SABA-DC News
SABA-DC is the Winner of the 2011 NASABA Outstanding Chapter Award
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C. ("SABA-DC") is proud to announce that it has won the North American South Asian Bar Association's ("NASABA") 2011 Outstanding Chapter Award. NASABA awards its Outstanding Chapter Award to the local NASABA Chapter which has excelled in service to its membership and community and shown the greatest development over the past year. NASABA considered the following criteria in making the award: the growth in membership of the chapter; the rise in prominence of the Chapter in the local community; the fundraising efforts of the chapter; the diversity of programming offered by the chapter; the community service and public interest efforts of the chapter and the chapter's support of NASABA.
In 2010, SABA-DC presented 20 programs on topics that included Defending and Prosecuting Terrorism Cases, Legal Consequences of Environmental Disasters and Practicing in India. We also co-sponsored over 12 other events with local bar associations and professional organizations. A full review of SABA-DC's 2010 events is available here.
SABA-DC could not have achieved this award without the continued support of its members and sponsors. Congratulations to you all, and thank you!
SABA-DC Announces Endorsements for 2011 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 2, 2011. 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 3, 2011.
SABA-DC is happy to announce its endorsements for the 2011 D.C. Bar Elections:
D.C. Bar President-Elect
Tom Williamson, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP
D.C. Bar Treasurer
Morton J. Posner, Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice
D.C. Bar Secretary
Marianela Peralta, Senior Counsel, Employment and Benefits at Hilton Worldwide, Inc.
Board of Governors
Patrick McGlone, ULLICO, Inc.
Under 35 Delegate to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) House of Delegates
Jimmy Chatsuthiphan, Gray Plant Mooty
Thank you,
2011 SABA-DC Board of Directors
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
