The Portrait Project (A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law) (https://www.apaportraitproject.org) is an ongoing study of Asian Americans in the legal profession. Launched in 2015 and led by California Supreme Court Justice and HLS visiting professor Justice Goodwin Liu and Northwestern University law professor and former American Bar Foundation executive director Ajay Mehrotra, the Portrait Project aims to provide a systematic, comprehensive account of the progress and challenges experienced by Asian American lawyers in multiple sectors, including law firms, government, clerkships, business, and academia. The study employs focus groups and original survey research to produce rich findings that have been widely covered in legal and mainstream media, and regularly cited in scholarship and advocacy for greater inclusion of Asian Americans in the legal profession.
The Portrait Project published its first comprehensive report in 2017, followed by a five-year update in 2022. In anticipation of the next five-year update to be published in 2027, the Portrait Project is seeking four research assistants who can commit two years of work (approximately 5-8 hours/week on average) from fall 2025 to fall 2027. Ideal candidates are 1Ls or 2Ls with significant qualitative or quantitative research expertise, excellent project management and organizational skills, a strong ethic of teamwork, and a passion for studying diversity in the legal profession. RAs will be supervised by Justice Liu and will work collaboratively with Professor David Wilkins and the HLS Center on the Legal Profession as well as Professor Mehrotra and the ABF. This is a paid opportunity at the ordinary RA rate. If you are interested, please submit a cover letter describing your interest in the project and relevant experience, along with your CV, to goodwinliu@gmail.com by 12 noon ET, Tuesday October 7. In your email, please include a subject line: “Portrait Project RA application: [your name]”.