Terrorism, Methamphetamines, Euthanasia, Hollywood, and Doing Business in India will all be Topics of Discussion as Leading South Asian Attorneys Gath

23 May 2006

Washington, D.C., aMore than 400 South Asian judges, attorneys and law students will gather in Atlanta for the third annual national convention of the North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA), June 16-18, marking a year of progress for the South Asian legal community.

Achievements in the U.S. and Canada to be acknowledged at the conference include high-profile South Asian legal appointments, diversity strides and greater representation of South Asian concerns in business, entertainment and education. Expert speakers will cover more than a dozen topics at this year s conference, "Networking to Influence, Influencing the Network: South Asian Lawyers Changing the Flow of the Mainstream."

Seminars, workshops and networking events will provide thought-provoking and productive sessions for attendees to review the year s significant strides and establish new objectives. Representing more than 5,000 South Asian American attorneys, this year s NASABA convention is expected to be larger than previous gatherings. The Convention, for one memorable weekend, will bring together attorneys from firms, large and small, from small private companies to large public companies, like CompuCredit Corporation, a convention-level sponsor, from the public and private interest sectors, from all branches of government, and from the world of academia.

Opening this year s conference is the Honorable Judge Stanley F. Birch, the federal appeals court judge who became the focus of national attention in March 2005 when the parents of Terri Schiavo asked for a new hearing. He will welcome attendees, including attorneys from law firms, public and private companies, public and private interest sectors, government and academia.

One keynote speaker is Neal Katyal, a Georgetown University law professor and the lead attorney in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, a leading challenge to the military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As he speaks at the convention, the U.S. Supreme Court will be deciding the case. Many experts believe this will be the biggest Supreme Court decision of 2006.

General counsels from UPS, Cingular and Sempra Energy will speak on diversity at one of the opening panel sessions. Other key discussions include business immigration issues and securing visas for high-demand professionals working in IT, health care and other industries, pro-bono business opportunities for helping South Asian countries, and the legal issues surrounding the separation of church and state in public schools.

Convention discussions will also include a look at the rising success and influence of South Asians in the entertainment industry and how this affects entertainment law practice, with attorney Sandeep Motwani of Warner Bros. Television.

"For South Asian attorneys and law students in North America, this convention is a unique opportunity to positively affect their practices, and the communities they represent," says NASABA Vice President Kirtan Patel.

Seminar topics include:

General Counsels Speak Out On Diversity; Business Immigration Issues; Entertainment Law Issues; Is The Patriot Act Patriotic?; Pro Bono Opportunities in the South Asian Community; Solo/Small Firm Practice Issues; Public Relations for Lawyers; Doing Business In South Asia; Ten Commandments/ Prayer In Schools and Other Religious Issues Affecting South Asians; The Art and Science Of Business Development; Succeeding within Firm and Corporate Cultures; Racial Profiling and the War On Drugs; Hot Topics in Intellectual Property Law; Professional Development for South Asian Women; Diversity Initiatives for Employers: Are They Good for South Asians?; Outsourcing Legal Services; Work/Life Balance; Hot Topics For Corporate Counsel; Corporate External Communications; ABA Workshop for Law Students - Choosing the Path Less Traveled: Attorneys Championing the Causes of South Asians Through Alternative Careers.

Speakers and panelists include:

Rishi Agrawal, Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg

Manny Arora, Defense Attorney, Garland, Samuel, Loeb

Saba Ashraf, Partner, Alston & Bird

Jay Bagia, Bagia & Associates

Bob Barr, Member of Congress, 1995-2003

Nila Betof, Ph.D., COO, The Leader s Edge

Nadeem Bezar, Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore & Bezar

Stanley Birch, Chief Judge, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

Vijay Bondada, Dickstein Shapiro

Jeffrey O. Bramlett, Trial Attorney, Bondurant, Mixon & Elmor

Gino Brogdon, Partner, Alston & Bird

Joaquin R. Carbonell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Cingular Wireless

Anil Chaddha, General Electric

Javade Chaudhri, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Sempra Energy

Navneet Chugh, The Chugh Firm

Ken Cutshaw, General Counsel, Church s Chicken

Mirut Dalal, Mcandrews

Reetu Dandora, Partner, Reed Smith, LLP

Raj Davé, Partner, Morrison & Forrester

Ted Davis, Partner, Kilpatrick Stockton

Roopa Doraswamy, Narasappa, Doraswamy & Raja, Bangalore

Randy Eaddy, Kilpatrick Stockton

Madhu Goel, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

Paul Grewal, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder

Anuj Grover, Vice President and General Counsel, CipherTrust, Inc.

E. Linwood Gunn, Brock, Clay & Calhoun

Venu Gupta, Sachnoff & Weaver, Law Firm Diversity Committee

Alamdar Hamdani, Borunda & Hamdani

Geoffrey Hazard, University of Pennsylvania

Jane Hyun, Author, Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, Career Strategies for Asians

Habib Ilahi, Habib Ilahi - Board/DC

Gaytri Kachroo, Kacchroo & Associates

Neal Katyal - Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

Kamran Q. Khan, Shook, Hardy & Bacon

Moushumi Khan, Law Offices of Moushumi M. Khan

Saveen Kaushal, Legal Advocate, Sakhi for South Asian Women

Praveen Kosuri, Assistant Director IJ Clinic, Lecturer, University of Chicago Law School

Pamela Leeming, Cook County Public Defender s Office

Teri McClure - Senior Vice President of Legal and Compliance, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, United Parcel Service

Sandeep Motwani, Warner Bros. Television

Parth Munshi, The Coca-Cola Company

David Nahmias, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia

Emilie Ninan, Partner, Potter, Anderson & Corroon

Tony Paikeday, Silicon Counsel

Alvah Parker, Parker Associates

Prabha Parameswaran, Hewitt Associates

David Perla, Pangea3

William T. Plybon. Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Coca-Cola Enterprises

Ashish Prasad, Partner, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw

Anandhi Rajan, Partner, Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers

Dana Rao, Microsoft Corporation

Sasha Rao, Partner, Ropes & Gray

Asker A. Saeed, Robinson & Cole, LLP

Anna Sankaran, Partner, Greenberg Traurig

Inderpreet Sawhney, The Chugh Firm

Nagendra (Nick) Setty, Fish & Richardson

Suresh Sharma, JS3 Global Consulting

Tina Sharma, Partner, Jenkins & Gilchrist

Suhag A. Shukla, Legal Counsel, Hindu American Foundation, Inc.

Waajid Siddique, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Kavita Sreeharsha, Staff Attorney, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach

Sanjay Tailor, Associate Judge, Cook County

Aarti Tandon, Law Office of Aarti Tandon

Dorothy Thomas, Kochhar & Co., LLC Atlanta

Rena Van Tine, Associate Judge, Cook County

Dave Vatti, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Dist. of Connecticut

Neera Walsh, Supervisor, Cook County State Attorney s Office

Joe Whitley, former general counsel, Department of Homeland Security, Partner, Alston & Bird

About NASABA

The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) provides a vital link between South Asian lawyers and the South Asian community across North America. As a bar association, NASABA affords South Asian lawyers in North America a forum for professional growth and advancement. By promoting the South Asian bar and focusing on the legal needs of the South Asian community, NASABA is the fastest growing organization of South Asian lawyers in the world. As the South Asian business community in North America continues to prosper, NASABA provides it with a directory of qualified legal professionals who not only have the sophistication to provide creative business solutions, but also understand their motivations and goals.

For more information or registration, please go to www.nasabaconvention.org.

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Vijay Chattha

NASABA PR

VSC Consulting

415-305-6041

vijay@vscconsulting.com

Source: webwire

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