Renwei Diversity

Nicole Shanahan, Andrew Yang, Michelle Wu, Andrew Toy, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, and Payal Kadakia’s Inaugural Gold Gala AAPI Advice

“Everything is gold, everything is equal / Posted on the porch just chilling, me and my people.” — Macklemore

On Saturday, the 2022 A100 List — the annual award honoring the 100 most impactful Asians and Pacific Islanders — manifested into the first-ever Gold Gala hosted by Gold House, the leading AAPI changemaker community of cultural leaders, executives, and creatives.

The night’s theme was “A New Gold Age” to reflect the current era of unparalleled AAPI brilliance, even in the face of continued violence and racism against our community. The gala was hosted in collaboration with Meta as a continuation of their long-standing partnership to grow and celebrate AAPI voices and brands through education, access, and amplification.

The night felt surreal — from talking to others who often felt unseen, to celebrating representation in all its forms. The Asian diaspora was beautiful. The uplifting of Asian excellence and heritage was awe-inspiring. It felt truly special being part of the event, but it’s even better knowing that those who attended were willing to share their time and advice with the Above the Law audience for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2022.

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Renwei Diversity

Ode To Michigan State University, MSU Law, And A Grieving Spartan Nation

“I fooled the crowd when I made it sound like I was more than ready / Strike up the band, deprive my sleep / Cause there’s no love like apathy / The bell that tolls rings loud enough that it should have woke us up.” — The Format

First off, I don’t feel quite comfortable or equipped to write about last week’s shooting at Michigan State University. Nevertheless, I wanted to share the full transcript of Tom Izzo’s speech here as I haven’t seen it anywhere else online. I hope Spartan Nation can find solace in his speech and sentiment.

Here are a few other articles you can read this week that may help you cope with this recent tragedy:

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Renwei Diversity

ChatGPT’s First-Ever Rap On Why The Legal Industry Is Not Diverse

“Judge it how you judge it, say we going corporate /
Nah, we just corner boys with the corner office /
I’m at the cap table, what the splits is? /
Not that cap table, boy, we live this.” — Jay Z

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt felt the wake from ChatGPT’s launch, landing, and exploration into our collective minds. In case you’ve been disassociated from society over the past few weeks (I wouldn’t blame you), here is a good ChatGPT primer and why it matters for lawyers.

Naturally, having covered DEI topics in the legal profession for the past eight years, I couldn’t resist asking ChatGPT: “Why is the legal industry not diverse?”

Here was ChatGPT’s response:

“The legal industry, like many others, has historically been dominated by white men. This has led to a lack of diversity in the field, with limited representation of women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with disabilities. The reasons for this lack of diversity are complex and can be attributed to a number of factors, including:

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Renwei Diversity

Helen Wan, Attorney And Author Of ‘The Partner Track,’ On Bringing Her Biglaw Novel To Netflix

“And blame postmodern things I can’t relate / Like summer camp in coastal states / Like alcohol and coffee beans / Dance floors and magazines / I think it’s safe to say I’ve only got myself to blame.” — The Format

This week, I had the opportunity to catch up with Helen Wan — an author, lawyer, and speaker on DEI and women in the workplace.

Wan is a graduate of Amherst College and The University of Virginia School of Law. Wan’s novel, “The Partner Track,” follows idealistic young lawyer Ingrid (played in the series by Arden Cho) as she competes to climb the partner track at a New York law firm, premiered as an original Netflix series last month.

I’ve covered the lack of diversity in the media time and time again (see here, here, and here), so I won’t digress on how critical representation is to our industry specifically and society as a whole.

Wan’s story from the launch of her book to the landing of an original Netflix series is a testament to her hard work, grit, and the realization of dreaming big. It was incredible to learn about the rocket ship and roller coaster (rocket-coaster) trajectory of “The Partnership Track” as well as the trials and tribulations she’s faced throughout her career.

After speaking with Wan, I couldn’t help but want to write my own story. And I believe you will too after hearing more about her journey of bringing her novel to our television screens.

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