Past Recipients

Randolph Makoto Fiedler is an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Capital Habeas Unit in Las Vegas, Nevada. His practice involves advising and representing individuals sentenced to death in their post-conviction proceedings. He has appeared in state and federal district courts, the Nevada Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Fiedler researches and writes about ethics, the death penalty, and the right to counsel. He has been published in The Nevada Independent, The Champion, The Nevada Law Journal Forum; he also has forthcoming articles in Nevada Lawyer, The Nevada Law Journal, and a forthcoming book chapter in Fostering First Gen Success and Inclusion.

In addition to his practice, Mr. Fiedler actively serves Nevada bar associations in various roles. He is a past president, current board member, and amicus chair for Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Nevada’s state-wide organization for criminal defense lawyers. He is the chair-elect for the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility of the State Bar of Nevada and the vice president of the Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Mr. Fiedler is also a proud member of both the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian Bar Association of Las Vegas.

Mr. Fiedler also likes ramen, spam musubi, and reading about ramen and spam musubi.

2021 Recipient
Sumbal Mahmud

Sumbal Mahmud is an advocate, a humanitarian and professional speaker. Ms. Mahmud’s legal work includes serving the state administration as an Administrative Law Judge in the Department of Human Services and serving the Federal government as an Asylum Officer with the Department of Homeland Security.  She previously worked as in house counsel for Best Buy and as an associate attorney. Read more

2020 Recipient

Viviane Scott is a litigation associate at the New York office of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.  Her practice focuses on employment, legal ethics, and intellectual property.  She counsels clients on complex issues arising under employment regulations and rules of professional conduct, and concerning breach of contract, anti-discrimination laws, and compliance.  She additionally assists clients in workplace investigations, risk management, and avoiding and defending against claims of legal malpractice, trademark infringement, copyright, discrimination, and harassment.  An experienced litigator, Ms. Scott also handles a wide range of other intellectual property, false advertising, and commercial litigation matters.

Ms. Scott advises clients in a variety of industries, but particularly the media and entertainment industry.  She has represented clients in federal and state court and before multiple regulatory agencies, including state attorney grievance committees, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Ms. Scott is the Secretary of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Ethics.  Prior to joining her current firm, Ms. Scott served as law clerk to the Honorable Theodore A. McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  From 2014 to 2015, she also served as law clerk to the Honorable Bridget M. McCormack of the Supreme Court of Michigan.   

2019 Recipient  

Ashod Mooradian

Ashod Mooradian was admitted to the practice of law in California in 1998. For nearly 10 years thereafter, Ashod had a solo practice focused on civil litigation, real estate, and family law. Then, in 2007, Ashod was recruited by the California State Bar, Office of Chief Trial Counsel, where he quickly rose up through the ranks to Senior Trial Counsel. His assignments at the State Bar involved the most complex cases brought by the Office of Chief Trial Counsel.

Ashod’s other duties at the State Bar included presentations to attorney groups and bar associations on the disciplinary system and other legal ethics continuing education courses. Ashod was also a designated subject matter expert in State Bar litigation and procedures for the Office of Chief Trial Counsel and participated in several special committees that re-shaped policy and enforcement procedures for the State Bar of California.

In 2017, Ashod returned to private practice and established a boutique practice focused on legal ethics, professional responsibility and compliance, State Bar defense and presenting continuing education trainings and seminars. Ashod’s practice includes consultations on various ethics and compliance issues, and ethics opinions. He also provides representation for all stages of the disciplinary process against attorneys in State Bar Court, litigation regarding charges in the State Bar Court Hearing Department, appeals to the State Bar Court Review Department as well as Petitions for Review to the Supreme Court of California.

Ashod is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Professional Responsibility and Ethics, Attorney-Client Mediation and Arbitration Services and Adequate State Court Funding and Operations Committees.

2018 Recipient

Annette Kwok

Annette Kwok is a member of Venable’s Patent Prosecution and Counseling Group. She counsels domestic and international clients on a variety of patent procurement and enforcement issues, as well as intellectual property strategy and licensing issues. As a registered Patent Attorney, Annette is experienced in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the areas of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, and business methods. She also has experience in preparing validity, infringement, freedom-to-operate, and patentability opinions.

Prior to law school, Annette was a synthetic organic chemist with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute in the neurosciences group. She is a named inventor of several small-molecule pharmaceutical patents. In connection with her scientific research, Annette has published several articles relating to histamine H4 antagonists, histamine H3 antagonists, and human rhinovirus 3C protease inhibitors. Annette also attended a post-graduate program at the University of California, San Diego, on drug discovery and development, with a focus on computer-aided drug design.

Since 2010, Annette has served on various board positions of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, DC Area, including treasurer (2010-2012), president-elect (2012-2013), and president (2013-2014). She also served as the southeast regional governor of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association from 2015 to 2017. Annette is also a member of the DC Bar Foundation Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council, where she serves on the IOLTA subcommittee. She also is a graduate of the District of Columbia Bar’s inaugural Leadership Academy. In addition, Annette is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Society, the American Bar Association, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Annette is fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin.