2008 - fbanc

Annual Installation Dinner
Friday, April 25, 2008
Four Seas Restaurant
731 Grant Avenue, San Francisco
FBANC Officers
Outgoing President
Rose Zimmerman
Rose Zimmerman is the current City Attorney of Daly City.
Prior to coming to the Daly City City Attorney's Office,
Rose was a trial attorney for the San Francisco Public
Defender's Office. She currently serves as President of the
Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) and is a long-standing member of the Asian American Bar Association. Rose, a former Daly
City resident, was born and raised in San Francisco. She currently resides
in San Francisco with her husband Rene Acosta, and their two young daughters, Jacqueline and Jilliyn. Her community service commitment includes
pro bono legal services for North San Mateo County residents through FBANC.
Outgoing Internal Vice-President
Incoming External Vice-President
Rhean Fajardo
Rhean Fajardo will begin serving as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Daly City beginning in May 2008. Prior
to joining the City Attorney's office, she operated a solo
law practice, and served as In-House Counsel for Lucky
Money, Inc., a money transfer services business and a
member of the Lucky Group of Companies. In addition to her active involvement with FBANC, she has served as the group's representative to the Minority Bar Coalition and is the current Operations Director for the Asian
American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA). Rhean earned
her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and her B.A.
from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Outgoing External Vice-President
Incoming Internal Vice-President
Angela C. Mapa
Angela C. Mapa graduated from the University of California
at Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a
minor in Spanish Language and Literature. She earned her
law degree from the University of San Francisco School of
Law. During law school, Angela earned a Public Interest Law
Certificate, participating in the Homeless Advocacy Project and Street Law
Program, teaching practical law to high school students. During law school
and since being admitted to the California Bar, she has practiced Immigration and Nationality Law with an emphasis in business visas, nurses &
nursing facilities, E-visas, family-based immigration, and labor certifications.
Angela is a board member of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California and a member of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay
Area. She enjoys traveling and surfing.
Outgoing Secretary
Incoming President
Rafael "Ace" Climaco
Rafael "Ace" Shinn Climaco received his B.A. in Political
Science from UCLA and his Juris Doctor from the University
of San Francisco School of Law. While at UCLA, Ace was
co-founder and director of the Pilipino Undergraduate Law
Student Association (PULSA). At the University of San Francisco School of Law, he received a Law Faculty Scholarship and the Douglas M. Raskin Memorial Scholarship. After his first year of law school, he
was chosen to participate in a summer exchange program to Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Ace is a solo practioner who practices several fields of law, including
immigration, civil litigation, and will & trusts. He has served as the Secretary of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California for the last two
years and is active in the American Immigration Lawyers Association and
Asian American Bar Association. Ace is fluent in Spanish and Chavacano
(a Philippine Spanish-based dialect) and is proficient in Tagalog. He comes
from a proud heritage of lawyers. Ace's grandfather, Rafael Cortez Climaco,
was a Philippine Appeals Court Justice and bar top-notcher. His uncle is
Philippine national hero Cesar Cortez Climaco, who was a lawyer, longtime
mayor of Zamboanga City, and a former presidential cabinet member.
Outgoing Treasurer
Al Sambat
Al Sambat received his B.A. from NYU with a double major
in Economics and Political Science and his law degree from
the University of California, Berkeley. He currently works at
the U.S. Department of Justice where he has served as a
Trial Attorney at the Antitrust Division and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
Outgoing Co-Historian
Incoming Treasurer
Genevieve M. Dominguez
Genevieve M. Dominguez is an associate at Bledsoe
Cathcart Diestel Pedersen & Treppa in San Francisco. She
practices in the areas of premises liability, personal injury,
residential landlord-tenant law, real estate transactions, and
landslide/earth movement cases. She is a board officer of
the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, and a member of the
American Bar Association, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and the
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area. Genevieve earned
her J.D. and certificate of specialization in intellectual property law from
Golden Gate University School of Law and graduated from the University of
California at Davis with bachelor of arts degrees in Communication and Sociology with a Law and Society Emphasis.
proudly supports
The Filipino Bar Association
of Northern California
650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304-1050
Phone 650-493-9300 | Fax 650-493-6811 | www.wsgr.com
Austin
New York
Palo Alto
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Shanghai
Washington, D.C.
Kazan McClain Abrams
Lyons Greenwood & Harley
A Professional Law Corporation
~ salutes ~
Filipino Bar Association
of Northern California
Steven Kazan
David McClain
Denise Abrams
Dianna Lyons
Gordon Greenwood
Philip Harley
James Oberman
171 Twelfth Street * Oakland, California 94607
(510) 302-1000 * (510) 835-4913 (fax)
Proud sponsors of WORKSAFE! at www.worksafe.org
Drop by and visit our website at www.kazanlaw.com
Outgoing Co-Historian
Angel Sevilla
Angel R. Sevilla is an associate in Drinker Biddle's HR
Law and Commercial Litigation Practice Groups. He focuses his practice primarily on employment counseling
and litigation in both state and federal courts, including
claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation,
whistleblowing, wrongful termination, and wage and hour
claims. Angel's commitment to pro bono activities includes representation
of various clients in the areas of asylum law, criminal records expungement
and landlord tenant issues. He also teaches a mock trial class at Mission
High School in San Francisco, preparing his students to compete in the
annual statewide Constitutional Rights Foundation Mock Trial Competition.
Angel also served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Charles R. Breyer of
the Northern District of California.
Incoming Secretary
Mark Punzalan
Mark Punzalan is an associate in the San Francisco office
of Finkelstein Thompson LLP and practices in the fields of
antitrust, consumer fraud, and securities litigation. He is a
2001 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles,
where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Mark received his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University
and has been a member of the California bar since December 2006. In
addition to his role at FBANC, Mark is also the Vice-Chair for the Intellectual
Property and Internet Law Section for the Barristers Club of the San Francisco Bar Association and a member of Asian American Bar Association of
the Greater Bay Area (AABA).
Incoming Historian
Katie Esclamado
Katie Esclamado is an Associate with Van De Poel &
Levy, where she participates in all aspects of civil litigation. Katie received her J.D. from the University of San
Francisco School of Law. During law school, she worked
as a judicial extern for the Honorable Joe Billy McDade
for the Central District of Illinois. Katie was a member of
Law Review and taught a semester-long law course to a
local 12th grade high school class through the Street Law Program. Prior to
law school, Katie received a B.A. in Political Science from Cornell University. Katie is admitted to practice in all California state courts and the
Federal District Court for the Northern District of California. She is a member of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California and the Asian American Bar Association.
thanks to our sponsors for their generous support
Gold Sponsor
Jones Day
Sil
ver Supporters
Silver
Kazan McClain Abrams Lyons
Greenwood and Harley
Meyers Nave Riback Silver & Wilson
Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Hanson Bridgett
The Law Offices of Billy Chan
Law Office of Rafael S. Climaco
Program
6:30
Registration and Reception
7:30
Dinner Served and Welcome by our Student Emcees
Seda S. Norodom, Hastings School of Law
Joe Gacula, USF School of Law
7:35
Welcome Remarks
Rose Zimmerman, Outgoing President
7:45
Student Scholarships
Presented by Al Sambat, Treasurer
Awardees: Cheryl Andrada, Finella Murphy
8:00
Performance
Florante Aguilar and Lori Abucayan
8:20
Special Promotion: Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit
Dr. Meg Burke, California Academy of Sciences
8:25
Presentation of Jose Rizal Achievement Award
Introduction: Hon. Ronald E. Quidachay
Awardee: Rodel Rodis
8:40
Keynote Address
Introduction: Ernie Llorente
Speaker: Hon. Efren N. Iglesia
9:00
Induction of New Officers
9:05
Closing Remarks
Rafael “Ace” Climaco, Incoming President
9:15
Music and Dancing
The Law Offices of
Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP
Are Proud To Support The
Filipino Bar Association
of Northern California
And Its New
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Scholarship Award Winners
Raymond L. Ocampo, Jr. Scholarship
Cheryl Andrada
Originally from Queens, NY, Cheryl is a 1L at Boalt
Hall School of Law, UC-Berkeley. She is active in the
California Asylum Representation Clinic, Berkeley La
Raza Law Journal, and the Pilipino American Law
Society (which she will be co-chairing next year). She
has volunteered at Centro de los Derechos del
Migrante, a workers' rights center in Zacatecas,
Mexico; worked on health and immigration policy for
Congressman Rick Larsen in Washington, DC; and promoted mothertongue literacy as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of the Philippines,
Diliman. Cheryl received her B.A. from Stanford University. This summer,
she will be clerking at the Asian Law Caucus, and conducting research for
two Boalt clinics about the impact of climate change on migration.
FBANC Scholarship
Finella Murphy
Finella Ynez Murphy is a 1L at the University of
California, Davis School of Law. Finella received her BA
from UC Davis as well, majoring in Anthropology.
During her time at Davis as an undergraduate, Finella
completed an undergraduate honors thesis on the
traffic and trafficking of women into Japan for the sex
industry, "The Japanese Sex Industry in a Transnational Perspective."
Following her graduation from Davis, Finella worked for a year in Stockton,
California for the local chapter of the American Red Cross, on disaster and
safety education. Finella is a second generation Filipino American, whose
family is from Leyte.
the law offices of
Billy Chan
I knew Rafael back when he was Ace.
I am proud to support my little brother
and his 2008-2009 FBANC Board.
Please continue to do good things.
22 Battery Street, Suite 401
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 986-1812
billy@chanlawoffices.com
Musical Performance
Florante Aguilar and Lori Abucayan
If the history of a culture is told through its music, then Filipino-Americans, Florante Aguilar and
Lori Abucayan are orators of their age. While at
all times retaining a respect for tradition, the
guitarist and singer duo have successfully reinterpreted traditional folk music from their homeland and made it accessible for a whole new global audience. Their wellreceived recent album Paraiso deftly illustrates that spirit.
Florante Aguilar and Lori Abucayan first began their musical collaboration in
2003 where they met at a fundraiser event at UC Davis. Florante's guitar
music was the main attraction, while Lori hosted the event and sang one
Tagalog song midway through the program. It seemed this musical duo was
destined to cross paths since Florante has been searching for a singer to
record an album full of rearranged classic Filipino songs. Upon hearing Lori
sing a heartfelt rendition of the classic Dahil Sa Iyo, Florante immediately
thought "That's the singer I've been looking for! Lori was thrilled to be given
the opportunity not only to sing and perform but also learn about her culture
and its history through music.
Hanson Bridgett LLP is proud to
sponsor the 28th Annual Installation Dinner
of the Filipino Bar Association of
Northern California and congratulates
Outgoing President Rose Zimmerman
and
Incoming President Rafael Ace Climaco
HansonBridgett.com
Jose Rizal Achievement Award
Rodel E. Rodis is a member and three-term
President of the Board of Trustees of the San
Francisco Community College District (elected citywide since 1992). He currently serves as State Chair
of the Association of Community College Trustees
(ACCT) which represents the 6,500 community
college trustees in the US. Prior to serving in the
College Board, Mr. Rodis served as a two-term
president of the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission (SFPUC).
Rodis, who was born and raised in the Philippines, is an attorney in
private practice with a special emphasis on immigration law, family law
and civil litigation. He is also a writer whose weekly column, "Telltale
Signs," appears in the nationally circulated Philippine News (since 1987)
and in a dozen other Filipino-American community papers
(www.rodel50.blogspot.com). He is the author of Telltale Signs of Filipinos
in America, published in 1991 by INA Press.
Rodis taught Philippine History, the History of Pilipinos in America, and
Asian American History at San Francisco State University and at Laney
College in Oakland.
Mr. Rodis is a founder and past Nor-Cal chair of the National Federation of
Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). He organized the First Global
Filipino Networking Convention at the Moscone Center in August of 2002
which attracted 4,000 delegates.
Rodis is also a founder and the 3rd president of the Filipino Bar
Association of Northern California (FBANC). He is a member of the Board
of Trustees of the New College of California and of the Filipino American
National Historical Society (FANHS).
Mr. Rodis and his wife, Edna, have been married since 1979 and have
three sons: Carlo, Daniel and Eric.
In February of 2003, Rodis was arrested by San Francisco police officers
for passing a counterfeit $100 bill at his neighborhood Walgreens store.
The bill turned out to be genuine and Walgreens paid an undisclosed sum
to settle the civil suit filed by Rodis. The federal suit against the SF police
officers who arrested him is still pending as the Ninth Circuit's 2007
decision denying the police officers' appeal (on the basis of qualified
immunity) has been appealed to the US Supreme Court.
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Keynote Speaker
Honorable Efren N. Iglesia
Superior Court, Monterey County
Honorable Efren N. Iglesia came to the United States in 1971 after
attending Aquinas University of Legazpi for three years, and later
graduated from the San Joaquin College of Law. After graduating
from SJCL, Judge Iglesia was a public defender for Madera
County and later Senior Deputy County Counsel for Monterey
County, where he remained very active in land use planning and
served as legal counsel to various governmental and
administrative boards and commissions.
After 30 years of practice in the criminal and civil arenas, with
several published cases in the Sixth District Court Appeals,
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Judge
Iglesia to the Monterey County Superior Court on August 20, 2007.
Judge Iglesia is a long-time member and served as Chair for the
National Filipino American Council, and was a long-standing
member and leader of the Montessori Learning Center and Cub
Scouts, University Park School. Judge Iglesia has accomplished
much, both professionally and personally. He is married to Lite
Iglesia, and they three have children - Jonathan, Kimberly, and
Patricia - and two grandchildren.