MELAW

MELAW Fall Reception

MELAW — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:31:56 +0000

MELAW Annual Banquet Photo Gallery

MELAW — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:09:11 +0000

MELAW Legal Clinic

MELAW — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:41:00 +0000

The MELAW Legal Clinic will open its phone line on October 2, 2010. The focus of the Legal Clinic will be on the rights of Middle Eastern constituents in the state of Washington and specifically King County. The Legal Clinic will be staffed by volunteer attorneys and support staff who are knowledgeable in the law and how it influences the lives of Middle Easterners in civil rights, employment law, criminal law, family law, and discrimination.

To find out more visit the MELAW Legal Clinic page.

MELAW First Annual Banquet

MELAW — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:28:48 +0000

MELAW is proud to announce Haleh Esfandiari as the keynote speaker. Dr. Esfandiari is the Director of the Middle East Program at the Washington, D.C. advanced research institution, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She is an expert on Iran’s domestic and foreign policy as well as regional politics. Dr. Esfandiari is the author of numerous articles and books, including My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran, based on Esfandiari’s arrest by the Iranian security authorities in 2007, after which she spent 105 days in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin Prison.

Date and Time
Friday, Oct. 1, 2010
5:30 – 6:30 Social Hour
6:30 Dinner and Program

Location
W Hotel Seattle

Details
Dinner program will include the presentation of awards and Middle Eastern entertainment.
Business or cocktail attire.

Tickets and Info
$95 per person ($85 student rate).
To purchase tickets please email banquet@melegal.org.

Sponsors
MELAW extends its deep gratitude to the following firms and companies sponsoring the First Annual Banquet. Without your help and support, we would not be able to hold this inaugural event. Thank you!

Top Platinum Sponsor

Stokes Lawrence, P.S.

Bronze Sponsors

Perkins Coie
Lane Powell
Seattle University
University of Washington
Caravan-Serai Tours
Law Office of Susan Amini
True Blue, Inc

Supporters

Starbucks
Christensen O’Connor Johnson Kindness
Patterson Buchanan Fobes Leitch & Kalzer
Gordon Thomas Honeywell
Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland
Wagih Abu-Rish

MELAW asks you to join its growing list of sponsors. Below are the sponsorship levels. Please email banquet@melegal.org if you would like to become a sponsor.

Platinum……$5,000
Gold…………$3,500
Silver………..$2,500
Bronze…….. $1,500
Supporter…..$500

MELAW Social Hour

MELAW — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:00:02 +0000

Join your MELAW friends and meet new members at the no-host Social Hour!

When: September 22, 2009, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Tig Asian, 614 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA (between Cherry St. & Yesler Way)

The restaurant is offering special discounts to us, including extending their happy hour. In addition to socializing and networking, you will learn about MELAW’s upcoming plans and provide input on MELAW activities. The board is also setting up committees and you will be able to sign up for those, if you would like to get more involved with our group.

Please RSVP and we look forward to seeing you there!

MELAW in the News

MELAW — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:41:32 +0000

The September issue of the WSBA Bar News contains an article entitled MELAW: The Birth of a New MBA, written by MELAW President Aneelah Afzali. The article discusses how MELAW started, developed, and its progress to date.

You can read the entire article here on our website – Check it out!

Diversity and the Law: The Birth of a New MBA

Aneelah Afzali — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:28:15 +0000

In early 2008, there were 14 Minority Bar Associations (MBAs) in Washington. Despite this variety, there was no legal voice for Middle Easterners, even as the Middle East dominated international headlines and local communities felt the “legal” and illegal repercussions of a post-9/11 backlash. The South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW) made valiant efforts to welcome our community, and some, like me, were members of SABAW. But SABAW could never represent the entire Middle East, a vast region with a diversity of countries, cultures, religions, languages, and politics that proved too large to fit under the “South Asian” label.

I had lamented the absence of a professional legal association for Middle Easterners since moving to Seattle in 2003, especially as I was co-president of the Middle Eastern student group in law school. To me, the void in the MBA community here was palpable. While at a diversity reception one day, I ran into Sahar Fathi. We commiserated over the lack of a Middle Eastern bar association and decided then and there to stop complaining and actually start a group. But first, we decided to gauge interest through a “meet and greet,” thinking five or six attorneys might attend. An overwhelming 40 people showed up — Middle Easterners and others who agreed a Middle Eastern legal association was long overdue. The answer to whether we should create the group was thus a resounding “yes!” This led to the birth of the Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington (MELAW).

Despite our infancy, MELAW has already become active. We held a successful kickoff reception in January 2009; co-presented a Middle East Speaker Series with the World Affairs Council; participated in the launch of the Korematsu Center for Law and Equality; co-sponsored the Fourth Annual Statewide Diversity Conference; co-hosted the annual MBA Summer Picnic; had booths at both the Iranian and Arab Festivals; held social hours for our members; and conducted our first membership retreat. We are also collaborating with other MBAs on activities such as communicating with Senator Murray’s office to improve diversity in the federal judiciary, working on an amicus brief with the ACLU in a racial discrimination case, and participating in the Minority Report Card Joint Committee.

We further look forward to launching a dinner-speaker series and sponsoring other events (such as “know your rights” workshops and/or legal clinics), offering additional social and networking opportunities, and setting up a community resource directory. Moreover, we seek to change the demographic forms used by the WSBA (and eventually Washington state) to include “Middle Eastern” as an ethnic category. (To be sure, the negative experience with registration and racial profiling as part of the “war on terror” has generated fear in our community and many worry about the repercussions of self-identifying. But to emerge from political invisibility and gain political strength, we need to start with accurate data.)

MELAW’s birth also inspired the creation of Middle Eastern law student groups at both Seattle University and the University of Washington. MELAW is connected with these groups through our student liaisons (Misha Ghoreishi, Kianoush Naficy, Roxana Rezai, and Kerem Levitas), and we look forward to working with them on activities including a mentorship program.

The challenges of starting a bar association are plenty and the time commitment significant, but the rewards are priceless. I have met some amazing people through MELAW, such as the enthusiastic, committed and dynamic members of our board. I have been inspired by the support received from the legal and non-legal community, including support from the other MBAs, the WSBA, and Stokes Lawrence (our de facto sponsoring firm, which has stood behind me personally and provided resources to our group, financial and otherwise). I have been invigorated by the momentum and energy generated by and for this group. And I look forward to meeting the expectations set for this group, by us and others. Right now, MELAW is still a new player in the MBA community. But with time, I hope MELAW becomes a leader among the MBAs, as well as a strong legal voice for the Middle Eastern community and an effective resource for its members.

We invite you to join us, as your contribution and involvement will make a difference. MELAW is open to all, regardless of background, religion, or affiliation, including attorneys, law students, and community members who want to support our goals.

Member of the Joint Committee: Law Firm Diversity

MELAW — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:19:52 +0000

The MBA Joint Committee on Law Firm Diversity (“Joint Committee”) released a Law Firm Diversity Report last year, which evaluated the top 50 law firms in Washington on diversity issues. Because MELAW was not yet in existence, it was not a member of the Joint Committee. This year, MELAW is a member and, with the other members of the Joint Committee, is helping revise the questionnaire and improve the process for the Law Firm Diversity Report. The Joint Committee anticipates sending questionnaires to law firms by the end of this year. For more information, please contact Aneelah.

Coalition Sponsor of WA Families Standing Together

MELAW — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:18:12 +0000

As you may be aware, the domestic partnership expansion law (“everything but marriage” with respect to state rights for same-sex domestic partners), which was passed by the Washington Legislature and signed by the Governor, is going to be put to a vote this fall as Referendum 71. The Washington Families Standing Together coalition is organizing voters to approve the referendum. The MBAs, including MELAW, have been asked to become organizational sponsors of Washington Families Standing Together. At present, there are over 150 organizational sponsors. You can see the full list here (note that it is not just LGBT organizations that are sponsors). Along with other MBAs, such as the South Asian Bar Association of Washington and Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, MELAW will sign on as an organizational sponsor. For more info, contact Damon.

Meeting with WSBA about Demographic Form

MELAW — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:04:50 +0000

On August 27, 2009, MELAW President Aneelah Afzali met with Gail Stone, Director of Justice and Diversity Initiative at the Washington State Bar Association (“WSBA”). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss MELAW’s efforts to modify the demographic form used by the WSBA to collect statistical data on lawyers in Washington State. Currently, the form does not include an option for Middle Easterners. Gail Stone agreed to discuss the issue with the WSBA and work on editing the forms. Another topic of discussion was the language options available on the Lawyer Directory used by the WSBA. That directory identifies “Farsi/Persian” separate from “Persian” as a language option. Aneelah discussed the potential confusion in having these two separate categories, both of which refer to the same language. The WSBA will correct the confusion by having one category entitled “Persian” (along with categories for other languages such as Arabic).

MELAW thanks Gail Stone and the WSBA for their time and responsiveness to MELAW’s concerns.

MBA Meeting with Senators

MELAW — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:08:54 +0000

On August 24, 2009, MELAW Vice President for Community Outreach, Damon Shadid, attended a meeting with Senator Maria Cantwell’s staff to discuss how the Minority Bar Associations of Washington (“MBAs”) could aid the Senator’s office in improving diversity in the federal judiciary. Members of 12 of the MBAs attended the meeting, and the discussion focused on ideas to help the Senator utilize the knowledge and expertise of the MBAs in making judicial selections. The group discussed short term collaboration in helping select candidates for the judicial vacancy in the Eastern District of Washington, as well as long term plans for assisting in the judicial selection process.

The meeting with Senator Cantwell’s office followed an earlier meeting between the MBAs and the staff of Senator Patty Murray, who is similarly interested in utilizing the MBAs to improve diversity in the federal judiciary.

MELAW thanks Senator Cantwell, Senator Murray, and the MBAs for planning and participating in these constructive planning sessions. This will hopefully be the beginning of a long-term collaboration between the MBAs and the Senators. For more information, please contact Damon.

Booth at Arab Festival

MELAW — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:21:07 +0000

MELAW participated in this year’s Arab Festival, which was held on August 1 and 2, 2009. The Festival, a biannual event held at Seattle Center as part of the Safeco Insurance Festal Series, showcases and celebrates Arab culture and provides information and education about the Arab world and the Arab community in the Northwest. With two stages, dozens of performers, three rooms featuring workshops and lectures, dozens of vendors and booths, including several food booths and a coffee shop, and children’s activities, the Festival was a success. MELAW had a booth on both days, with volunteers providing information about MELAW and recruiting new members. For more information, please contact Manal.

Diversity Stakeholders Gathering

MELAW — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:14:49 +0000

The WSBA has extended invitations to the leaders of the MBAs, including MELAW, to participate in a gathering to discuss the structure of the bar with respect to diversity. By way of background, the WSBA Board of Governor’s Diversity Committee hosted a gathering on July 17, 2009, to discuss how diversity should be structured within the bar and how to communicate, cooperate and coordinate the diversity efforts of the committees within the WSBA. Representatives from the BOG’s Diversity Committee, WSBA’s Committee for Diversity, the Young Lawyer’s Diversity Committee, the Washington Leadership Institute, the Board of Governors and WSBA’s President-Elect Sal Mungia and President-Elect-Elect Steve Toole were at the gathering. Attendees felt that the MBAs would contribute in a meaningful way to the ongoing discussion, which led to the decision to hold a second gathering. That second gathering will be on September 18, 2009, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Summit Law Group. MELAW board members will attend and participate. For more information, please contact Aneelah.

ACLU Amicus Brief

MELAW — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:00:18 +0000

MELAW — along with the other MBAs — has been asked to sign on to an amicus brief that will be filed by the ACLU in a case pending before the WA Court of Appeals. Information about the amicus brief is below. Please let us know if you have thoughts one way or the other on whether MELAW should sign the amicus brief. If you’d like more information or would like to see the amicus brief when it’s ready, please let us know. We value your input!

This is a medical malpractice case that went to trial in Spokane County. A new trial was granted after the trial court ruled that jurors had repeatedly made racist remarks about the plaintiffs’ attorney’s Japanese name. The court found there was a doubt about whether these remarks improperly caused a defense verdict. The issue on appeal is whether racially derogatory remarks by jurors about a litigant’s attorney constitute jury misconduct justifying a new trial.

The case is pending in Division Three of the Court of Appeals and the parties’ briefs have been filed. No oral argument date has been set but it will likely be in September, possibly making amicus briefs due in early August. WSBA will be filing an amicus brief in the case. The ACLU is also planning to file an amicus brief and is inviting all the organizations receiving this email to join the brief. We hope to have an outline ready in June. In the meantime, the issues we plan to cover are the legal standard for granting a new trial when racist juror comments are made about a litigant’s attorney, and the history of legal rules that have been developed to remedy and prevent legal proceedings being tainted by racism (including a discussion of incidents that have occurred, giving rise to the need for such legal rules).

Seattle Iranian Festival

MELAW — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:06:36 +0000

MELAW had a booth at this past weekend’s IACA Iranian Festival at Seattle Center. Thanks Polly Peshtaz, Nima Seyedali, Manal Boulos, and Nilly Park for helping staff MELAW’s booth!