Bruce L. Mailman
Fun Fact: The name “Bruce” has an interesting history. It comes from the Old French word “brus,” meaning “brushwood” or “thicket,” with strong ties to Scotland. Now, here’s the cool part – think of Robert the Bruce, the Scottish king who made waves in the 14th century during the Scottish Wars of Independence against England. So, when you hear “Bruce,” it’s not just a name; it’s like a nod to strength, courage, and leadership, inspired by historical trailblazers.
Meet Bruce L. Mailman, a true Californian born on August 22, 1945, in Bakersfield. Bruce didn’t always wear a lawyer hat; he was a litigation paralegal and private investigator in California before diving into the world of law.
His college journey led him to the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1967. Later, in 1988, he graduated with a Juris Doctor from Hastings College of the Law, University of California, where he was a member of the Hastings Law Review and also workedfor a term as a Student Extern for the late Justice Mosk at the California Supreme Court.
In 1988, Bruce got the green light to practice law in California, United States, and also received approval from the District Court, Northern District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. In early 1989, he got the okay to practice law in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States District Court, Northern Mariana Islands.
Bruce moved to Saipan when his wife, Maya B. Kara, was hired for her initial government job, as attorney for the CNMI House of Representatives. Bruce stayed in private practice, starting at White, Novo-Gradac & Mangloña, later known as White, Pierce, Mailman & Nutting, the oldest locally-based private practice in the Northern Marianas, dating back to 1975.
Bruce’s legal experience covers a lot of ground, from handling cases in various courts to his work in Immigration, Corporate, Commercial, Family, Real Estate, Probate, and Personal Injury Law. You name it; Bruce has probably tackled it
But Bruce isn’t just a legal eagle; he’s also into giving back. He has served as the CNMI Bar Association’s representative at the CNMI Law Revision Commission since 2001, and he’s been a member of the Bar Association’s Disciplinary Committee since 2011; he was a director of the Bar Association in 1992-1993. He was one of the original members appointed to the CNMI Vocational Rehabilitation Advisory Council, serving as both a member and Secretary. He’s also a member of the American Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
More importantly, in terms of public service, Bruce calculates that between 2008 and the start of the pandemic, he and Maya had made at least 55 public presentations regarding immigration matters, and he will continue to do so. Bruce’s most recent presentation, this past February, was to the Society for Human Resource Management.
Currently, Bruce is at the helm of Mailman & Kara, LLC, a law firm he founded with his late wife and law partner, Maya Kara, in 2005. The firm’s primary focus is on immigration matters, but Mailman & Kara remains a general law practice and – assisted by his highly-trained staff – Bruce still handles all of the other kinds of cases with which he built his practice.
From 2009 to 2012, Bruce and Maya published an influential weekly newspaper column, Immigration Forum, and were deeply involved in issues arising from the transition from CNMI control of immigration to US control over immigration. Although the column is now only rarely published, Bruce’s influence in the legal world and his passion for justice are widely acknowledged.
