ABOUT US

Our Mission & Vision

The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA-NA) seeks to strengthen the rapidly growing South Asian legal community with a recognized and trusted forum for professional growth and development, and promotes the civil rights and access to justice for the South Asian community.

With 29 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, our attorneys work in all areas of the law, including large law firms, in-house counsel, government attorneys, and solo practitioners. Our bar hosts an Annual Conference, annual Lobby Day and numerous other successful programs throughout the year.

SABA North America is proud to be the voice of the South Asian legal community in North America.

Our goals and objectives include...

Professional Growth

Diversity and Inclusion

Civil Rights

Access to Justice

Executive Committee

Samir Mehta

President

SABA Metro St. Louis

Tara Mythri Raghavan

President Elect

SABA Chicago

Rahul Ranadive

Treasurer

SABA Florida

Aaron Bains

Secretary

SABA Toronto

Charan Brahma

VP - Annual Conference

SABA Northern California

Nitin Gambhir

VP - Sponsorship

SABA Northern California

Jasmine Singh

VP - Public Relations

SABA Toronto

Devin Persaud

VP - Membership

SABA Toronto

Monique (Nikki) Bhargava

VP - Affiliate Relations

SABA Chicago

Tejas Shah

VP - Advocacy

SABA Chicago

Aastha Madaan Farr

VP - Programming

SABA Southern California

Priya Bathija

VP - Professional Development

SABA D.C.

Krithika Rajkumar

VP - Young Lawyers Division

SABA Greater Boston

SABA Team

Mona Shah

Executive Director

Asker Saeed

Special Advisor to the President

KPPB Law

Outside General Counsel

Yasmeen Saeed

Executive Assistant

President's Page

Letter from the President

July 8, 2020

SABA Family,

Though we could not come together in person this year, I was grateful to have the chance to share my thoughts and vision for SABA with some of you during the first ever Virtual Gala. I share those words with you again here, and most importantly, I share the Call to Action that we all can, and must, meet.

I never could have imagined starting my SABA presidency in the midst of all of us both reeling from a pandemic and feeling so enraged by the scourge of systemic racism.

And to be honest, at a time like this, it is easy to feel helpless or worse, hopeless.

But then I think about SABA and how it can be part of the solution. SABA is an engine for positive change. In our legal profession. In our community. And in ourselves. We were made to address challenges. Even challenges like these.

And because of that I am confident that we are not helpless, and we are not hopeless.

My faith comes from knowing that SABA is a vehicle for all of us to serve each other and our community on the front lines. What front lines, you might ask?

First, the front line of legal advocacy, where we can harness the strengths of all of our members and use the law to aggressively fight discrimination and injustice. And through that work, we will show, not just tell, our Black brothers and sisters that we stand with them.

Second, we need to be on the front lines of mentoring and use every resource, every network, and every contact to give South Asian lawyers, especially young ones, every advantage in rising to the top of the legal profession because more diversity and success in our profession translates into more equality for all.

And third, the front line of connectivity, where we will reach out, stay close and offer support so that none of us ever feels alone when struggling to meet our personal and professional goals.

In the coming year, SABA will be here for you in ways big and small. But my hope is that the pain created by the Covid-19 crisis and the searing images of racial injustice we have witnessed will remind us to not only look to SABA, but also to invest in and use SABA as a way to make our highest contribution.

That's why, in the coming months, I am going to call upon all of you - some more often than you would like - to do more, say more, and stand for more that we have ever had to before. Because now is a time for action, and I am confident that we are going to meet that call.

Of course, lofty calls to action, to be meaningful, have to start with small tangible steps. So, I am challenging every member of SABA to take these three steps between now and our next conference, one year from now.

First, I challenge every SABA member who can to devote at least 30 hours to pro bono work focused ending racial injustice or discrimination, volunteer, provide support, donate.

Second, I challenge every SABA member to spend at least 26 hours this year, just one hour every other week, mentoring at least two diverse attorneys.

And, third, to support each other and stay connected locally, I challenge every SABA member to pledge to attend at least two local chapter events in the coming year.

I know these are big asks, but I also know we can do them, and SABA is going to help you and make sure that you have every resource necessary to make them happen.

I urge you to meet this call, and I look forward to hearing from you about how you did.

And I don't pretend to have all the answers. That's why, more than ever, new and difficult times as we are facing now are going to require new and innovative approaches, fresh ideas, and strong voices. Call us. Call me. SABA leadership is listening and ready to act.

It is truly my honor and privilege to serve as the next President of SABA North America. We have big things to do and a big role to play.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

Rippi Gill

President, SABA North America

Past Presidents

2003-2004: Navneet Chugh

2004-2005: Vijay Bondada

2005-2006: Sabita Singh

2006-2007: Paul Grewal

2007-2008: Alamdar Hamdani

2008-2009: Inderpreet Sawhney

2009-2010: Sonjui Kumar

2010-2011: Anna Sankaran

2011-2012: Jolsna John

2012-2013: Emilie Ninan

2013-2014: Nadeem Bezar

2014-2015: Mansi Shah

2015-2016: Anne Gwal

2016-2017: Vichal Kumar

2017-2018: Rishi Bagga

2018-2019: Sundeep Sandhu

2019-2020: Aneesh Mehta

2020-2021: Rippi Gill

We would like to thank all of our Past Presidents for their support of the South Asian Bar Association of North America.

National Advisory Council

Board of Governors

Mansi Shah

(Chair, National Advisory Council) Partner

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Aneesh Mehta

Senior Counsel

Microsoft

Sundeep Sandhu

Partner

Blaney McMurtry

Rishi Bagga

VP & General Counsel

Skyline Hotels, LLC

Vichal Kumar

Regional Director

Partners for Justice

Vikram Amar

Dean

University of Illinois College of Law

Talat M. Ansari

Partner

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Nadeem Bezar

Partner

Kline & Specter, PC

Vijay V. Bondada

VP, Litigation

Duke Energy Corp.

Neel Chatterjee

Partner

Goodwin Procter

Javade Chaudhri

Partner

Jones Day

Sabina Clorfeine

Assistant General Counsel

Southern California Gas Company

Sedesh Doobay

General Counsel

Honeywell International Inc., Performance Materials & Technologies

Paul S. Grewal

Chief Legal Officer

Coinbase

Anne Gwal

Associate General Counsel

Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Alamdar Hamdani

Assistant U.S. Attorney

Southern District of Texas

Rohit Kirpalani

General Counsel

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation

Sonjui Kumar

Partner

KPPB Law

Emilie Ninan

Partner

Ballard Spahr, LLP

Ashish S. Prasad

VP & General Counsel

eTera Consulting

Anita Ramasastry

Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law

University of Washington School of Law

Thomas Santram

VP, Deputy General Counsel

Cineplex

Inderpreet Sawhney

Global General Counsel

Infosys Limited

Charan Sandhu

Partner

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Pratik Shah

Partner

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Ayaz R. Shaikh

Member/Co-Chair, Project Development & Finance Practice

Mintz Levin

Jolsna John Thomas

President

The Rosendin Foundation

Richard Verma

General Counsel & Head of Public Policy

Mastercard

Elections Call

SABA 2021-2022 Executive Committee Elections

It’s almost time to choose the SABA North America Executive Committee for 2021-2022! We will be soliciting nominations for all positions except President and VP-Annual Conference. If you are interested in running for the Executive Committee and have questions about the position, please contact Rippi Gill (president@sabanorthamerica.com) or Samir Mehta (presidentelect@sabanorthamerica.com). If you have questions about the elections process, please contact the Election Commissioner (elections@sabanorthamerica.com).

Nominations will be open April 1 and are due by 5:00 pm ET on April 10, 2021!

President Elect

The President-Elect of the Association shall appear on behalf of the Association whenever requested to do so by the President and shall serve in place of the President whenever the President is unable to perform his or her duties or whenever the President requests that the President-Elect so act. At the direction of the Board, the President-Elect shall also handle special projects for the Association. The President-Elect, together with the VP-Annual Conference, shall be responsible for coordinating matters related to the planning of the annual conference of the Association. The President-Elect shall be the President of the Association for the term following his or her term as President-Elect.

Secretary

The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal office or such other place as the Board may designate, a book of minutes for all of the meetings of Board, (a) stating the time and place at which such meeting was held; (b) stating whether such meeting was a regular meeting or a special meeting; (c) recording the names of those Directors’ present at such meetings and (d) summarizing the proceedings of such meetings. The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal office of the Association, a membership register recording the name of each Chapter of the Association. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the Board required by the Bylaws or by Law to be given. He or she shall safeguard the seal of the Association and shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board or the by these Bylaws.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions of the Association, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, and losses. The books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection by any Director. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the Association with such depositories as may be designated by the Board. He or she shall disburse the funds of the Association as may be ordered by the Board; shall render to the President and Directors, whenever they request it, an account of all of his or her transactions and of the financial condition of the Association; and shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board or the Bylaws.

Vice President - Membership

The Vice President - Membership shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, (i) for communications with the Chapters of the Association and prospective Chapters of the Association and (ii) for communications with the Members of the Association and prospective individual members of the Association. The Vice President – Membership shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or these Bylaws.

Vice President - Membership

The Vice President - Public Relations shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, for coordinating and producing the Association’s newsletter, with the assistance of the Association’s Executive Director and Executive Assistant, and oversight of the Association’s website, email correspondence and social media, as well as coordinating the Association’s external relations with the media and other organizations. The Vice President – Public Relations shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or these Bylaws.

Vice President - Affiliate Relations

The Vice President - Affiliate Relations shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, for coordinating the Association’s external relations with national and local bar associations sharing common interests and goals with the Association. The Vice President – Affiliate Relations shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or these Bylaws.

Vice President - Programming

The Vice President – Programming shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, for coordinating the various programming for the Association, including, but not limited to, digital or virtual programming (i.e., support for the Webinar Series) and general programming (i.e., support for the Corporate Counsel College, Corporate Counsel Retreat, and working in conjunction with the VP – Conference for the Annual Conference programming). The Vice President – Programming may, at the discretion of the President and the Executive Committee create and appoint members, that he or she will oversee, to a programming committee dedicated to digital, virtual and/or general programming. The Vice President – Programming shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or the Bylaws.

Vice President - Professional Development

The Vice President – Professional Development shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, for coordinating various initiatives designed to promote the professional growth and development of the Association’s members. Such initiatives include, but are not limited to, oversight of the SABA Leadership Institute (“SLI”), SABA Cares and SABA Wellness. The Vice President –Professional Development shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or the Bylaws.

Vice President - Advocacy

The Vice President - Advocacy shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, for coordinating the Association’s external relations with national and local community-based organizations sharing common interests and goals with the Association. The Vice President – Advocacy shall also provide support to the Advocacy Committee, the Racial Justice Task Force, Lobby Day, and to other committees, such as judicial and political nominations, as appropriate. The Vice President – Advocacy shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or these Bylaws.

Vice President - Sponsorship

Vice President - Young Lawyers Division

The Vice President -Young Lawyers Division Chair (“Vice President – YLD”) shall be responsible, under the direction of the Board, for representing the Association and the Association’s Young Lawyers Division as a delegate to the Council and Assembly of the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division (“SABA-YLD”). The Vice President - YLD shall also preside over the meetings and activities of the Association’s Young Lawyers Division, including the selection of a Young Lawyers Division member to serve as the Association’s second representative to the ABA-YLD Assembly. The Vice President - YLD shall also oversee outreach and programming for new and junior lawyers, including coordination with NASALSA or any recognized law school chapter thereof. The Vice President - YLD shall serve a two-year term each and shall be required to attend all scheduled meetings of the ABA-YLD to represent the Association’s interests. The Vice President - YLD shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from time to time may be prescribed by the Board or these Bylaws.