Farella’s Kelly Matayoshi Elected President of AABA
Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that partner Kelly M. Matayoshi has been elected President of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (AABA). As President, she is the first lesbian to lead AABA, one of the largest and oldest Asian American bar associations in the nation and one of the largest minority bar associations in California.
Kelly has served as a director or officer of the AABA board since 2016. The over 1,000-member bar association has fostered professional development, community, and service to the Asian Pacific American legal community since 1976 and advocates for civil rights and equality. Her work with AABA includes serving as co-chair of the LGBTQ Committee from 2014 to 2016.
“AABA has been like family to me, and in 2025 we look forward to protecting civil rights, advocating for our LGBTQ community, and providing robust professional development opportunities for our members,” said Kelly. “I’m honored to serve as President, and look forward to leading this important and impactful organization representing the Bay Area Asian Pacific American legal community.”
Kelly represents a broad range of companies in complex business and employment litigation. She has extensive experience defending clients in the consumer products space with a focus on products liability claims, contract disputes, and breach of fiduciary duty disputes. In her employment practice, she represents employers on a range of causes of action, including wrongful termination and class action wage and hour disputes in court and before administrative agencies. Kelly serves on the UC Law San Francisco Board of Trustees and Advisory Board for its Center for Litigation and Courts, as well as on the San Francisco Superior Court Committee on the Elimination of Bias. She has served as President of the Barristers Club of the Bar Association of San Francisco and as a Managing Director of the ABA Section of Litigation. Kelly was named a 2024 “Lawyers on the Fast Track” winner by Law.com and The Recorder and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) named her to its list of 2024’s “Best Under 40.” Kelly received her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings).
Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business and real estate transactions and complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. We are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry.
Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
415.954.4433 / [email protected]
