Lawrence G. (L.G.) Almeda, a shareholder in the Ann Arbor office of Brinks Gilson & Lione, is a contributing author to "Asian Americans in Michigan Voices from the Midwest," recently published by Wayne State University Press.
Almeda, 47, authored the chapter titled "Growing up in Michigan," citing the challenges of growing up as a minority in suburban Detroit during the 70s and 80s, a time when the general population had a significant knowledge gap about Asian culture and the unique characteristics and history of different Asian countries.
Almeda writes about how he was deeply moved by the notorious killing of Vincent Chin in 1982 by two unemployed auto workers.
"I was fifteen. Vincent Chin was Chinese and his killing shook the Asian American community, including my family," Almeda said. "The two perpetrators had mistakenly targeted Chin as a Japanese American. In addition to their failure to understand the dynamics of an ever-changing business market, they ignorantly classified people of Asian descent as a whole as if Asia was only one country. The killing of Vincent Chin was a massive political and racial issue for Asian Americans nationwide, but especially those in the Detroit area, and it ultimately spurred my desire to take a leadership role in Michigan's Asian American community."
Almeda currently serves on the State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and is a board member of the Michigan Roundtable for Inclusion and Diversity. He previously held the office of Secretary for the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission and Alternate Governor of the Central Region of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He also served as Secretary for the Governor's Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs, is former President of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association and Past President of American Citizens for Justice (ACJ), an organization that was formed in response to the murder of Vincent Chin. The Vincent Chin case ultimately led to national legal milestone changes on issues dealing with hate crimes, minimum sentence guidelines and victims' rights.
At Brinks, Almeda chairs the Brazil Task Force and the Nanotechnology Practice Group. He focuses his practice on patent opinions and prosecution in the medical, chemical, nanotechnology and mechanical arts. Almeda's practice has an emphasis on medical devices, nanomaterials, micro and nanodevices, petroleum and chemical processes, polymers, fuel cells, hybrid engines and polycarbonate glazing systems. He has significant experience in counseling clients on patent infringement and invalidity evaluations. In 2011, Almeda was named a Leader in the Law by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Published: Mon, May 18, 2015
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