2017 Honoree – Minami Tamaki LLP

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For more than 40 years, Minami Tamaki LLP has been a trailblazer in legal services and civil rights on behalf of the Asian American community. The firm made history by reopening the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Korematsu v. the United States, and overturning the conviction of Fred Korematsu. The outcome led to reparations for interned Japanese Americans.

A 1983 press conference on the Korematsu internment case. Seated (L to R) Dale Minami, Fred Korematsu, and Peter Irons. Standing: Donald Tamaki, Dennis Hayashi, and Lorraine Bannai. Image: Chris Huie.

The firm’s partners are equally known for helping found the Asian Law Caucus and the Asian Law Alliance as part of their ongoing mission to promote, advance, and represent the basic human, legal and civil rights of Asian Pacific Islander communities and beyond. As a private law firm, Minami Tamaki LLP defends some of the most vulnerable in the community by fighting against wage theft, sexual harassment, and discrimination. The firm is consistently recognized as “Super Lawyers” by Law & Politics magazine; this year, all of Minami Tamaki LLP’s Partners were selected as Northern California Super Lawyers. It also invests its profits and resources back into the community with the firm’s partners pooling together $1 million to launch a nonprofit foundation with an additional $200,000 immediately going into the community to support immigrant rights and advocacy.