SABA-SC's 2008-2009 Board of Directors

"I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end."

- The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House by Francis B. Carpenter (University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1995), pp. 258-259.

Paul Saghera, Co-President

Paul S. Saghera is a partner and serves as the Litigation Chair for The Chugh Firm. Mr. Saghera has extensive experience in a wide variety of litigation matters and has prosecuted and defended numerous actions through trial and appeal. Mr. Saghera's practice focuses on all aspects of litigation, including cases involving contracts, business torts, trade secrets, intellectual property rights, partnership rights, accounting actions, alter-ego claims and shareholder disputes. His litigation experience has involved many different technologies and industries, including computer software and peripherals, digital media and other consumer products and services. Mr. Saghera received his B.A. degree from the University of California Irvine in 1988. Mr. Saghera received his J.D. degree from Western State University in 1991. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association. He is currently the Co-President of the South Asian Bar Association and is on the Board of Directors of the North American South Asian Bar Association. He can be reached at paul@chugh.com.


Pankit Doshi, Co-President

Pankit J. Doshi is an associate with the law firm of Jackson Lewis LLP in its Los Angeles office. Mr. Doshi's practice focuses on employment litigation and advising employers about daily workplace issues. Mr. Doshi is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration. He received his J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he was Vice President of the South Asian Law Student Association and Vice Justice of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. While in law school, Mr. Doshi served as a Senior Editor on the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review and on the Scott Moot Court Honors Board. He is currently Co-President of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California and is on the Board of Directors of the North American South Asian Bar Association. Mr. Doshi was recently selected as a 2008 "Rising Star" by Southern California Superlawyers magazine. He can be reached at doship@jacksonlewis.com.


Mona Patel, Vice President and President Elect

Mona R. Patel is a Senior Associate with the Los Angeles office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP. She represents various business and corporate entities in a matters involving maritime, environmental law and general civil litigation. Her practice encompasses all aspects of litigation including many successful trial verdicts. Ms. Patel is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she received her B.S. degree in Political Science in 1996. Ms. Patel received her J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1999. After law school she practiced for a number of years in Sacramento focusing on both a career of litigation and lobbying. Ms. Patel currently serves as the President Elect of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California. In addition, she is a member of the Marine Underwriters of Southern California, Women Lawyers of Southern California, Women Lawyers of Sacramento, and is currently on the board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Indian Bar Association. She is on faculty at Cal State Los Angeles in the Extended Education Department. She is actively involved in various charities, included the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and various orphanages throughout India. She can be reached at mona.patel@wilsonelser.com.

Hema Patel, Secretary

Hema Patel is an associate with the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. Ms. Patel is a graduate of the University of Southern California where she graduated with a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science with honors and a minor in Psychology. She received her J.D. degree from Northwestern Law School in 2005. Following her graduation from law school, Ms. Patel clerked for Judge Thomas G. Nelson on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She currently serves as the Secretary of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California. She can be reached at secretary@sabasc.org.

Ankita Patel, Treasurer

Ankita Patel is an associate with the law firm of Palumbo Bergstrom LLP in the firm's Irvine office. The focus of her practice is on general litigation with an emphasis on construction defect litigation and personal injury defense. Ms. Patel received her Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University, School of Law after completing undergraduate studies in business administration and legal studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She can be reached at apatel@palumbolawyers.com.

Manoj Shah, Law Student Outreach & Community Awareness Chair

Manoj N. Shah is a litigation associate at Pond North LLP’s Los Angeles office. Mr. Shah's expertise focuses on defense of complex toxic tort and mass tort matters. Mr. Shah obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Southern California in 2002. Thereafter, Mr. Shah received his Juris Doctor degree from Whittier College School of Law in 2006, with a certificate in International and Comparative Law. During law school, Mr. Shah was a Certified Public Law Student for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. Mr. Shah served as the 2007-2008 Events Chair for SABA-Southern California, and will be taking over as SABA’s Law Student Outreach Coordinator. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, LACBA – Diversity Committee, and the American Civil Liberties Union. In his spare time, Mr. Shah enjoys playing sports, reading, cooking, and traveling. He can be reached at mshah@pondnorth.com.

Rupa Goswami, Judicial Evaluation Chair

Rupa S. Goswami currently serves as Deputy Chief of the Domestic Security & Immigration Crimes Section. She has prosecuted numerous federal cases including prison assaults, bank fraud, internet intrusions, child sexual exploitation, and international human trafficking. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, she worked as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, and clerked for District Judge Nora Manella in the Central District of California and Judge Terrence Evans on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Currently, she is serving a three-year term on the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation which evaluates applicants for the state judiciary and provides its analysis and judicial rating to the Governor’s Judicial Appointment Secretary. She can be reached at Rupa.Goswami@usdoj.gov.

Rupa Shah, Public Policy Chair

Rupa J. Shah is currently a Pro Se Law Clerk for the Honorable Oswald Parada and the Honorable John C. Rayburn, Jr. at the United States District Court, Eastern Division. Prior to her clerkship, Ms. Shah was an associate at Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara, LLP, practicing in general civil litigation. Ms. Shah received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 2006 and her Bachelor of Arts in English and History from the University of California, Berkeley in 2002. While in law school, Ms. Shah served as an extern to the Honorable Ernest Robles of the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Central District of California. During law school, Ms. Shah volunteered at Neighborhood Legal Services and the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, where she provided legal assistance to disenfranchised members of the community in the areas of employment and family law. She also worked for the American Indian Law Alliance, where she advocated human rights issues on behalf of the American Indian community. Her other achievements include serving as President and Emeritus Board Member of Loyola's International Law Society, receiving a Public Interest Law Foundation grant, and being on the Dean's Honors List from 2004 to 2006. Ms. Shah was admitted to the California State Bar in 2006. She can be reached at rupa_shah@cacd.uscourts.gov.


Gaurav Mohindra, Membership Chair

Gaurav K. Mohindra is an attorney with the law firm of Stetina Brunda Garred & Brucker in Orange County. His practice is primarily concentrated in intellectual property matters. Mr. Mohindra is a graduate of DePaul University, where he received his B.S. degree in Computer Information Systems in 2000 and his M.S. in Computer Science in 2002. Mr. Mohindra received his J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 2007 where he was an article editor of IDEA: The Intellectual Property Law Review. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Mohindra was a Senior Technology Consultant at Accenture, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on their technological initiatives. He can be reached at gmohindra@stetinalaw.com.

Pamela Tahim, Public Interest Chair

Pamela Tahim is an associate with the law firm of Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle. Her practice area is predominantly focused on business, real estate and employment litigation. She also provides transactional services in these areas to businesses and individuals. Pamela is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in Spanish. She received her J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from the University of San Diego, School of Law in 2005, where she was a competitor on the National USD Mock Trial Team and the sole recipient in her graduating class of the Excellence in Advocacy Award. She is the 2008-2009 President of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California Public Interest Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and raising funds for organizations that provide legal and social services to the South Asian communities of Southern California. Pamela also serves on the Board of Trustees for the North American South Asian Bar Association Foundation for 2008-2010. She is on the Education Committee of the Orange County Bar Association and is an active member of the Orange County Young Democrats. She can be reached at ptahim@tldlaw.com.