Candidate for FBANC President-Elect:

Nelson Pineda Lam

I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for President-Elect of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC).  Serving on the FBANC board for over five years has given me an appreciation for this organization like no other.  

In particular, our organization's strength, dedication, and resilience have shone through the past few years, even when challenged.  While it would have been understandable had we slowed down our programming amidst the COVID pandemic and the transition to virtual environments, we recognized the needs in our community were dire.  And we answered the call.  To support those most vulnerable, we partnered with organizations like the Asian Law Caucus and Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights to set up virtual legal clinics for individuals applying for unemployment benefits and small businesses seeking pro bono legal advice.  

FBANC also fundraised for the community locally and abroad.  This past January, I organized a charity basketball game at the Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors.  Proceeds from the event went towards grassroots youth basketball in the Bay Area.  The participants raised $12,000, in total, for amateur girls' teams in San Francisco.  In addition, FBANC fundraised nearly $1,500 for the victims of Typhoon Odette in the Philippines.

One of our most significant challenges is the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes.  While discrimination in all of its insidious forms will not be solved overnight, I am proud of the public statements FBANC has made and the resources we have provided.  And I have found the courage to share my own story of discrimination that my company (and FBANC Platinum Sponsor) Uber Technologies, Inc. featured in its "To Be Seen" campaign.

If elected, I plan to continue the traditions of excellence & service—building upon our accomplishments to reach even further.

Goals

Here are some of the initiatives I would lead as President-Elect:

  1. Support Legal Resources for Filipino-American Businesses & Entrepreneurs.  Small businesses and entrepreneurs were challenged by COVID unlike any time before in recent memory.  To survive, rebuild, and thrive — our small businesses cannot afford to forgo legal assistance on fundamental business matters.  Especially in these difficult economic times, I believe that FBANC can make a meaningful difference by offering targeted legal clinics and workshops to our mom-and-pop shops, early-stage entrepreneurs, and restauranteurs to enhance their long-term viability and success.  This past year, we saw great success and interest in our small business pro bono legal clinic.  Going forward, we can leverage our learnings to provide similar services as needed.  In addition, we could pair small businesses with our attorneys in a "matching program," which would leverage our soon-to-be public membership directory. Community stakeholders such as the Small Business Commission in Daly City have also expressed interest in ongoing partnerships with FBANC.  

  2. Understand and Invest in the Next Generation of Filipino-American Lawyers. 
    A foundational piece in supporting our community is understanding the representational trends of our law students and attorneys.  How many Filipino/a/x students have attended  each Northern California law school? Are we trending up or down in representation? What areas of practice are our attorneys entering? I laid the foundation for this initiative this past year, and I have been working with several Directors of Diversity & Inclusion across various law schools to gather this data.  Moreover, I support this type of work as an advocate for the DEI space at Uber. I plan to leverage my professional knowledge and experience in this space to create transparency and visibility into FBANC's pipeline.

    Another program that I want to establish is “Lawyer for a Day,” where we can introduce underserved students to what it’s like to practice as an attorney.  I have previously hosted these types of events at my law firm, and believe such an event would be a great opportunity to spark interest in the legal profession.

  3. Reinvigorate Our Membership with In-Person & Hybrid Events.  Our membership is an essential part of our organization.   Simply put, there is no FBANC without its dedicated members.  We should always seek to create exciting programming and events to keep as many people active and engaged.  As we navigate the “new normal,” I plan to introduce new and exciting events.  For instance, our charity game with the Golden State Warriors and SF AAU Girls’ Basketball team will become an annual event.  And we are already planning a tournament for the 2022 - 2023 NBA pre-season.