South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America

I’ve had a few days to catch my breath post South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America conference in the beautiful city of Toronto. What an incredible weekend. I left feeling invigorated, inspired, and grateful for all this organization has given to me on a personal, and professional level. I’m honored to represent SABA as it’s Executive Director. My goal is always to help make SABA worthy of its dynamic membership and we will continue to strive to do that. As I said this weekend, SABA is here to renew our support to our members and chapters, leaders in our profession, advocates for justice, and champions of equality in any way we can. Throughout this weekend, we had the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking discussions, participate in insightful workshops, and connect with colleagues from across the globe. It is my personal hope that our attendees left these interactions feeling not only that their professional lives were enriched, but also that they are inspired to make a positive impact in their respective communities. This weekend included the launch of the South Asian Women's Attorney's Network (SAWAN) by Charan Sandhu at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, an eye opening plenary on the Oscar nominated film To Kill a Tiger by Beesham A. Seecharan, Ena Chadha, Davin Michael Garg, and esteeemed director Nisha Pahuja, and a moving keynote address by Supreme Court Justice Jamal. I want to thank those that worked tirelessly to make this weekend happen: our new President, Keerthi Sugumaran, Vice President Sponsorship Asker A. Saeed, immediately past President, Charan Brahma, and the incomparable Vice President Conference, Aaron Bains.  I must also recognize here Devin Persaud, Annie Tayyab, Shane C. D'Souza, Jennifer Jobanputra, Ghammam Mansoor, Latika Solanki, and our incredible SABA Toronto Chapter.  Finally, thank you to our events team, Jandie Turner, Kerri Gartell Eng, and Acuity Events (Acuity International) whose expertise in conference planning allows us to think outside the box. Also, Congratulations to Tanisha Palvia and Anil Makhija whose hard work over the last several months allowed our board to induct SABA North Carolina as our 31st chapter. Finally, I’m looking forward to working side by side this next terms with our newest Executive Committee members: President Keerthi Sugumaran, President Elect Nishi Kothari, Treasurer Rahul Ranadive, Secretary Nandita Ruchandani, Charan Brahma, Krithika Rajkumar, Lalitha Alladi, Deep Singh Badhesha, Rahil Darbar, Madiha Merchant, Rachna Malkana, Rashmi Chandra, and Akanksha Gupta. I’m also looking forward to working with South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America Foundation, President Ritu Singh, and Tejas Shah. Thank you all for your ongoing support of South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America. See you in Denver next June!

SABA North America welcomes all conference goers to Toronto for our 2024 Annual Conference! Thank you to the SABA Toronto Chapter for hosting us in their city! Read welcome remarks from our Executive Director, Mona Shah (she, her, hers), President, Charan Brahma, and President-Elect, Keerthi Sugumaran below. We look forward to meeting with you all throughout the week. We encourage you to download and use the conference app, which has the full itinerary.

SABA North America is honored to present the Pioneer Award to @Justice Mahmud Jamal! Justice Mahmud Jamal was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on July 1, 2021 after serving on the Ontario Court of Appeal from 2019 to 2021. As a lawyer, Justice Jamal practiced in the fields of appellate litigation, constitutional and public law, class actions, and commercial litigation. He appeared before the Supreme Court in civil, constitutional, criminal, and regulatory cases, including cases involving Quebec civil law. He also appeared before the courts of seven provinces, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Tax Court of Canada, and various federal and provincial administrative tribunals. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and law degrees from the Faculty of Law of McGill University and Yale Law School. He served as a law clerk to Justice Melvin L. Rothman of the Quebec Court of Appeal and Justice Charles D. Gonthier of the Supreme Court of Canada.

SABA Fintech Committee chairs Sumeet Chugani and Maneesha Gupta cordially invite you to join SABA North America's top privacy, crypto, and fintech players for our annual Fintech Reception on 7/12 @ 5pm in 🇨🇦. "Future of FinTech" words provided by Taslenna Shairulla and Samir Bakhru Ramesh Sponsored by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Cloaked, and Regology.

SABA North America wishes everyone a Happy Independence Day!

Last call for conference registration! If you plan to attend the SABA annual conference in Toronto, be sure to register as we are closing conference registration TOMORROW!! As you prepare to come to Toronto, we remind you to ensure that your passport is valid and up to date for travel purposes. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions or to express interest as a volunteer for the conference. For more information, and to register, visit our registration page here: https://lnkd.in/e3jJaG8v

SABA North America is honored to present our Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award to Davis Wright Tremaine LLP! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a full-service AmLaw 100 firm, providing clients with sophisticated, cross-disciplinary work that simplifies their toughest challenges and enhances their success. With more than 600 lawyers across 11 offices, the firm is nationally recognized for excellence serving the technology, financial services, media and entertainment, food and beverage, and healthcare industries, and for substantive leadership in areas that include litigation, advertising and brand protection, labor and employment, privacy and security, and ESG. The firm’s DEI vision is to foster a culture where all talented individuals—including those from traditionally underrepresented communities in the legal profession—can have, and can see, paths to success. The firm implements this vision through a four-pillar DEI strategy: Community (fostering an inclusive and belonging culture); Growth (developing the pipeline and ensuring equitable access to opportunities); Education (elevating individual and collective knowledge); and Engagement (collaborating with external stakeholders—including clients—around a shared DEI commitment.) The firm has been widely honored for the strength of its four-pillar strategy and dedication to advancing DEI. Recent recognition from clients includes the 2024 Law Firm DEIB Recognition Award from LPL Financial, the T-Mobile 2023 Excellence in Diversity Award, and the 2022 Citi Law Firm Diversity Champion Award. Learn more at dwt.com/DEI. Follow the link below to register before we sell out: https://lnkd.in/eFrsA4i9

We encourage you to join to learn about a new pipeline initiative for South Asian women in the law, as well as to determine what impact the women of SABA would like to have in 2025 and beyond. RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/giaZtxin Follow the link below to register for the conference before we sell out: https://lnkd.in/eFrsA4i9

SABA North America is honored to present our Rising Star Award to Tanisha Palvia! Tanisha Palvia, Member at Moore & Van Allen, advises and represents individuals and corporations facing white-collar criminal prosecution and government enforcement actions. She also manages and conducts internal investigations for various organizations, including financial institutions, private and public universities and schools, and medical providers, on a variety of sensitive issues, including financial fraud, Title IX, and labor and employment concerns. Her significant trial experience makes her a passionate advocate for her clients, both in the courtroom and out. Tanisha has always been devoted to pro bono work and represents indigent defendants charged with federal criminal offenses as well as victims of sexual assault in the prison system and human trafficking. Previously, she was a partner at a North Carolina firm and spent five years as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City where she prosecuted and tried a variety of criminal cases, including financial, sexual, and violent crimes. At the DA’s Office, Tanisha was chosen to lead the newly created Animal Cruelty Unit, tasking her with handling heinous crimes against animals, as well as supervising other attorneys handling those matters. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Robertson Scholar, and she graduated from Emory Law School with honors. Immediately after law school, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Robert N. Hunter, Jr. at the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Follow the link below to register before we sell out: https://lnkd.in/eFrsA4i9

SABA North America is honored to present our Rising Star Award to Pravin Patel! Pravin Patel is a partner in Weil’s Complex Commercial Litigation practice, where he has significant experience and expertise litigating and favorably resolving a broad range of disputes, including class actions, product liability, business torts, breach of contract, sports and entertainment, employment, fraud, real estate, and environmental remediation cases. Pravin also has significant experience in internal investigations and white collar matters. These engagements have involved complex financial and deal instruments, sophisticated corporate governance issues, first-of-their kind sports law issues, novel discrimination claims, significant product defect allegations, and collectively, billions in potential liabilities. Pravin has led the defense of numerous nationwide and multi-state putative class actions. He has deep experience litigating all aspects of these and other cases, ranging from discovery and dispositive motions to settlement and trial. He has represented clients across various industries, including Apple, Repsol, Saks Fifth Avenue, Creative Artists Agency, PetroChina, Goldman Sachs, Burger King, Hilton, Procter & Gamble, MLB All-Star and AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, and NBA All-Star Zion Williamson. Pravin is regularly recognized as a top attorney nationally and in Florida. In 2023, he was again recognized by Chambers USA as a top lawyer in Florida for General Commercial Litigation. He was also named in 2023 as a recommended lawyer nationally for General Commercial Disputes by Legal 500, and in 2023 and 2024 as a “Lawyer to Watch” in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Product Liability by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America. Pravin is also actively involved in the Firm’s pro bono initiatives and the local community, achieving nationally recognized results in these engagements. Notable among these are his representation of clients in class actions challenging "puppy mill" sales and Miami‑Dade’s ICE detainer compliance policies. Follow the link below to register before we sell out: https://lnkd.in/eFrsA4i9