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July 01, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

South Asian Bar Association Of Nothern California Announces New Leadership

Khoja is First Pakistani-Muslim American to Lead the Organization In Its 15-Year History

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San Francisco, CA (June 26, 2008) -- On June 22, the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California (SABA-NC) elected its new officers and committee chairs for 2008-2009. The election marks the close of the most active year in the history of SABA-NC-a year that saw a reenergized membership that doubled in size due to increased programming and a more active board.

With over 500 members, SABA-NC is the largest regional South Asian Bar Association in North America. As the voice of the Northern California South Asian legal community, SABA advocates for the South Asian community, supports those who value diversity in the legal profession and promotes programs that assist lawyers in their work.

Said Shirish Gupta, the outgoing President of SABA-NC, "I'm very proud of what we have accomplished for our membership in the past two years." Building on the momentum of its previous year, the new leadership of SABA-NC has redoubled its commitment to the cause of civil rights.

"For several years, SABA has been at the forefront of the civil rights cause -- whether it is protecting our community from hate crimes, speaking out against the 'state of emergency' in Pakistan or promoting equal protection for all persons," said Gupta. "I expect that under incoming President Khurshid Khoja, we will take an ever increasing leadership role."

Incoming President Khurshid Khoja, an associate in the Business and Finance Department in the San Francisco office of Thelen Brown Raysman and Steiner, will be the first Pakistani-Muslim American to hold the post and has long been a member of Thelen's Diversity Committee.

Said Khoja, "I intend to lead SABA-NC by serving the values that I'm most passionate about as a progressive lawyer and a first generation American from a Pakistani-Muslim immigrant family. I'm committed to furthering the civil, political and human rights of disenfranchised and minority communities; advocating for effective and representative democratic institutions - including an impartial judiciary and the rule of law, and promoting the participation and leadership of South Asian lawyers within the broader legal community."

Among his first acts, Khoja has pledged SABA-NC's support and participation in the Bar Association of San Francisco's (BASF) Marriage Fairness Taskforce, which has mobilized the state's minority bar associations to defeat the ballot initiative that would attempt to amend the California Constitution to take away the rights of consenting adults, regardless of gender or sexual identity, to marry freely. Khoja will serve as the Greater Community Outreach and Message Committee Co-Chair to the Taskforce, helping to mobilize public opinion in California's minority communities against the initiative.

For more information, contact:
Kevin Livingston
National Manager of Public Relations
Thelen LLP
415.369.7224
klivingston@thelen.com

About Thelen
Thelen is an international law firm with approximately 500 attorneys and is widely known for its premier practices in the areas of Construction; Corporate/Finance; Technology, Media, and Communications; Energy; and Complex Litigation. Other premier practice areas of the firm include Real Estate, Labor and Employment, Intellectual Property, Bankruptcy, Domestic and International Tax, and Employee Benefits.

About SABA
With over 500 members, the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California is the largest regional South Asian Bar Association in North America.  As the voice of the Northern California South Asian legal community, SABA advocates for the South Asian community, supports those who value diversity in the legal profession and promotes programs that assist lawyers in their work.  For more information about SABA visit: http://www.southasianbar.org


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