Candidate for Director:
Ryan Manuel
Hello FBANC!
My name is Ryan Louie Manuel, and I am running for the position of Social Director for FBANC’s 2022-2023 Board. I am currently an associate attorney at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, handling professional liability and employment cases.
As Filipinos, we love social gatherings, and as FBANC members, we are committed to making a difference in our communities. I believe that I have the experience and passion for successfully intersecting these two core values of FBANC. I have a dedicated history of organizing events that are inclusive and promote community building. For example, during my law school career at the University of San Francisco, I was the Co-Chair of the Pilipino American Law Society (PALS) and successfully organized USF’s first-ever PALS Grad for the graduating Class of 2019. As Vice-President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA), I revived the Judges of Color Panel, which continues to be an annual event at USF. I was also the Secretary for the Pride Law, where I organized various panels about intersectionality in the LGBTQI+ community and successfully organized USF’s first-ever PRIDE Grad in 2019. In addition to PALS, Pride Law, and APALSA, I also held leadership positions in USF Law Review (Symposium Editor) and the Environmental Law Student and Alumni Society (Media Chair).
In my leadership roles, I successfully organized inclusive and community-based events. I was driven by the belief that community building starts by unifying groups and collaborating with other affinity groups. My peers selected me as the 2019 Student Bar Association Award recipient based on my contribution to the USF law school community. This award is typically presented to a graduating student who “contributed significantly to the character of the School of Law through outstanding service and leadership.” I believe that my past leadership experience will propel me to succeed as FBANC’s Social Director.
As a Social Director, I look forward to organizing FBANC’s hallmark annual events, such as FBANC’s Picnic and the Holiday Party. And, with the lifting of pandemic social gathering restrictions, more than ever, organizing in-person gatherings will be my priority, keeping in mind our members’ safety and mental health.
As FBANC’s Social Director, I would like to focus on community building within FBANC and the greater Bay Area Community. I plan to collaborate with other FBANC directors and committees. I intend to organize social events that promote professional development and advocacy, two of FBANC’s core missions, through informal fireside talks, happy hours, and other forms of social gatherings open to lawyers, other legal professionals, and law students. And as someone who benefitted from FBANC’s support during law school, I would like to organize frequent social events that would strengthen FBANC’s mentor-mentee program to further attract law students’ involvement in FBANC. Additionally, as a newly practicing
attorney, I would like to develop a more robust social and professional support amongst FBANC attorneys of different experience levels.
I understand that my success as Social Director depends on FBANC’s members’ participation. Therefore, I intend to include FBANC members’ input in planning and organizing social events that raise awareness on social issues like homelessness, veterans, and LGBTQI+ issues. My goal is to support a more inclusive, fun, and socially active FBANC that will keep our current members engaged and attract new ones to strengthen FBANC’s presence locally and in the greater Northern California region. Thank you for your consideration!