges they have
ing world: "Harold, study physics!" faced. One problem regularly faced by
Fortunately for the profession, how Asian Pacific Americans, some of whom
challenges ever, Koh and many other Asian Pacific ar? third- and fourth-generation Ameri
Americans the conventional cans, is th? tendency of non-Asians to
along theway.
challenged
wisdom of studying the sciences and pur treat them as noncitizens, at best.
sued legal careers. Koh now serves our An Asian Pacific American lawyer
nation as U.S. assistant secretary for de serving in the U.S. Air Force described a
mocracy, human rights and labor in the recent incident that illustrates this prob
State Department. lem. Capt. Ted Lieu was at an awards
Today, Asian Pacific Americans are dinner in his dress-blue uniform, com
one of the fastest growing groups at all plete with captain's bars, military in
levels of the legal profession. For example, signia and medals. An elegantly dressed
a survey last year by a national legal lady sitting next to him asked, "Are you
publication determined that the number in the Chinese Air Force?" Capt. Lieu
of Asian Pacific American associates at was left speechless. Her question made
the 250 largest firms grew at a phenome him realize that even Air Force blue was
nal rate of 72 percent, tomore than 2,000. not enough to reverse presumption that
The number ofAsian Pacific Amer people with yellow skin and Asian fea
ican partners in large U.S. law firms tures are somehow not American.
?is on the rise, according to Despite these obstacl?s, the growing
Wilson Chu, chair of the success of Asian Pacific American law
Partners Forum at the yers is a tribute to the American legal
National Asian Pacific profession and the power of the Ameri
American Bar Associa can Dream. Thanks to the efforts of orga
tion headquartered in nizations such as the aba and minority
Washington, D.C. More bar associations like nap?ba, we all are
than 100 partners are improving the richness and diversity of
now participating in the the American legal profession, and ad
forum. vancing justice in the United States.
"Asian Pacific Amer What better lesson could I have
J icans have hit a critical
mass in the legal pro
asked for frommy parents?

fession today," Chu says. Peter M. Suzuki (left), corporate

"Asian Pacific Americans counsel at Lucent Technologies inMurray
are handling major busi Hill, N.J., is president of the National
ness transactions and cut Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

paras JOURNAL 1999

NOVEMBER
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