News
Fannie Mae Seeks to Expand Current Network of Lawyers
Fannie Mae is looking to expand its current network of attorneys who focus primarily on mortgage related default services including foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction and closing/title. Fannie Mae would like to ensure that they have an open and inclusive process for firms that are interested in participating in this RFP. If you are interested in participating, please view the link below which details instructions on how firms can register for this event. The invitation to register will remain open until Monday, May 31, 2010.
Retained Attorney Network Formal Invite
SABA-DC News
SABA-DC Announces Endorsements for 2010 DC Bar
Elections
SABA-DC Membership,
The election process for the DC Bar leadership is
currently underway. SABA-DC has received
requests for endorsements from a number of the candidates and has reviewed the
materials provided by these candidates.
Based on our review of their qualifications, experience, leadership
ability, and receptiveness to the needs of the South Asian legal community,
SABA-DC is endorsing the candidates listed below for the DC Bar.
We recommend that, when submitting your vote for the
DC Bar leadership, you cast your vote for the candidates listed below. We are happy to answer any questions you may
have about our endorsement process or our decision to endorse these particular
candidates.
The annual General Bar elections process opens on
May 5, 2010. The paper ballots will
arrive in the mail shortly thereafter.
Alternatively, you can vote on-line at the D.C. Bar website at
https://www.dcbar.org/elections/login.cfm.
Please cast your vote by June 4, 2010.
D.C. Bar President-Elect
Darrell G. Mottley, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Bar Secretary
Habib F. Ilahi, Schertler & Onorato, LLP
Board of Governors
Guy Collier, McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Stephen I. Glover, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Bridget Bailey Lipscomb, U.S. Department of Justice
R. Justin Smith, U.S. Department of Justice
Alfreda Robinson, The George Washington University Law School
American Bar Association’s (ABA) House of Delegates
Lucy L. Thomson, Computer Sciences Corporation
Intellectual Property Law Section of the D.C. Bar, Vice-Chair of the Patent Committee
Rina Pal, The George Washington University Law School
Thank you,
2010 SABA-DC Board of Directors
South Asian Bar Association of Washington D.C. Endorses Habib Ilahi for DC Bar Secretary
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C. is proud to support Habib Ilahi as he seeks the position of Secretary of the District of Columbia Bar. SABA-DC believes Habib will be a great asset to the District of Columbia Bar based on his professional legal experience, and his commitment to and experience with SABA-DC, the South Asian American Bar Association of Houston (SAABA-Houston), and the North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA).
Habib began his legal career as an associate in the Government Investigations/White Collar group of a Houston, Texas law firm, and is now Counsel in the Government Investigations/White Collar group of Schertler & Onorato, L.L.P. in Washington, D.C.
Habib has been dedicated to the South Asian community and the South Asian Bar Association throughout his legal career. Habib has served on the SABA-DC board for the past three years and has been committed to increasing the quality and quantity of events organized by SABA-DC. Habib currently serves as the Executive Vice-President of SABA-DC.
Previously, Habib served on the board of SAABA-Houston where he used his work experience as a criminal defense attorney to plan different community events in Houston such as a town hall meeting between government and police representatives, and the South Asian and Muslim community immediately after 9-11. Habib has also served on committees of NASABA as chair of the Criminal Justice Committee and as Vice-President of Individual Memberships.
SABA-DC enthusiastically supports Habib as he runs for Secretary of the District of Columbia Bar. We believe that his strong professional background, and his commitment and experience with the South Asian Bar make him an ideal candidate for this position.
Community Updates
Town Hall Meeting: Burglaries Targeting South Asian Community - 10/29/09
On October 29, 2009, SABA-DC hosted a Town Hall meeting at Colin Powell Elementary School in Centreville, VA. The event was organized in conjunction with a group of victims and citizens that maintains a blog updating the community on developments in the investigation. There were between 300-350 members of the community in attendance and approximately 20 members of law enforcement from districts all over Fairfax County, including the Chief of Police. Also in attendance were an investigator from Loudon County, a representative from the Commonwealth Attorney's office, a representative from the Department of Justice, and a District Supervisor from a district of Fairfax County.
SABA-DC has offered to aid victims by providing access to attorneys from the South Asian community and will remain available to the community as the investigation continues.
Pictures from this event can be found here. Local media coverage of this event and the issue can be found at the following sites:
SABA-DC Alert: Burglaries Targeting South Asian Community - 10/22/09
Over the past 12 months, a series of burglaries targeting the South Asian community has taken place in Northern Virginia and Maryland. The crimes have focused on the jewelry, wedding attire, and gold commonly kept by many South Asian families. These crimes have left a trail of victims who have lost family heirlooms, priceless memories, and their overall sense of security. It is estimated that more than 30 families in the DC metropolitan area have been burglarized and have lost value collectively estimated in the millions of dollars.
As members of the Bar, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to help those in our community who have been victimized and need help restoring order to their lives. SABA-DC is seeking volunteers to help victims working to repair the damage caused by these crimes. Attorneys interested in providing pro-bono services to victims are requested to contact Dharmesh Vashee at president@sabadc.org. Some victims are dealing with law enforcement with limited success and would simply like an attorney to aid in communicating with investigators. Others are hesitant to deal directly with law enforcement and have avoided participating in the investigation.
Additionally, some victims are seeking to hire counsel on civil matters related to these crimes. If this is of interest to you, please send a brief email with your contact details to president@sabadc.org.
If other professionals have an interest in contributing their time, they are also encouraged to submit a brief email indicating how they would prefer to get involved. On October 29, 2009 at Colin Powell Elementary School, SABA-DC will host a Town Hall forum with the community and law enforcement to address these issues and to educate the victims. We hope to see many of you there. SABA-DC would like to thank you all in advance for your willingness to help us to address this issue.
The following link is to a Washington Post article highlighting a recent robbery and noting the overall trend: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101603653.html
Program Updates
SABA-DC 2009 MENTORSHIP APPLICATION FORM
