TAP Board Chair and Alumnus Justin Lam Honored with 2025 APABA-DC Rising Star Award
The Appellate Project (TAP) proudly congratulates our Board Chair and alumnus, Justin Lam, on receiving the 2025 Rising Star Award from the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (APABA-DC).
The Rising Star Award “recognizes talented individuals within the APABA-DC community [...] who are under the age of forty and have achieved prominence and distinction in their respective field while demonstrating a strong commitment to APABA-DC and the APA community.”
Photo Credit: APABA-DC
A Career Rooted in Service and Representation
For Justin, the recognition carries deep personal and professional meaning.
“It’s an incredible honor and privilege to be acknowledged by a community that has shaped my path in the law,” he shared. “Representation matters—both as an Asian-American and for strengthening our multiracial democracy. I came to the law to advance equity, especially in areas like education and voting, and through appellate work I’ve found meaningful ways to help shape the law and serve others. Being recognized by APABA-DC affirms the importance of that work and the responsibility to keep pushing for a more inclusive profession.”
Justin first connected with APABA-DC as a TAP mentee, when he attended the APABA-DC Education Fund’s Wone Conference early in his legal career. The event offered candid conversations with judges about appellate practice, as well as informal mentorship that helped shape his career trajectory and clerkship opportunities. Community spaces like these, he noted, “value and uplift our backgrounds and experiences. That makes a real difference.”
Justin currently serves as counsel in the Brennan Center for Justice’s Voting Rights and Elections Program, where he conducts research, litigation, and advocacy to defend the right to vote. His work has included authoring friend-of-the-court briefs that have advanced pro-voter policies and analyses that have been published in State Court Report.
Prior to joining the Brennan Center, Justin clerked for Judge John P. Howard III of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and Judge Nina R. Morrison of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He also worked to advance children’s rights in education and juvenile justice as a public interest fellow at the National Center for Youth Law. Before entering the legal profession, he taught fifth grade in New York City and later managed digital, data, and operations for an education advocacy organization.
Photo Credit: APABA-DC
Leadership at TAP
Justin was part of TAP’s inaugural Mentorship Program cohort in 2020–2021 and joined the Board of Directors shortly thereafter. He has served as TAP’s Board Chair since 2023, leading with clarity, steadiness, and a deep belief in the power of representation.
During his tenure, he has helped guide TAP’s first formal strategic planning process, the development of essential governance infrastructure to support TAP’s long-term sustainability, and the strengthening of alumni leadership pathways, including expanding engagement among TAP’s growing community of early-career appellate lawyers.
A Recognition That Reflects a Broader Mission
Justin’s honor underscores TAP’s work to build an appellate system that is more just, representative, and reflective of the communities it serves. His service, achievements, and leadership illustrate how representation at every level strengthens our legal institutions, deepens public trust, and expands access to justice for all.
His contributions also highlight the essential link between a representative appellate system and a healthy democracy. Through his advocacy and leadership, Justin exemplifies how individual commitment can strengthen democratic participation and ensure our courts and legal systems better serve—and include—the full diversity of our nation.
