Hitesh Barot ’01 and Yunie Hong ’03 were recently named Leadership Academy Scholars for 2006-07 by the State Bar of California’s Board of Governors. They were among 12 lawyers statewide chosen for their leadership potential and vision for serving local and underserved communities.
They will receive training as part of a pilot program by the state bar’s Access & Fairness Leadership Academy. Program participants will obtain guidance on becoming effective leaders in the profession.
Barot is an associate in Bingham McCutchen’s Intellectual Property and Technology Group in San Francisco, and serves as a board member for the South Asian Bar Association. In January 2005, he helped organize a benefit that raised more than $100,000 for victims of the South Asian tsunami. His experience as a Nevada election monitor with Election Protection in 2004 earned mention in The American Lawyer.
Hong is a staff attorney in the Immigration Unit at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. She works primarily with low-income victims of domestic violence, assisting them with Violence Against Women Act self-petitions and “U visas” that allow them to gain lawful status in the United States without having to rely on their abusers. She also works on policy issues affecting immigrants’ rights.