The Don H. Liu Scholars Program, Inc. (the “Program”) was founded in 2014 by two past presidents of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”), Jean Lee and Mike Huang. The Program seeks to identify, cultivate and inspire future Asian American leaders within the legal profession in order to address the single most important reality facing Asian American professionals today – the barrier to advancement.
Asian Americans remain grossly underrepresented in positions of influence, leadership and power within the legal profession. The number of Asian American partners in law firms and general counsel in our largest corporations do not reflect the diversity found in today’s law school classes or the ranks of junior associates at law firms. It is the mission of the Program to increase these numbers.
In its inaugural year, the Program awarded $15,000 each to its first two Don H. Liu Scholars (“Scholars”) and provided mentorship to ensure that each Scholar would start her career at a prominent law firm. Each year since then, the Selection Committee has chosen three new Scholars who possess the greatest potential to both excel in the classroom and succeed at a top law firm or Fortune 500 corporation.
To support these emerging Asian American leaders, the Program continues to award each Scholar a financial scholarship of $15,000 as well as to provide mentorship and assistance with their career development, including identifying potential internships. For more information about the eligibility criteria and application process, please click here.