Students Attend National South Asian Bar Association Convention
Four students from UC Davis School of Law attended the North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) Convention in June, 2007. Meera Bhatt '08, Bandana Kohli '08, Ramaah Sadasivam '09, and Monika Saini '08 are members of the School's Middle Eastern & South Asian Law Students Association (MESALSA). They joined over 700 attorneys and law students of South Asian descent at the convention held in San Francisco. Included in the stellar lineup of speakers was Professor of Law Vikram Amar, who joins the UC Davis faculty this fall.
Monika Saini, MESALSA's political affairs chair, said the convention provided a wonderful opportunity to interact with attorneys from all walks of life and all areas of the country. "The event allowed me to not only network with other attorneys who work in the areas of law I am interested in, it also gave me the opportunity to attend panels and learn more about other areas of law and exciting legal issues I know very little about."
Law students in MESALSA are dedicated to raising awareness of Middle Eastern and South Asian legal issues. They host attorney speakers and social events, and provide a supportive network to assist students in becoming successful attorneys. By participating in the national convention, these law students gained access to legal seminars, workshops, and panel discussions led by the Asian Communities most accomplished leaders and lawyers.
Excerpts from NASABA
From Ramaah Sadasivam ’09:
I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to a conference before, let alone a national conference of South Asian attorneys and law students. Growing up as the daughter of immigrants from India, I had been to weddings, religious ceremonies, and family gatherings that brought together large groups of South Asians. But this time, this group of South Asians were attorneys and law students, facing the same professional challenges, same cultural differences, and same pressures as me.
The conference consisted of seminars and panels on important issues facing South Asian attorneys and law students, ranging from recent developments in patent law, human trafficking of South Asians for labor and sexual exploitation, to building a career as a public interest attorney. One seminar, entitled "Our Community – Immigration Reform in the United States: Quick Fixes and Long-Term Solutions" provided an amazingly, in-depth analysis of the recent national attempts at immigration reform.
Attending the conference provided the opportunity to look at the legal profession from a new and meaningful perspective—as a South Asian. I realized that I can pursue a career in the legal profession and at the same time honor my heritage. Rudyard Kipling once said, "East is East and West is West and never [shall] the twain meet." However, my experience at the NASABA conference proves that East and West can meet.
From Bandana Kohli ’08
I had attended a NASABA conference years ago, prior to coming to law school, and even prior to knowing I wanted to be an attorney, so of course, this time I had a new perspective. During the three-day event, I was able to attend workshops and seminars on issues that ran the gamut—from immigration reform to estate planning. I was thoroughly impressed by not only the breadth of information that I was learning, but also by the depth of knowledge each one of the panelists had about the issue that they were so passionate about.
Also during the convention, I was able to hear San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris give a motivational and unifying speech to all of the South Asian attorneys present. Attending NASABA’s conference made me more aware of the power that we as South Asians can have when we come together to support one another, the growing number of South Asian attorneys, and, moreover, the passion inside successful attorneys that drives them to succeed in their roles as protectors of the rights of residents of our nation.
NASABA Convention
Monika Saini, MESALSA's political affairs chair, said the convention provided a wonderful opportunity to interact with attorneys from all walks of life and all areas of the country. "The event allowed me to not only network with other attorneys who work in the areas of law I am interested in, it also gave me the opportunity to attend panels and learn more about other areas of law and exciting legal issues I know very little about."
Law students in MESALSA are dedicated to raising awareness of Middle Eastern and South Asian legal issues. They host attorney speakers and social events, and provide a supportive network to assist students in becoming successful attorneys. By participating in the national convention, these law students gained access to legal seminars, workshops, and panel discussions led by the Asian Communities most accomplished leaders and lawyers.
Excerpts from NASABA
From Ramaah Sadasivam ’09:
I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to a conference before, let alone a national conference of South Asian attorneys and law students. Growing up as the daughter of immigrants from India, I had been to weddings, religious ceremonies, and family gatherings that brought together large groups of South Asians. But this time, this group of South Asians were attorneys and law students, facing the same professional challenges, same cultural differences, and same pressures as me.
The conference consisted of seminars and panels on important issues facing South Asian attorneys and law students, ranging from recent developments in patent law, human trafficking of South Asians for labor and sexual exploitation, to building a career as a public interest attorney. One seminar, entitled "Our Community – Immigration Reform in the United States: Quick Fixes and Long-Term Solutions" provided an amazingly, in-depth analysis of the recent national attempts at immigration reform.
Attending the conference provided the opportunity to look at the legal profession from a new and meaningful perspective—as a South Asian. I realized that I can pursue a career in the legal profession and at the same time honor my heritage. Rudyard Kipling once said, "East is East and West is West and never [shall] the twain meet." However, my experience at the NASABA conference proves that East and West can meet.
From Bandana Kohli ’08
I had attended a NASABA conference years ago, prior to coming to law school, and even prior to knowing I wanted to be an attorney, so of course, this time I had a new perspective. During the three-day event, I was able to attend workshops and seminars on issues that ran the gamut—from immigration reform to estate planning. I was thoroughly impressed by not only the breadth of information that I was learning, but also by the depth of knowledge each one of the panelists had about the issue that they were so passionate about.
Also during the convention, I was able to hear San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris give a motivational and unifying speech to all of the South Asian attorneys present. Attending NASABA’s conference made me more aware of the power that we as South Asians can have when we come together to support one another, the growing number of South Asian attorneys, and, moreover, the passion inside successful attorneys that drives them to succeed in their roles as protectors of the rights of residents of our nation.
NASABA Convention