A bar association built to close a gap

How GOAABA started

GOAABA grew out of conversations between attorneys Jessica Hew and Stephen Chong, joined by Sunny Hillary, Glenn Leong and Kim Nguyen, about the need for Orlando’s first-ever Asian American bar association.

In March 2009, Glenn Leong convened an informal planning meeting at Dexter’s in Winter Park with Jessica Hew, Kim Nguyen and Sunny Hillary. The planning committee identified unmet legal needs within Asian American communities — language barriers, cultural wariness and other impediments to full legal assistance and access to the courts. Orlando already had the Hispanic Bar Association and the Paul C. Perkins Bar Association serving other communities; there was no unified voice for the region’s Asian American legal professionals.

After extensive research, the group built an email list of more than forty interested parties. The first organisational meeting was held on 19 May 2009 at Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A., with fifteen people attending. A summer of planning followed, and GOAABA was officially incorporated on 19 October 2009.

Who we are today

GOAABA maintains an Affiliation Agreement with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and operates as the fourth affiliated NAPABA chapter in Florida. Membership is open to licensed attorneys in good standing, members of the judiciary and law students from any jurisdiction, without regard to ethnic background, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Annual dues are $75 for attorneys and $30 for law students, supporting the organisation’s operations through each fiscal year beginning 1 August.

What we set out to do

• Represent and advocate the interests of the Asian Pacific American community of the Greater Orlando area.
• Promote the professional growth of our members.
• Facilitate client referrals among members.
• Expand the opportunities open to Asian Pacific American attorneys.
• Coordinate the provision of legal services to underserved communities.