April 2017 Newsletter
President's Message
Dear IABA-SD Members and Friends:

     I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year surrounded by friends and family! IABA SD had a very successful general meeting on March 16th. We launched our Mentorship Program and discussed upcoming events, including our Second Annual IABA-YALLA Charity Soccer Tournament coming up on July 22nd. We also had an informative and insightful panel discussion regarding the impact of President Trump's immigration executive orders. The presentation was led by  our Legal Task Force Committee members and special guest Ginger Jacobs of  Jacobs & Schlesinger LLP . The panel discussed the history of both immigration executive orders, their current status, and the short-term and long-term effect of the immigration ban on the Middle-Eastern community. The presentation ended with informative tips at airports and during ICE stops. If you missed the meeting, check out our Facebook live stream here.   

    Be sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming summer mixer scheduled for Thursday, June 15th. We hope to see you there!  
            
     Please contact me with any comments, suggestions or concerns. You can reach me directly at sandiego@iaba.us

Yours Truly,

Arezoo Jamshidi, IABA-SD President
MEMBER OF THE MONTH - APRIL 2017
Arshan Amiri, Esq.
     
The Iranian-American Bar Association, San Diego Chapter, is pleased to announce Arshan Amiri, Esq., as its Member of the Month for April 2017.
 
A pillar of the San Diego legal community, Arshan has made a career out of navigating the complexities of securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.  A 2006 graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, Arshan began his career at renowned firm Robbins Arroyo LLP, where he litigated commercial and securities actions nationwide in both state and federal court.
 
In order to better serve the community's needs and match the city's growth in the bio-tech, life sciences, and technology industries, Arshan went on the start his own practice, the Amiri Law Firm, P.C., in 2013, where he focuses on entity formation, corporate governance, angel and venture capital debt and equity financing, technology transactions, and mergers and acquisitions.
 
A former board member of IABA-San Diego for several years, Arshan credits the association with supporting his ambitions both before and after starting his own practice.  Indeed, Arshan notes, "When I was starting out as an attorney, joining IABA helped me meet and exchange ideas and experiences with many peer Iranian attorneys in the San Diego community, and when I had just started my own practice, I received an incredible referral from an IABA member that has since provided a consistent client base."
 
A tireless networker, Arshan found that IABA could cultivate both his personal and professional goals by providing him with regular networking opportunities. In fact, Arshan views constant communication and interaction with one's peers as the linchpin to a successful career in the legal industry: "Networking is one of the most important components of advancing both professionally and personally, and IABA offers plenty of networking opportunities for its members. It sounds cliché, but networking is absolutely vital and you can never start early enough."
 
Having been one of the early members of the IABA-San Diego Chapter, Arshan portends great things for the organization's future, "I think IABA has a great mission overall and, as membership continues to grow, we'll see IABA have even more involvement and influence in both the Iranian community and the San Diego legal community as a whole."
 
Please take a moment to congratulate Arshan on his honor as Member of the Month for April 2017, as we encourage you to reach out to him for practical advice on not only mapping out your desired career path, but putting a plan in place on how to live it.
 
Member of the Month Nominations

Every month IABA San Diego will recognize one of its members for his/her commitment to IABA San Diego and/or the Iranian-American community. The selected member's biographical information will be highlighted on IABA SD's website and in its monthly newsletter. If you would like to nominate an IABA SD member to become member of the month, please contact us at sandiego@iaba.us 
IABA SD EVENTS
IABA SUMMER MIXER
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Mark your calendar and come join us for our summer mixer on Thursday, June 15th. Details about location will be announced soon!  


HAFTSEEN TABLE AT SDCBA
IABA San Diego displayed its annual haft seen table for the new year, or Nowruz, at the San Diego County Bar Association's Bar Center from March 20th through the 24th. I hope you were able to stop by! 

IABA-YALLA 2ND ANNUAL
CHARITY SOCCER TOURNAMENT
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, July 22, 2017
IABA SD  is preparing for its 2nd annual IABA-YALLA Charity Soccer Tournament on Saturday,  July 22, 2017 Be sure to save the date and start dusting off your cleats!

The proceeds of this tournament will go to YALLA, a non-profit organization that helps refugee and immigrant youth rebuild their lives with education and soccer. Mark Kabban, the founder of YALLA, was named as an International Hero by CNN Heros for founding YALLA. It is a wonderful organization and you can learn more about YALLA at  www.yallasd.org
 
Check out the video from our last tournament  HERE

MENTORSHIP/CLERKSHIP PROGRAM
Employers, Mentors & Mentees Needed
Attorneys/Members of the Judiciary:

The San Diego Chapter of IABA launched the Mentorship Program at our General Meeting on March 16th.

We are currently seeking applicants who are interested in serving as a Mentor for the IABA Mentorship Program. The IABA Mentorship Program is designed to offer law students the opportunity to meet, network with, and learn from more senior attorneys. Mentors provide support, advice, encouragement, and even friendship to students.
  
This is an excellent opportunity to give back to your legal community, and give your mentee a sense of being connected to the larger community where they may otherwise feel lost. If you are interested in serving as mentor, please contact Bita Ashtari.
  
Also, as part of the  IABA Clerkship Program , our San Diego Chapter would like to partner with local law firms, and state/federal courts and agencies, to facilitate the placement of diversity students--particularly students from the Middle Eastern Law Student Associations (MELSA) of California Western School of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and the University of San Diego--with  clerkship positions.
  
As you know,  clerkships  play a major role in securing employment after law school.  For many students and recent grads, law  clerk  positions are the only applicable experience that color resumes when seeking employment. If you, or your place of employment, is interested in interviewing students regarding the IABA Clerkship Program, please contact Matthew Soleimanpour.
 
Students/Post-Grads:
 
If you are interested in the opportunity of taking part in the IABA Mentorship/Clerkship Programs, please contact Bita Ashtari to request Mentee Applications and submit your resumes.
 
Also, please be advised that  JOBS are posted  weekly to our  IABA LinkedIn Group , under the "Jobs" tab.
OTHER LOCAL EVENTS
ACLU SAN DIEGO VOLUNTEER EVENT
APRIL 28, 2017
This is a call to action from our San Diego ACLU Office:

Thousands of people in San Diego are eligible to have their criminal records cleaned up under California's expungement laws as well as Prop 47 (petty theft & drug possession) and now Prop 64 (marijuana offenses). As you know, there are nowhere near enough resources to help everyone who needs it.

We need volunteer attorneys and interpreters to assist with a major one-day effort to reach hundreds of San Diegans in need of reentry legal services.

Join us on April 29th for the Prop 64 & Prop 47 Relief Clinic at Second Chance (6145 Imperial Avenue, 92114) to provide pro bono services to eligible San Diegans. We will also offer expungement support.
  
Sign up here to volunteer - and join the team being pulled together by the ACLU, Second Chance, San Diego County Public Defender's Office, San Diego Clean Slate Clinic, Think Dignity, McElfresh Law, Inc., and others!
THLA ANNUAL DINNER
APRIL 13, 2017 ~ 5:30 P.M. to 8:15 P.M.
Register for the annual Tom Homman LGBT Law Association Dinner here
STAY CONNECTED and FOLLOW US ON:

Iranian American Bar Association, San Diego Chapter - Board of Directors

Arezoo Jamshidi - President
Bita Ashtari - Vice President
Ardalan Hosseinpour - Communications Director
Saman Nasseri - Social Events Director 
Matthew Soleimanpour - Director of Community Enhancement & Opportunity
Haleh Razzaghi - Membership/MCLE Director
Omeed Latifi - Community Outreach/Pro Bono Director
Affi Eghbaldari - S an Diego Representative to the National Board
Roseline Feral - Legal Task Force Director
Tina Malek - Legal Task Force Director
Mikhak Ghorban - Legal Task Force Director 
 
Learn more about the New 2017 Board by visiting our San Diego Chapter website.