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Orange County Korean American Bar Association

OCKABA Statement Updated June 2023

OCKABA was established in 2005 to foster meaningful relationships among Korean American lawyers and law students, to provide pro bono services to the Orange County Korean American community, and to promote the appointment of Korean American judges. Over the past eighteen years, with the help and support of OCBA, other affiliate bars, and the greater legal community, OCKABA has grown significantly as an organization.

OCKABA is currently led by President Sean Kim of Edwards Lifesciences, President-Elect Mimi Ahn of Kahana & Feld LLP, Treasurer Mandy Kim of McDermott Will & Emery, Secretary Jonathan Shin of Shin Law Group, and eighteen members of the board of directors. Our officers and directors are leaders and experts in their fields, and they regularly attend and represent OCKABA at numerous events such as IAKL Annual Conference, annual NAPABA Convention, and Cal-APABA Annual Conference, just to name a few.

This year, OCKABA held its 17th Annual Installation Dinner and honored Arnold Pinkston, Corporate Vice President and General Counsel of Edwards Lifesciences, as its keynote speaker and a recipient of Leadership Award, and Eugene Kim, Chief Legal Officer and Head of U.S. Business at Levvels, as a recipient of its Trailblazer Award. In addition, Esther Eunjean Kye and Deborah Choi of UCI Law received Bar Stipend Awards to support their preparation for the bar exam.

During the 2022-2023 term, OCKABA hosted/sponsored many events including:

  • End-of-summer pizza party;
  • Joint Halloween party with Filipino Lawyers of Orange County (FLOC), Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California (VABASC), and Orange County Asian American Bar Association (OCAABA);
  • Holiday party celebrating friendship with traditional Korean food;
  • Mentorship mixers providing opportunities for mentors and mentees to connect;
  • Board retreat in Temecula, a joint summer mixer with OCAABA; and
  • Joint whiskey tasting event with the Celtic Bar Association (CBA) of Orange County

We look forward to connecting with you at our events. For inquiries about upcoming events, membership, or sponsorship information, please contact us at admin@ockaba.org.

Recent News & Event Photos

For more information about upcoming events, visit www.oc-kaba.org.