The Korean American Bar Association of Southern California (KABA) is now accepting applications for the 2023 KABA Scholarships. Based on available funding, KABA will be awarding a number of $1,000 - $2,000 scholarships to law students in the Southern California area.

Kenneth B. Chang Memorial KABA Foundation Scholarship
This scholarship was named in honor of Judge Kenneth B. Chang, who was KABA’s inaugural president and the first Korean American to be appointed to the Superior Court in Southern California. Judge Chang immigrated to the United States in the early 1950s and graduated from Santa Clara Law School. After working in a civil litigation firm, he joined the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office as a criminal prosecutor. In 1968, Judge Chang worked for the U.S. government in Korea, where he negotiated and drafted the Status of Forces Agreement, which set guidelines on the Korean government’s treatment of U.S. military personnel in Korea. He returned to Los Angeles in 1972, practicing in the private sector until 1980, when he was appointed to the Superior Court bench by Governor Jerry Brown. Judge Chang was the first and only Korean American judge in Los Angeles until 1998, since which time several Korean Americans have followed in Judge Chang’s footsteps to serve on the bench.

Additional Scholarships
Additional scholarships are funded through the generous annual donations from the LimNexus Foundation, KABA Past Presidents, OCINET, as well as other individual contributions.

To Apply
The scholarships are open to law students who currently attend a law school in Southern California. We are seeking applicants who can demonstrate, through past, current, or future contributions, a commitment to serving the Korean American community and/or Asian & Pacific Islander American community. Financial need and availability of other resources—including receipt of other scholarships, fellowships, and awards—may be factors.

Law students will be evaluated based on their completed applications. The scholarships will be presented at the 2023 KABA Annual Installation Dinner on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

Please complete and sign the attached application. Applications will be accepted by email at foundation@kabasocal.org (it is preferred that all documents be combined into a single PDF attachment). All applications must be received by Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

2023 KABA Scholarship Application