South Asian Bar Association of Northern California
Mid-March 2014 Newsletter |
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Hope you enjoyed yourself at the 21st Annual Gala. More than 300 guests mixed and mingled at the beautiful San Francisco Design Center. Congratulations to our award recipients -- Devang Shah, Monali Sheth, Anirma Gupta, Protima Pandey, Sunil Kulkarni, and Craig Konnoth -- check out their bios below! And thanks again to our sponsors.
Continue strengthening the SABA network by attending our happy hour this month at Southside.
And if you're inspired to do more, volunteer at our legal clinics.
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SABA-NC Events
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 SABA-NC Pro-Bono Legal Clinics: Call for volunteers!
Saturday, 10 am - 12 pm
We need volunteers for the following dates:
Sunday, 3/23 - ICC, Milpitas:General Practice Attorney/Immigration Attorney/Law Student/Paralegal
Saturday, 4/5 - CNC, Sunnyvale: General Practice Attorney/Immigration Attorney/Law Student/Paralegal
Sunday, 4/13 - ICC, Milpitas: Immigration Attorney/Law Student/Paralegal
Sunday, 4/27 - ICC, Milpitas: General Practice Attorney/Immigration Attorney/Law Student/Paralegal
Visit our website for more information. Please email [email protected] to sign up. We greatly appreciate your support and dedication!
SABA-NC South Bay Lunch
March 19, 2014, 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Arka, 725 South Fair Oaks Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086
SABA-NC Monthly Happy Hour
March 20, 2014, 6:30-8:30
Please join us for our next SF Happy Hour on March 20, 2014 from 6-8 PM at Southside Spirit House, a small cocktail bar. It's a great venue to meet up with the recent connections you made at the SABA Gala! We look forward to seeing you all there!
Pathways to the Bench: Demystifying the Judicial Application Process
April 22, 2014, 6-7:30 pm
Arnold & Porter LLP, Three Embarcadero Center, 7th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111
Confirmed speakers/panelists:
Jason Lee (JNE Commission)
Audra Ibarra (JNE Commission)
Hon. Bruce Chan (SF Superior Court)
Hon. Harry Dorfman (SF Superior Court)
Hon. Sunil Kulkarni (Santa Clara Superior Court)
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| SABA-NC Sponsored Events |
Mcguire Woods/NAPABA Law Foundation Summer Internship Program
Deadline: March 21, 2014
The NAPABA Law Foundation (NLF) is accepting applications for the McGuireWoods/NLF Internship Program. The Program will support students interested in the legal profession and will help students develop a commitment to advocacy on behalf of the APA community. The Program seeks to achieve these goals by providing undergraduate and law school students with meaningful internship experiences at the Washington DC offices of NAPABA and NLF. Each law clerk and undergraduate intern shall be assigned projects that will further the missions of NAPABA and NLF, including: Promoting justice, equity and opportunity for APAs; Fostering professional development, legal scholarship, advocacy and community involvement; and Developing and supporting programs to educate the legal profession and APAs about legal issues affecting those communities.
Click here for more information.
SABA North America: Public Interest Fellowship
The first annual SABA North America Public Interest Summer Fellowship will provide a stipend of up to $3,000 each to two selected Fellowship recipients. This funding will enable two law students to work full-time at a public interest legal organization during the summer of 2014. The goal of this fellowship is to support the commitment of South Asian American legal professionals in the public interest arena. Click here for more information and how to apply.
NAPABA Western Regional Conference
June 13-15
Benson Hotel, Portland OR
Save the date for the NAPABA Western Regional Conference hosted by OAPABA. SABA North America's 11th Annual Convention
June 19-21, 2014
The Fairmont Hotel, Chicago, IL
Save the date. Details coming soon!
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SABA-NC Spotlight: 2014 Award Recipients
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2014 Community Impact Award - Protima Pandey 
The SABA-NC Community Impact Award is given to an individual attorney, organization, or law firm that has made a significant impact in the South Asian community and community at large. SABA-NC proudly presents this award to Protima Pandey, for the enormous impact she has made assisting survivors of domestic violence.
Ms. Pandey has dedicated the last 10 years to working with domestic violence survivors, both as a lawyer and an advocate for survivor issues. She is currently a staff attorney at the San Mateo County Regional Office of Bay Area Legal Aid, the largest provider of free legal services to low income residents in the Bay Area. She received the Public Interest Attorney of the year award in 2012 from the SABA Northern California Foundation and was also featured in the August 2012 issue of the California Lawyer magazine which profiled the work Bay Area Legal Aid does for survivors of domestic violence. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Family Violence Appellate Project, is on the Board of Option House, Inc. a shelter for survivors of domestic violence and is a Board Member of the San Mateo County Bar Association Barristers Committee.
2014 Trailblazer Award - The Honorable Sunil R. Kulkarni  The SABA-NC Trailblazer Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated professional excellence and true innovation in the practice of law. SABA-NC proudly presents this award to the Honorable Sunil R. Kulkarni, the first South Asian judge in Santa Clara County.
Judge Kulkarni was appointed to the Santa Clara bench on August 29, 2013 by Governor Brown. Before his appointment, he served as senior litigation counsel at the University of California's Office of the General Counsel, and prior to that he was a partner at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP. He began his career clerking for the Honorable Oliver W. Wanger, United States District Court, Eastern District of California. Judge Kulkarni received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law where he was Managing Editor of the Hastings Law Judge and graduated magna cum laude.
Judge Kulkarni is also a lifetime member of SABA-NC and served on the Board from 2011 to 2013. He also served as a Member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto from 2009 to 2013.
2014 Mentorship Award - Anirma Gupta  The SABA-NC Mentorship Award honors a SABA-NC member who has played a strong role in the professional development of junior attorneys. SABA-NC proudly presents this award to Anirma Gupta, co-founder and board member of ChIPs, an organization dedicated to the advancement, development and retention of women in the IP field.
Ms. Gupta is Vice President & Deputy General Counsel for Intuit, Inc. where she is responsible for all aspects of intellectual property, including protection, strategy, counseling and litigation. She was recognized as Best Bay Area IP Lawyer by the SF Business Times and the SF Business Journal.
2014 Corporate Counsel Award - Devang S. Shah  The SABA-NC Corporate Counsel Achievement Award is given to an attorney who demonstrates extraordinary leadership and innovation in his or her in-house practice. SABA-NC proudly presents this award to Devang S. Shah, General Counsel and Secretary for Zynga.
Mr. Shah has been with Zynga since 2010, and in his current role oversees all of Zynga's legal affairs and government relations. He previously served as Deputy General Counsel and Vice President, where he was responsible for Zynga's product compliance, contracts, securities, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, governmental affairs and international matters. Prior to joining Zynga, Mr. Shah worked as General Counsel at UTStarcom, Inc., a telecommunications equipment provider, as Senior Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Longs Drug Stores Corporation, a retail drug store chain, and as Corporate Counsel at Chiron Corporation, a biotechnology company. He also spent more than five years as a Corporate Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Mr. Shah received a bachelor's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University, a master's degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a J.D. from University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall.
2014 Public Interest Award - Monali Sheth  The SABA-NC Public Interest Achievement Award honors an attorney who shows a deep commitment to public service for the South Asian community and community at large. SABA-NC proudly presents this award to Monali Sheth, who has dedicated her practice to eradicating sex discrimination and unfair treatment against women.
As a staff attorney at Equal Rights Advocates, Ms. Sheth leads the organization's Marginalized Women Worker campaign, representing low-wage and immigrant women workers in employment discrimination and related civil rights litigation. In 2012, she co-chaired a successful jury trial on behalf of a Latina immigrant janitor in a sexual harassment and retaliation suit against one the largest building services contractors in the country.
Ms. Sheth has been an active member of SABA-NC, serving two terms on the board of its Foundation. She also has served as an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, where she taught Legal Interviewing and Client Counseling. Ms. Sheth is also an active member of Equity Advisory Committee to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, where she spearheaded "Safe at Work," a citywide multilingual public discussion on reducing sexual harassment and violence against San Francisco's low-wage immigrant women workers.
2014 Rising Star Award - Craig Konnoth  The SABA-NC Rising Star Award recognizes an attorney in his or her first five years of practice who has already made significant accomplishments in the legal profession. SABA-NC proudly presents this award to Craig Konnoth, the Inaugural Earl Warren Fellow and Deputy Solicitor General in the California Office of the Attorney General.
At the California Office of the Attorney General, Mr. Konnoth has worked on several briefs before the United States Supreme Court, and has argued before the Ninth Circuit. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School where he was a student supervisor of the LGBT Litigation group and was a recipient of the prize for the best paper in legal history, an M.Phil from Cambridge University, and has published in various media, including the Yale Law Journal, on LGBT rights related matters. Before joining the Office of the Solicitor General, Mr. Konnoth worked at UCLA Law school, and clerked on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Other Events
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California Mock Trial Finals
March 21-22, 2014
San Jose
The Constitutional Rights Foundation is looking for over 100 attorneys and judges to score and preside over the 33rd Annual Mock Trial State Finals. At the state finals, over 800 students from 34 California counties will compete to represent the state of California at the National Mock Trial Competition.We need your help to make this educational program possible for these high school students!
For more information, please contact Lourdes Morales at [email protected].
POC's Bar Exam Workshop
March 22, 2014, 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Bar Association of San Francisco, 301 Battery Street, Third Floor, San Francisco, California 94111
For People of Color, Inc. and the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco present a Bar Exam Workshop for current law students and law school graduates. This event will provide a comprehensive overview of the bar examination. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce current law students and law school graduates to the bar exam and to the extent possible, demystify is components.
The featured speakers are Rodney O. Fong and Fabian Renteria.
RSVP: Registration is required. (Due to limited seating, this event is restricted to current law students and law school graduates.) Click Here to Register.
Mapping the FBI: Insights from a Former FBI Agent and Lessons from FOIA/PA Litigation
Friday, April 4th 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
ACLU-NC, 39 Drumm St., San Francisco
Featuring:
Mike German, Brennan Center for Justice
Julia Harumi Mass, ACLU Northern California
Refreshments will be served.
CLE credit pending.
Day of Diversity at UC Hastings College of the Law
Saturday, April 5, 2014 from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
UC Hastings College of the Law, St. Snodgrass Hall, 198 McAllister Street, San Francisco
Associated Students of UC Hastings, Black Law Students Association, Pilipino American Law Students, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Vietnamese American Law Students, Hastings Public Interest Law Forum, Iranian Law Students Association, Hastings Association of Muslim Law Students, oUTLAW, Armenian Law Students Association, Middle Eastern Law Student Association, South Asian Law Students Association,
and For People of Color, Inc.
This event will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the law school application process. Current law students, FPOC's consultants, and law school administrators will provide advice on how best to navigate the law school application process. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Personal Statement Review:
UC Hastings College of the Law students will be available to review your personal statement and other application materials. (You must attend the conference in order to receive feedback.) Do not email your materials to us.
RSVP: Registration is required. (This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.)
Click Here to Register
FPOC's Judicial Clerkship Application Workshop
Saturday, April 12, 2014, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, 560 Mission Street, 27th Floor, San Francisco
Sponsored by: Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP & Keker & Van Nest LLP
For People of Color, Inc.'s Judicial Clerkship Application Workshop will assist law students and recent law school graduates who wish to apply for a state and/or federal judicial clerkships. This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the judicial clerkship application process and explain why it is critically important for people of color to aggressively pursue clerkships during the early stages of their legal careers.
Judicial clerkships are not positions reserved for the "privileged few" who have the luxury of attending a "top ten" law school. This workshop will dispel any notion that a law clerk applicant must be on law review, ranked in the top ten of his or her class, and en route to a big law firm.
A judicial clerkship will provide you with the invaluable experience of working with judges and fellow clerks in making recommendations on important legal issues. It will also have a tremendous positive impact on your career.
Important: This event is exclusively for current law students and law school graduates. Please only register if you are absolutely sure that you will attend. There are only 50 seats available and we cannot process last-minute cancellations.
RSVP: This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Click here to Register
APABA Women's Committee Power Hour - Hike the Dish
Saturday, April 12, 9 am
Come join APABA-SV's Women's Committee for our Power Hour! This bi-monthly event will be an informal way to develop friendships, mentorship, and network with other local female attorneys.
April's Power Hour event will be a hike at the Stanford Dish (rescheduled from the February event due to rain). The loop is about 3.5 miles long and not that difficult.
Meet at the Dish entrance next to the ranger stand (at the juncture of Junipero Serra Blvd and Stanford Ave), next to the Stanford campus. There is plenty of parking along Stanford Ave, but it can get crowded at times, especially on weekends. Alternatively, you can park at Gibson Dunn, located at 1881 Page Mill Rd, Palo Alto and walk about 5 minutes to the Dish entrance gate.
RSVP at http://bit.ly/1hO8keX.
3rd Annual Muslim Day at the Capitol
April 22, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
The third-annual California Muslim Day at the Capitol will take place on Tuesday, April 22nd in Sacramento. Community members from across California will have an opportunity to meet their state legislators to discuss issues pertaining to education, immigration, healthcare, and civil rights and help bring about positive social change.
Additional information forthcoming.
Asian American Criminal Trial Lawyers Association 1st Inaugural Banquet
Friday, June 27, 2014 6 pm - 9 pm
Opening Remarks by Dale Minami (Minami Tamaki LLP) and Keynote Address by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi.
Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation February 27, 2014 - August 16, 2015 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History "Beyond Bollywood" Will Chronicle More Than 200 Years of Indian American Contributions to the U.S. In a first-of-its-kind exhibition at the Smithsonian, the Asian Pacific American Center will open "Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation," detailing the history of Indian Americans and their contributions to the United States from the 1700s to the present. The 5,000-square-foot exhibition will open at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Feb. 27. "The vibrant life, culture and history of immigrants from India and Indian Americans is the story of America," said Konrad Ng, director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. "This wonderful exhibition deepens our understanding of the American experience as lived by the Asian Pacific American communities who have journeyed from being exotic outsiders to being the faces and voices of the future. We are excited to present an exhibition that we hope will excite and inspire generations." The exhibition features Indian Americans' migration experiences, working lives, political struggles and cultural and religious contributions. Highlighted artifacts include a dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama designed by Indian American Naeem Khan; the 1985 National Spelling Bee trophy awarded to the first Indian American winner, Balu Natarajan; and Mohini Bhardwaj's 2004 Olympic Silver Medal for gymnastics. Public programs include performances featuring Indian American art, comedy, cuisine, dance, film, television, literature and music. The Center will also offer online education curriculum and an opportunity for individuals to share their family stories through a digital portal. Approximately 17 million people in the United States are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, and the number is expected to climb to 41 million by 2050. One in every 100 Americans has a family connection to India. Indian immigrants helped build the nation's railroads, worked in lumber mills, toiled on farms and established prosperous trading routes that are still in use today. Through a vibrant collection of photographs, artifacts, art and interactive learning stations, visitors will experience the Indian American story and explore the many dynamic roles Indian Americans have played in shaping America. "Beyond Bollywood" is the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center's largest exhibition and will be on display on the second floor of the National Museum of Natural History until August 16, 2015. It will then travel around the country to libraries, museums, universities and community centers as a part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service beginning May 2015 for five years.
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Other Announcements
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High School Student Seeking Internship
A high school student is Fremont is interested in pursuing a legal career, and seeks an internship with a local law firm. If you'd like to bring him on, please send us an email and we'll make the introductions.
Federal Legal Assistance Self-Help Center
The Federal Legal Assistance Self Help center was established in 2010 by the San Jose division of the Northern District of California to assist pro se litigants in federal civil cases. Three-fourths of FLASH's clients file lawsuits in federal court, primarily in the areas of employment law, Social Security appeals, IP (including patents, trademarks and copyright), civil rights, and foreclosure. FLASH also assists individuals and small business owners sued in three major legal areas: disabled access, pay-for-view satellite and cable law violations and the purported illegal download of pornography from the Internet. While FLASH does not provide legal representation to its clients, it does assist with handling the procedural hurdles of federal court, helping pro se litigants achieve dismissals, remands, judgments and settlements.
FLASH accepts walk-ins as well as scheduled appointments, and consultations typically last one hour. Contact FLASH director Steven Solomon at 408-297-1480, or by email at [email protected].
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SABA-NC 2014 Gala
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Thank you to our 2014 Gala Sponsors:
Diamond
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Friends of SABA
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| Renew Your SABA-NC Membership Today! |
Renew Your SABA-NC Membership Today!
If you still haven't renewed your SABA-NC membership for 2014, get to it! SABA-NC membership comes with great benefits, such as access to our professional development programs, MCLEs, and networking opportunities. Most importantly, your membership dues support our many community activities, including our legal clinics, co-sponsorship of bar association events, civil rights advocacy, and contribution to the SABA-NC Foundation, which supports public interest fellowship for 6 law students every summer. We need your support to keep these activities going. Our dues are tiered to be affordable to law students, public interest and government attorneys, and for those in between jobs. For those employed in private or in-house practice, ask if your employer will cover your dues. So renew today!
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More About the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California
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The South Asian Bar Association - Northern California chapter ("SABA-NC") was the first South Asian bar association in North America. Founded in 1993, SABA-NC provides a voice to Bay Area South Asian lawyers and seeks to ensure they are provided an avenue to develop professionally, network among peers, and volunteer within the South Asian community. SABA-NC also seeks to protect the rights of South Asians in the Bay Area and to educate the public on issues facing the South Asian community.
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