Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, celebrated in May, is an opportunity to recognize the contributions and achievements of Asian/Pacific Americans today and throughout history.
Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia), and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island).
While Asian American attorneys represent the largest minority group in U.S. law firms, there has been a recent decline in overall representation. According to data from the National Association for Law Placement,* in 2025, Asian attorneys made up 11.7% of associates and 5.17% of partners, down from 13.29% and 5.21%, respectively, in 2024.
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander attorneys, which NALP breaks out separately, made up just 0.10% of all partners and 0.19% of associates in 2025. This is up less than 1% from 2024.
I recently spoke with our Chair John Kim about the challenges and opportunities Asian American attorneys face.
John serves as Associate General Counsel at Edward Jones, where he counsels on labor and employment matters. He is active in many local and national legal organizations, including on the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Law Foundation’s board of directors.
Asian American attorneys represent the largest minority group in major U.S. law firms, yet they face the highest attrition rates and remain underrepresented in the profession’s top ranks. Why do you think that is?
(John) These call-outs in attrition and lack of representation in the highest ranks of “Big Law” are findings in the landmark study on Asian Americans in the legal profession from 2022, “A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0: Identity and Action in Challenging Times,” available at www.apaportraitproject.org.
While Asian Americans are more likely to go to private practice and are the largest minority group at major U.S. law firms, Asian American lawyers still face significant obstacles to career advancement.
There likely are many reasons that these challenges continue to occur, but this study identified the same obstacles that existed when the study was conducted five years prior: a lack of formal leadership training programs, inadequate access to mentors and contacts, and a lack of recognition for their work.
How can legal organizations and the profession as a whole help address this?
(John) Legal organizations and the profession can address these challenges by supporting participation in mentoring programs, like the Commission on Professionalism’s lawyer mentoring program. Mentoring relationships are a great way for mentees to find mentors who will help them navigate relationships and find opportunities to spotlight their work.
Legal employers should also consider supporting their attorneys’ participation in programs like the LCLD Fellows program and NAPABA’s Leadership Advancement Program. These external programs provide meaningful development, networking, and training opportunities.
You recently spoke at a bar admissions ceremony for new Illinois lawyers. What advice would you give new Asian American attorneys or law students?
(John) Build your legacy now. New attorneys may not think of legacy as something to think about or act on at the start of their professional journey. How you will be remembered depends on how you are regarded and thought of now, in the day-to-day.
This came into focus for me during this year’s Future is Now Conference, when attorneys Mitch Gilfillan and Whitney Siehl spoke about how their engagement in pro bono is at the core of their professional identity.
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To learn more about the Commission’s Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program, click here.
*NALP saw a significant decline in the number of U.S. law firms and lawyers that contributed demographic data to the 2025 NALP Report on Diversity, which may affect the analysis of overall trends.
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NALP Diversity Report Signals Fluctuations As Fewer Firms Provide Data