June 9, 2008

DOR Commissioner Navjeet K. Bal Awarded NASABA 2008 Cornerstone Award

The South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston (“SABA GB”), a chapter of the North American South Asian Bar Association (“NASABA”), congratulates Commissioner Navjeet K. Bal on her recent nomination and award of a 2008 NASABA Cornerstone Award. Commissioner Bal will receive her award in person at the 2008 NASABA annual convention to be held this year in Chicago, Illinois June 27-29, 2008 www.nasabaconvention.org

The Cornerstone Award is granted to individuals who, among other attributes, “serv[e] the legal interests of the South Asian community and the community at large [and] encourag[e] greater participation by the South Asian community in the legal profession and the government.” The other NASABA 2008 Cornerstone awardees are: Navneet Chugh, Esq., founder of NASABA; Steven Mayo, Esq., Executive Director of the Institute for the Study and Development of Legal Systems; the Hon. Rena Marie Van Tine, Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois; and Emilie Ninan, Esq., President of the South Asian Bar Association of Delaware and partner at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP.

In February of this year, Commissioner Bal was appointed by Governor Patrick’s administration to lead the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Commissioner Bal’s position is among the highest held by a South Asian in Massachusetts state government. Prior to becoming Commissioner, Ms. Bal worked for the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo from September 1989 until April 2007, specializing in public finance, state disclosure issues, state and federal tax law and structured financial transactions. Ms. Bal founded Mintz Levin’s Domestic Violence Project in 1990, is a board member and former chairperson of the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center in Boston, and served from 2003-2005 on the executive committee for the statewide planning committee on delivery of legal services chaired by retired Chief Justice Herbert Wilkins, a group which worked to reorganize the delivery of legal services in Massachusetts.

“It is a particularly proud moment for Boston’s South Asian legal community,” commented Natasha Varyani, Vice President of the SABA GB. “Considering Commissioner Bal’s long-time commitment to public service and all that she has accomplished thus far, it is difficult to imagine a more fitting recipient for this award.”

Commissioner Bal’s recent appointment and receipt of this award exemplify the strides being made by South Asians in the legal community. For its part, SABA GB will continue to support the advancement of South Asians to leadership positions by providing mentoring and networking opportunities among its members and other affinity communities. For additional information please visit www.sabagb.org or contact Samia Kirmani, President, South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston, at kirmanis@jacksonlewis.com. For more information on, or to register for the upcoming NASABA convention, please visit www.nasabaconvention.org.

May 14, 2008

Let’s get real about diversity

To commemorate diversity month, on April 24, 2008, the affinity bar associations in Massachusetts hosted “Lets Get Real About Diversity” - an event designed to allow participants of all minority organizations to candidly discuss diversity issues in the Massachusetts legal community and ways we can work together to improve it. Over seventy-five people were in attendance for the event, spearheaded by the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston (“SABA GB”), and organized by the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (“AALAM”), the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (“MLGBA”), the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (“MBLA”), and the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys (“MAHA”). In addition, the Boston Bar Association Diversity Leadership Task Force co-hosted the event. This event marked the first time that SABAGB, AALAM, MAHA, MBLA and MLGBA all gathered together to discuss an issue of significance for each organization, and the legal community in Massachusetts.

Panelists included Edward Cheng, partner at Sherin & Lodgin; Carlos Perez-Albuerne, partner at Choate Hall & Stewart; Robert Cooper, Senior Counsel at OneUnited Bank; Annapoorni Sankaran, shareholder at Greenberg Traurig; and Vickie Henry, partner at Foley Hoag. The discussion was moderated by Christina E. Miller, Chief of District Courts and Community Prosecutions at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Ms. Miller invited the audience and panelists to weigh in on scenarios often encountered by diverse attorneys, including instances of overt and subtle discrimination, pressures upon diverse associates to participate in firm diversity committees and how diverse attorneys can best fit in with law firm culture. The panelists openly discussed their past experiences and provided their perspectives on handling difficult issues in the workplace.

Panelists and guests attended a reception following the panel discussion. Attendees noted the importance of the event and how it will serve as a stepping stone for future events and helping the legal community to evolve. More importantly, attendees commented on how the event and the reception allowed minority attorneys to discuss important issues in a familiar and safe environment, and allowed them to meet and develop important relationships with minority members of the bar. Taruna Garg, Esq., Clerk of SABA GB commented, “I was pleased by how long people stayed at the event. With members of so many of the minority bars present, it was amazing to listen to the excitement and brainstorming for future events, and ways we can all better serve our communities. In addition, as both majority and minority bar members, we all realized that we are working towards the same goal and collaboration is the most effective way to achieve it.” Bar leaders hope that this panel discussion was the start of an important dialogue in the Massachusetts legal community and will be presenting future events to take the discussion to the next level.

SABA GB is a chapter of the North American South Asian Bar Association and is an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the advancement of attorneys and law students of South Asian heritage and serving the legal needs of the South Asian community at large. For additional information please visit www.sabagb.org or contact Samia Kirmani, President, South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston, at kirmanis@jacksonlewis.com.

April 24,2008

South Asian Bar Association Of Greater Boston Announces Affiliated Bar Status With The Massachusetts Bar Association

Nutter, McClennan & Fish
6:30 p.m.

The South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston (“SABA GB”), a chapter of the North American South Asian Bar Association, recently announced that the Executive Management Board of the Massachusetts Bar Association (“MBA”) unanimously approved SABA GB’s application to become an MBA affiliated bar association. The MBA affiliate bars assist the MBA in the furtherance of its mission, policies and activities. There are currently twenty-six such associations, each with a representative on the MBA’s governing House of Delegates.

Becoming an affiliated bar of the MBA has been a SABA GB goal and serves as formal recognition of the efforts by SABA GB to create strong relationships with local majority and affinity bar associations in Massachusetts. SABA GB expects that MBA affiliated bar status will provide SABA GB with a greater voice in the Massachusetts legal community and further enable SABA GB to benefit from the experience and expertise of the MBA. SABA GB looks forward to working with the MBA and the other MBA affiliated bars to continue initiatives to improve the diversity of the legal community in Massachusetts.

Samia M. Kirmani, President of SABA GB commented, “SABA GB is of the firm belief that issues of diversity in the legal profession are most effectively addressed as a group effort. We believe that each bar association can represent and bring a unique voice to the discussion so that we can better understand each other and the communities we serve. That said, only as a team can we make a real difference in the landscape of our profession. Thus, we are honored to have become an affiliated bar of the MBA and look forward to furthering our collective goals.”

To that end, in celebration of Diversity month, SABA GB is co-hosting a joint event with some of its fellow affiliated bar organizations. The event will feature a panel of attorneys who will speak candidly about diversity in the Boston legal community, as well as a networking reception for attendees. It will be held at Nutter, McClennan & Fish on Thursday, April 24th at 6:30 p.m. To RSVP, please E-mail Maya Sethi at MSethi@nutter.com.

SABA GB is a voluntary bar association dedicated to the advancement and development of attorneys and law students who are interested in issues affecting the South Asian community in Massachusetts. Through professional development activities, community outreach, education programs, legal services efforts, and networking opportunities, SABA GB benefits not only its membership but the community at large.

For more information about SABA GB please visit www.sabagb.org or contact Samia M. Kirmani, President, SABA GB, at 617-367-0025 or at kirmanis@jacksonlewis.com.