Judicial Pipeline Project
The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County has run its Judicial Pipeline Project since 2016. The Pipeline Project is an effort to:
Identify and provide outreach to potential qualified candidates for administrative, trial, and appellate judicial offices in the state and federal systems;
Assist and advise these candidates in the application and vetting process and the judicial election process, including establishment of a formal mentorship program involving APA judges; and
Create and cultivate relationships to facilitate the appointment of APAs to the bench.
Among the Pipeline Project’s features:
Confidential Judicial Mentor/Mentee Program: Candidates may have an opportunity to be paired with a judicial officer to discuss, among other things, the candidates' plans for the bench.
Application Counseling: Candidates will work closely with APABA’s network of advisors to prepare the best possible judicial application.
Endorsement Counseling: While participation in the project does not in any way guarantee that candidates will be endorsed by any organization, the Pipeline Project will advise candidates on obtaining community support for their applications to the extent possible.
Post-Application Guidance: Candidates will be counseled on what to do after their applications for judicial officer positions are submitted.
Interview Counseling: If a candidate’s name is submitted to the various vetting and rating organizations, the Pipeline Project will assist the candidate in preparing for interviews with those organizations.
The Pipeline Project - the first of its kind in Southern California - will broaden professional opportunities for our community of lawyers and support and educate those interested in serving as judges. Candidates must apply to participate. The need for this program is underscored by the lag in APA representation on California's bench.
APABA thanks its co-sponsoring APA bar organizations - APAWLA, JABA, PABA, SABA-SC, SCCLA - for their generous support and participation.
Program Features
The Pipeline Project will evaluate and assess individuals accepted into the program and tailor its resources to prepare these candidates for the bench. Among the Pipeline Project’s features:
Confidential Judicial Mentor/Mentee Program. Candidates may have an opportunity to be paired with state or federal judicial officers to discuss, among other things, the candidates' plans for the bench.
Application Counseling. Candidates will work closely with APABA’s network of advisors to prepare the best possible judicial application.
Endorsement Counseling. Although participation in the project does not in any way guarantee that candidates will be endorsed by any organizations, the Pipeline Project will advise candidates on obtaining community support for their applications to the extent possible.
Post-Application Guidance. Candidates will be counseled on what to do after their applications for judicial officer positions are submitted.
Interview Counseling. If a candidate’s name is submitted to the various vetting and rating organizations, the Pipeline Project will assist the candidate in preparing for interviews with those organizations.
Candidate Participation in Pipeline Project
APABA has hosted its Pipeline Project since 2016. Sister bar members who have been members of the California Bar for at least 10 years can apply here until September 29, 2025.
Questions? Contact the Chair of APABA's Judicial Endorsements and Public Appointments Committee.
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You must be a member of APABA or one of the Southern California co-sponsoring bar organizations. The organizations are: Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance, Japanese American Bar Association, Korean American Bar Association, Philippine American Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association of Southern California, and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association
You must be a member of the California bar for at least ten (10) years and possess the equivalent years of legal experience.
You must demonstrate a substantial commitment to your community.
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APABA's Judicial Pipeline Project (2025 Class) - Apply by September 29, 2025
APABA is now accepting applications for its 2025 Judicial Pipeline Project, an effort to:
Identify and provide outreach to potential qualified candidates for administrative, trial, and appellate judicial offices in the state and federal systems;
Assist and advise these candidates in the application and vetting process and the judicial election process, including establishment of a formal mentorship program involving APA judges; and
Create and cultivate relationships to facilitate the appointment of APAs to the bench.
The Pipeline Project will evaluate and assess individuals accepted into the program and tailor its resources to prepare these candidates for the bench. Among the Pipeline Project’s features:
Confidential Judicial Mentor / Mentee Program: Candidates may have an opportunity to be paired with a judicial officer to discuss, among other things, the candidates’ plans for the bench.
Application Counseling: Candidates will work closely with APABA’s network of advisors to prepare the best possible judicial application.
Endorsement Counseling: While participation in the project does not in any way guarantee that candidates will be endorsed by any organization, the Pipeline Project will advise candidates on obtaining community support for their applications to the extent possible.
Post-Application Guidance: Candidates will be counseled on what to do after their applications for judicial officer positions are submitted.
Interview Counseling: If a candidate’s name is submitted to the various vetting and rating organizations, the Pipeline Project will assist the candidate in preparing for interviews with those organizations.
Judicial Pipeline Project Past Events
November 19, 2015 - Judges’ Dinner
On November 19, 2015, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County (APABA), along with co-sponsors APAWLA, JABA, NAPABA, OCAABA, PABA, SABA-SC, SCCLA, and TABA, hosted its inaugural Asian Pacific American Judges Dinner in LA's Chinatown to kick-off its new Judicial Pipeline Project.
The dinner was attended by over 30 state and federal judges, as well as representatives of co-sponsoring bar associations from throughout the greater Los Angeles Area, including Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Ventura County. During the dinner, which celebrated the achievements of APA members of the judiciary, the judges caught up with each other and learned about APABA’s Judicial Pipeline Project. The group also engaged in candid discussions about diversity on the bench and related issues. At the end of the event, the judges signed up to serve as mentors for Pipeline Project participants and to provide other support such as application review and mock interviews.
APABA’s Judicial Pipeline Project will identify and outreach to potential APA judicial candidates, establish a formal mentorship program between current APA judges and applicants, support candidates in the application and vetting process, and cultivate relationships with the Governor’s office and others to facilitate APA appointments.
Sandhya Ramadas and Christina Yang, Co-Chairs of APABA’s Public Appointments and Judicial Endorsements Committee, coordinated the event, with significant support from committee member Jason P. Lee, former Chair of California’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE); Project Advisors Hon. Holly M. Fujie, Hon. Rupa S. Goswami, and Wendy Wen Yun Chang; and the APABA Board of Governors. APABA’s Judicial Pipeline Project is generously supported by a 2015 NAPABA Affiliate Grant.
July 14, 2016 - Event for Young Lawyers Interested in the Judicial Appointments Process
Please join APABA for an evening program targeted to young lawyers interested in learning about the judicial application process and what it is like to be a judge. The event will begin with a panel and Q&A session with three terrific state court judges, moderated by Jason P. Lee, current member of the State Bar Board of Trustees and past chair of the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE).
January 21, 2016 - Snaps, Velcro, or Zippers? A Conversation About Being a Judge, Good Judging, and Justice
Join APABA and an esteemed panel to discuss the judicial selection process for the state judiciary and to hear about what work, play and life experiences make for good judges. Bring your questions and help decide if this is the right job for you
Featuring panelists:
Joshua Groban, Senior Adviser to Governor Brown
Kimberly Knill, Chair of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation
Justice Nora M. Manella, 2nd District Court of Appeal
The Honorable Burt Pines, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge (ret.)
Late Summer or Early Fall 2016 - A to Z: Federal and State Judicial Appointment Application and Vetting Process
Please join Wendy Wen Yun Chang, co-chair of NAPABA’s Judiciary Committee, and Jason P. Lee, State Bar Trustee and former JNE Commission Chair, for an in-depth review of the federal and state judicial appointment process. Designed for leaders and members of judicial appointment and rating committees, this is a rare opportunity to hear from individuals directly involved in the process and participate in a frank discussion of your committee’s and the community’s role in that process.
