Press Release

• NASABA Convention Attendees Inspired by Bharara & Thapar
  
  
• Javade Chaudhri Honored as 2007 NASABA Corporate Counsel of the Year
  
  
• Senator Schumer’s Chief Counsel is the South Asian Lawyer of the Year
  
  
• NASABA's Annual Convention comes to San Francisco
  
  
• The NASABA Convention Crosses the 100 Attorney Mark
  
  
• NASABA Foundation, Community. Leadership. Philanthropy

NASABA Convention Attendees Inspired by Bharara & Thapar

Mr. Thapar, recently nominated by the George W. Bush to be the first-ever South Asian-American federal district judge, rallied the annual gathering of the South Asian bar with a stirring call to public service. Opening with a quote from Robert F. Kennedy, Thapar told the crowd “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation ” said Thapar.

Thapar implored the crowd to “to stand up and make a difference. Take a stand on something that matters to you. Contribute to change in your community. Protect what makes America great and help ensure that others can benefit from what we benefit from today,” adding that “as the first generation of South Asian lawyers, we really have an opportunity to influence the future of this country. Let’s not waste the opportunity.”

Following Mr. Thapar, Mr. Preet Bharara took the stage to receive NASABA’s 2007 South Asian Attorney of the Year award. In receiving the honor, Mr. Bharara called on convention attendees to remember the sacrifices of those that made it possible for the growing South Asian legal community in North America to take root.

Reminding the crowd of the convention theme, “bridging borders”, Mr. Bharara noted that “[t]his convention could only come to pass because every family of every South Asian sitting in this room took an enormous leap of faith and crossed a border—often a series of borders,” adding that “we should remember that in each of those acts of migration—repeated hundreds of thousands of time—lies a quantum of courage and will and daring that few of us will ever have to summon.”

Challenging the convention attendees, Mr. Bharara noted that “The borders we must try to bridge are not ones of geography—they are social and political and economic. Part of that project must be to bridge the gulf between our institutions and our ideals.”

“Each of you can draw on the collective forbearers who braved hardships, suffered setbacks, and crossed borders so that you could have a comfortable life. I believe that South Asian lawyers have a special obligation and a unique perspective—because of who we are, where we came from, and how we got here. As South Asians, we should remember that while we hundreds drink and dine in a swank San Francisco ballroom, hundreds of millions cannot even dream of the privileges we have. We must try to use our profession to bring justice an equality and dignity to those who need help. All you need is commitment and passion and perseverance.”

Javade Chaudhri Honored as 2007 NASABA Corporate Counsel of the Year

San Francisco, CA.– The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) kicked off its 2007 Convention by honoring Sempra Energy General Counsel and Executive Vice President Javade Chaudhri as NASABA's Corporate Counsel of the Year.

"As impressive as Javade's personal accomplishments are, they are outweighed by his personal commitment to the South Asian legal community," noted NASABA President Paul Grewal in remarks before a sold-out crowd at the offices of Bingham McCutchen. "Javade has been a driving force in bringing Sempra Energy's national recognized diversity standards to the legal department, and has been a true and loyal friend to NASABA from our humblest beginnings."

"Thinking back to my earliest years as one of a handful of South Asian lawyers in Washington, I feel immense pride at the talent and energy of this organization," Chaudhri said. "With all of its unique assets, this community is uniquely positioned to impact the broader community of which we are an integral part."

During his acceptance, Chaudhri further announced his appointment as Chief Environment Officer for Sempra, a role he will serve in addition to his existing duties.

A graduate of Yale University and Georgetown law school, Chaudhri previously served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Gateway, Incorporated.

About NASABA

The National American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) advocates for the South Asian community; promotes alliances between South Asian legal professionals in the United States and Canada; supports those who value diversity in the legal profession; assists law students, and those interested in the law, with developing contacts with practitioners; provides information to members on careers and the legal market; and provides an avenue for professionals and other community leaders to take an interest in matters of concern to the South Asian community.

Senator Schumer’s Chief Counsel is the South Asian Lawyer of the Year

Preet Bharara

June 18, 2007. The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) is honoring Preet Bharara, chief counsel to Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), as the South Asian Lawyer of the Year. On June 29, 2007, during its annual convention, NASABA will award Mr. Bharara its South Asian Lawyer of the Year Award and have him give the keynote luncheon address to a room full of South Asian lawyers from North America. Bharara, 38, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York has been instrumental in helping Senator Schumer lead the investigation into the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys. According to one senior Justice Department official, “Preet’s involvement was critical to the way people responded to the inquiry, including [Deputy Attorney General Paul] McNulty, who views him as fair.” With the investigation continuing, including the recent issuance of subpoenas for two White House advisors, Bharara while leading a team of Senate lawyers will continue to utilize skills he learned as a line prosecutor targeting organized crime in New York.

In addition to Bharara, other accomplished lawyers from the Government sector will also present keynotes, including Amul Thapar and Rachel Paulose, the United States’ first ever South Asian U.S. Attorneys, and Kamela Harris, San Francisco’s District Attorney. Bharara, Thapar, Paulose, and Harris, according to NASABA’s President-Elect, Alamdar Hamdani, represent “the growing influence and achievements of South Asian lawyers in all areas of local, state, and federal governments.”

Bharara joins past NASABA award recipients such as Neal Katyal, who won NASABA’s 2006 Outstanding Advocacy Award, and Vanita Gupta, NASABA’s 2005 Attorney of the Year winner.

The 2007 Nasaba Convention, “Bridging Borders” is being held at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco from June 28-30. The convention will play host to 500 attorneys from all over the U.S, Canada and South Asia, with over 120 speakers, 26 panels and several networking events during the three days. “Our annual convention continues to be the flagship event for NASABA and gives the convention attendees an opportunity to focus on legal issues and challenges that face the south Asian community in North America”, says Inderpreet Sawhney the VP for the convention.

The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA), representing the interests of over several thousand South Asian attorneys has 24 chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada. NASABA advocates for the South Asian community in North America; provides a networking forum for all South Asian attorneys; supports those who value diversity in the legal profession; helps law students and others interested in the law develop contacts with practitioners; provides information to members on careers and the legal market; and educates and disseminates information to the South Asian community about the law, legal access, and relevant legal issues.

NASABA's Annual Convention comes to San Francisco

• NASABA's Annual Convention comes to San Francisco - An article from Silicon India [pdf]

The NASABA Convention Crosses the 100 Attorney Mark

“We are on pace to exceed our 500 attendee target,” said Shirish Gupta, the Convention Co-Chair. “We are amazed at the excitement generated by the Convention, particularly from attorneys who did not attend the three prior NASABA Conventions. This will be by far, the biggest and best NASABA Convention ever. We will have 25 panels with over 120 speakers.”

Confirmed speakers and participants include federal and state court judges, two U.S. Attorneys, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, in-house counsel from Sony Connect, GE, Pfizer, Sun, and Cisco, as well as government lawyers, law students, activists and outside counsel.

There are already 25 panels programmed, ranging in topics from the legal and social ramifications of outsourcing to long-term, sustainable solutions to immigration reform in the U.S. With such a broad array of content, there is enough her to interest all attorneys and law students.

Notable speakers at the three prior Conventions have included Georgetown Law School Professor Neal Katyal, Maryland Delegate Kumar Bharve, Chief Judge of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Stanley Birch, former Democratic Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis, British Colombia Attorney General Wally Oppal, Congressman Robert Barr and Wipro Corp. General Counsel Madhu Khatri.

About NASABA
Started in 2001 by a South Asian bar leaders across the country, NASABA has quickly grown to 24 chapters in the U.S. and Canada, speaking for the over 5,000 South Asian lawyers in North America.

For more information or to register, visit www.nasabaconvention.org or contact Convention Co-Chairs at Shirish Gupta at president@southasianbar.org or Hitesh Barot at hitesh.barot@bingham.com

NASABA Foundation, Community. Leadership. Philanthropy.

The North American South Asian Bar Association Foundation is pleased to announce its contributions to the public interest community since its 2007 launch

Launched in January 2007, the North American South Asian Bar Association Foundation (the “NASABA Foundation”) is the charitable arm of NASABA, the umbrella organization for South Asian Bar Associations across North America. In five months of operations, the NASABA Foundation has contributed significantly to the South Asian-American legal community through numerous grants.

First, the NASABA Foundation and the North American South Asian Law Students Association (“NASALSA”) are pleased to announce their first Fellowship of $5,000 to a North American law student interested in and committed to working on behalf of the South Asian community by virtue of his or her professional involvement in the greater legal community. Specifically, the Fellowship awarded in May 2007 targeted those with a demonstrated interest in promoting awareness of particular issues affecting the South Asian community, including (among others), access to the legal system and ensuring social or economic justice. The recipient of this joint Fellowship is Rahul Saksena, a May 2008 Juris Doctorate Candidate at American University Washington College of Law. Mr. Saksena will use the NASABA Foundation /NASALSA Fellowship grant to work at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he will advocate to challenge policies that violate the constitutional rights or civil liberties of post-9/11 victims. Mr. Saksena will receive $2,500 from the Foundation at the start of the summer, and the remaining half after submitting a written report of his summer activities.

Second, the NASABA Foundation proudly partners with the South Asian Bar Association of New York (“SABANY”) to contribute $1,500 in support of SABANY’s 2007 Public Interest Fellowship. These funds are helping to fund SABANY’s scholarships totaling $11,500 to three law students performing public interest work to benefit the South Asian community in the greater metropolitan New York area, including Fahd Ahmed’s work at the Center for Constitutional Rights as a May 2008 Juris Doctorate Candidate at the City University of New York School of Law; Ali Najmi’s internship the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund as a 2009 Juris Doctorate Candiate at the City University of New York School of Law; and Radhika Sainath’s work at both the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights as a 2008 Juris Doctorate Candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.

Third, the NASABA Foundation recently supported the South Asian Bar Association of Washington’s (“SABAW”) First Public Interest Fellowship of $1,000. SABAW is presently evaluating candidates and their proposed public interest projects to award this Fellowship.

Finally, the NASABA Foundation is pleased to support the South Asian Bar Association of D.C.’s (“SABA-DC”) Annual $1,500 Fellowship to assist law students pursuing public interest internships in those respective geographic areas. The recipient of NASABA Foundation-SABA-DC Joint Fellowship, Ms. Krishna Patel at Georgetown University Law School, will work at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Self-Development to promote the compliance and enforcement of environmental laws.

Please contact Jolsna John (jjohn1@oe3.org), NASABA Foundation Secretary, or Rupa Singh (rsingh@mckennalong.com), NASABA Foundation President, with questions about the Foundation or to support the Foundation.