SAN FRANCISCO, January 19, 2021: Morgan Lewis partner Michelle Park Chiu has been elected president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA). The AABA is one of the largest Asian American bar associations in the United States and one of the largest minority bar associations in California, with approximately 1,000 members. Michelle has served as a director or officer of the AABA board since 2016.
Michelle is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession, and has developed programs aimed at mentoring diverse lawyers and law students throughout her career. Michelle’s work with the AABA includes developing the Pathways to Partnership Program, designed to mentor AABA senior associates with the goal of being elevated to partner at their law firms. She also developed a Career Skills Workshop for diverse 1L students at her alma mater Duke University School of Law, which Morgan Lewis has hosted since 2017. She was recognized with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Best Under 40 Award in 2018 for her contributions to the Asian American legal community. She also was Morgan Lewis’s Leadership Council on Legal Diversity fellow in 2016. At Morgan Lewis, she is a co-lead of the Asian American/Asian Lawyer Network.
Michelle is a litigator, with a practice focusing on complex commercial litigation. She represents corporate clients facing complex consumer protection claims, including class actions and law enforcement actions. She currently serves as the hiring partner for the San Francisco office and as the deputy litigation practice leader in San Francisco.
Michelle has an active pro bono practice representing individuals in immigration matters. She successfully defended a detained refugee in removal proceedings, resulting in the complete dismissal of all charges against the client during a multiyear representation that resulted in the client becoming a naturalized US citizen. Michelle also obtained a U-visa for a victim of criminal activity and secured asylum for a client from Syria.