ArmenBar – Armenian Bar Association

26 Sep 2018

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Armenian Bar Association’s Midyear Meeting to Showcase the StartUp Revolution

Saturday, October 13, 2018

NEW YORK CITY – New York City will host in inimitable Hye-fashion the Armenian Bar Association’s 2018 Midyear Meeting with its feature presentation of a groundbreaking continuing legal education classic entitled “The StartUp Revolution: What Are Your Rights and How to Protect Them.” The Association is most pleased to announce that the Honorable Grigor Hovhannissian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States, will undertake a significant role in the program by captaining a team of panel experts on “Challenges and Opportunities Facing Startups in Armenia.”

The Association designed this inter-active program to advance Armenia’s and its Diaspora’s impressive and imperative initiative of expanding the young republic’s footprint on the global technology terrain. The special assembly will bring together trailblazers in the fields of intellectual property law, technology, business, and government from the United States, Armenia, Russia and Australia, to share their knowledge and expertise with the startup ecosystems of Armenia and beyond.

Ambassador Hovhannissian, who is the originator and an active supporter of the Armenian Global Innovation Hub establishment initiative, will be joined on the panel by Brian Barnier, Director and Head of Analytics at ValueBridge Advisors, Karén Gyulbudaghyan, Founding Partner at Strategic Value Ventures, and Hovanes Margarian, Esq. of the Margarian Law Firm. Panel moderator is the uber-accomplished Emma Arakelyan, CEO & Co-Founder of Orion Worldwide Innovations, LLC, former EY Advisory Partner and Accenture Managing Director. Ms. Arakelyan has also made creative and indefatigable contributions in helping to organize the weekend’s composition of talent. The panel will address topics such as raising capital (though IPOs, ICOs, and crowdfunding), challenges and emerging opportunities for the burgeoning strata of IT startups in Armenia, global connectiveness, and local and international support networks, both on the governmental and non-aligned levels.

Three additional panels will highlight other aspects of the exciting and fast-developing tech economy: “Establishing and Growing Your Startup Practice,” “How to Protect Your Intellectual Property,” and “How to Protect Your Trade Secrets and Best Practices in IP Litigation.” Specific information about these panels will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Armenia’s tech scene, and the people who populate it and expand its frontiers, have brought us to the most positive and promising of turning points and cutting edges, just as Armenia itself enters a new era of unbounded optimism and opportunity,” stressed Souren A. Israelyan, Esq., a Co-Vice Chair of the board of the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut Chapter of the Armenian Bar Association and a member of the Midyear Meeting organizing committee.

The Midyear Meeting will take place in New York City on October 13th, 2018, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. EDT. It will be preceded by a special visit to the Metropolitan Museum, where meeting participants will be treated to a private lecture and public tour of the new Armenia! exhibit, followed by a sumptuous reception at the Liederkranz Foundation. Additionally, three live webcast locations in Armenia have been secured in Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor.

For information about the program or to register to attend in person in New York City, visit armenianbar.org/event/armenian-bar-midyear-meeting-new-york-city.

Local event contact:

Souren A. Israelyan / (718) 751-5254 / si@israelyanlaw.com

Emma Arakelyan / (917) 539-7124 / emma.arakelyan@orionwi.com

Denise G. Darmanian / (212) 692-0872 / nyfed@aol.com

28 Feb 2018

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Armenian Bar Association’s Michael Amerian and Amy Ashvanian Appointed to the California Judicial Bench

The Armenian Bar Association is pleased to announce that two of its stalwart members-Michael Amerian and Amy Ashvanian– have been appointed as judges to the California Superior Court in Los Angeles. Their appointments were announced on February 27, 2018, in a press release issued from Governor Brown’s office, which included Michael’s and Amy’s biographies below:

Michael R. Amerian, 43, of Los Angeles, served as a deputy city attorney in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office since 2003. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Dickran M. Tevrizian, Jr. at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, from 1999 to 2000. Amerian earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge R. Carlton Seaver.

Armenui A. Ashvanian, 46, of Glendale, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Ashvanian has served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2005 and has been an adjunct assistant professor at the Glendale University College of Law since 2014. She was an associate at Yeghiayan and Associates from 2004 to 2005. Ashvanian earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Glendale University College of Law and an Associate of Science degree from Glendale Community College. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George Genesta.

In 2017, the Armenian Bar Association assembled a team of accomplished and highly-reputed trial attorneys from across California to serve as members of the organization’s Judicial Evaluation Committee (JEC). Newly-appointed Amy Ashvanian was the first applicant to matriculate through the Armenian Bar’s JEC. The committee’s mission is to evaluate applicants and potential appointees to the California judicial bench and to make recommendations to the Governor and the Appointments Secretary for those candidates who are deemed to be well-qualified. The organizing body recognized that to have an effective voice in the judicial appointment process, it would be necessary that the recommendations be made by those with proven talent and relevant experience as trial attorneys.

You can learn more about the JEC here.

27 Jan 2018

Interested in a Judicial Clerkship?

Join Us along with our co-sponsor UCLA ALSA for a Judicial Clerkship Symposium

Meet Judges from the Federal Bench
Meet Experienced Law Clerks
Get Tips and Pointers on Landing a Judicial Clerkship

Liz Al-Dajani, Moderator of the Judges’ Panel

Tigran Palyan, Moderator of the Clerks’ Panel

Alfred Movsesyan, Supervising Research Attorney

Judges Panel–

District Judge George H. Wu
District Judge Dolly Gee
Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar
Moderator Liz Al-Dajani, Partner – Kerkonian Dajani LLC, Former Clerk

Clerks Panel–

Erna Mamikonyan, Associate – Jones Day, Former Clerk
Vahe Mesropyan, Clerk
Alfred Movsesyan, Supervising Research Attorney
Moderator Tigran Palyan, Palyan Law, LLC

To RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/interested-in-a-judicial-clerkship-tickets-41402040618

05 Jan 2018

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Armenian Bar Partners with the City of Glendale to Combat Elder Abuse

In late 2017, the administration of a prominent Los Angeles-area Armenian high school alerted the public that a group of youths, pretending to be students from the school, had entered apartment buildings and approached homes with the intent to target and swindle the elderly. These young impostors claimed to be Armenian school students and concocted a scheme of abject dishonesty in which they fabricated a sales pitch that they were collecting much-need funds for the betterment of their school library.

Understandably, many elderly Armenians responded to what they believed to be genuine calls for financial assistance and handed over their money for what they thought was a good cause. To help bring these deceitful acts to an end, the Armenian Bar Association moved swiftly and contacted Onnig Bulanikian, Director of the City of Glendale’s Community Services and Parks Department. The Armenian Bar proposed partnering with the Department’s Senior Services Division to present to the senior-citizen community a series of “Know Your Rights” lectures so that they may be made aware of and in a better position to protect themselves from such and other deplorable attempts of abuse.

“The elderly members in our community are an especially vulnerable segment of the population who, unfortunately, sometimes find themselves to be the victims of abuse and financial scams designed to take advantage of them,” said Saro Kerkonian, Chairman of the Board of the Armenian Bar Association. “Working with Glendale city officials, we identified the areas of greatest need and developed a program to educate the elderly and their caretakers to heighten awareness of the issues and take steps which will protect them from falling prey to the unscrupulous who seek to take advantage of our senior citizens,” added Lucy Varpetian, Armenian Bar Association Member and Senior Assistant City Attorney for the City of Glendale.

To accomplish the goals of the partnership, two primary objectives were set into place: First, the City of Glendale’s Community Services and Parks Department translated into Armenian a detailed informational brochure, which explains the various forms of abuse that the elderly can be subjugated to, provides tested methods which the elderly can implement to avoid becoming victims of abuse, and also provides references to social service agencies which can assist once an act or acts of abuse take place. The brochure will be disseminated throughout the City of Glendale, at locations such as the public social service centers, libraries, City Hall, and other similar public-gathering venues.

The second manner in which the elderly will be served through this program is by way of public forums where noted experts in the field will speak about the subject of elder abuse and financial scams directed at the elderly. The first two presentations will be taking place on January 17, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. at the Adult Recreation Center located at 201 E. Colorado St., Glendale, CA 91205 (presented in Armenian). The second lecture which will be presented in English will be held on February 8, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. at the Sparr Heights Community Center located at 1613 Glencoe Way, Glendale, CA 91208.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney and active Armenian Bar member, Amy Ashvanian, who has successfully prosecuted numerous defendants accused of elder abuse, will impart her years of prosecutorial expertise to attendees at these first two events. Admission to the events are free of charge. For more information, please call (818) 548-3775. A copy of the brochure in Armenian may be found here: https://armenianbar.org/resources/

05 Dec 2017

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Armenian Bar Starts Thanksgiving Week Early with Spectacular Judges’ Night Gala

On November 16, 2017, members and friends of the Armenian Bar Association gathered at the landmark Glen Arden Club in Glendale, California to celebrate and honor the best of California’s judiciary during the Annual Judges’ Night Dinner. Nearly 50 judges of the state and federal court systems turned out to rejoice as three prominent jurists of the Los Angeles Superior Court were honored—Judges Victor Chavez, Holly Fujie and Huey Cotton.

The Annual Judges’ Night has fast become the Association’s signature celebration, drawing hundreds of attendees from all walks of the legal profession in the most convivial and interactive of atmospheres. The Association honors those jurists who have distinguished themselves beyond the laudable lines of high intellect, efficiency and consistency. The Armenian Bar singles out for distinction those who have opened broadly the public’s access to justice, advanced the precepts of the rule of law, incorporated compassion into the fabric of their characters, and guided others in profession and in life.

“We are fortunate to have so many distinguished members of the California judiciary join us this evening. We thank them for their devoted public service,” said Mistress of Ceremonies, Vanna Kitsinian, member of the Executive Board of Governors of the Armenian Bar Association.

The evening began with a high-octane reception where guests networked and socialized before advancing into the grand ballroom for dinner and presentation of the awards. There, solo artist Toukhman Khachatourian began the program with a stirring rendition of the national anthems of the United States of America and Armenia. Next, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, delivered an inspiring invocation and asked for the Lord’s blessings to confer on the judges the strength and wisdom to carry on their good work. The Archbishop’s invocation was followed by a dinner of delicious Armenian cuisine.

Chairman of the Board, Saro Kerkonian, assumed the podium amidst great fanfare and thanked the honorary guests and their fellow judges for their outstanding contributions in furtherance of the independence of the judicial branch of government. Mr. Kerkonian paid eloquent homage to the judges’ professional examples of instilling in the public the trust that California’s courts are bastions where the rule of law reigns supreme. With flags of country, state and organization adorning the stage in the background, he offered reflections into the work of the Association as it relates to the United States, Armenia, the Artsakh Republic and the State of California.

Board member and Association Treasurer Gerard Kassabian introduced the first honoree, Judge Victor Chavez. Mr. Kassabian greeted the guests with a “hello and welcome” in ten different languages and spoke of the 30-year career of Judge Chavez on the bench. In a moving tribute, Mr. Kassabian endearingly Armenianized Judge Chavez’s name by adding an “ian” to the end and presented him with a beautiful photograph of the honoree, daughter California Appellate Justice Victoria Chavez and Governor George Deukmejian, on the occasion of Judge Chavez’s swearing-in to the bench by his daughter. Judge Chavez fondly recalled as a child how his mother read to him the famed book by Franz Werfel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, recalling the heroic self-defense of the Armenians during the Armenian Genocide. He explained how the book left a lasting impression on his life.

The next honoree was former California State Bar President, Judge Holly Fujie. Judge Fujie was introduced by Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Amy Ashvanian. Ms. Ashvanian shared with the audience the tremendous career Judge Fujie has had and the countless bar activities she has initiated and led. Judge Fujie congratulated the Armenian Bar Association on its work in the field of mentorship and judicial evaluations. She urged collaboration between the Armenian Bar and the California State Bar with respect to their respective mentorship programs.

The third honoree of the evening was Supervising Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Northwest District, Judge Huey Cotton. He was introduced by noted criminal defense attorney and member of the Armenian Bar’s Judicial Evaluations Committee, Alexandra Kazarian. Ms. Kazarian praised the evening’s final honoree for his leadership on the bench, his activism and his compassion for litigants and young and learning lawyers. Judge Cotton passionately told inspiring stories of Armenians in his life and courtroom.

Judges Chavez, Fujie and Cotton were each presented with a beautiful work of classical art prepared by renowned artist Seroon Yeretsian, each with an original inscription of praise and honor. The program concluded with a moving benediction by Reverend Father Vazken Movsesian of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

Following the official program, many stayed on and maintained the high-energy levels that lasted throughout the night. Valerie Dean, co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, called the evening “One of the best, diverse, Judges’ Nights I have ever been to.”

“We are thrilled we could once again showcase the great talent, intellect and diversity that is the strength of the California Judicial System at our annual Judges’ Night,” said the the Association’s Judicial Evaluations Committee Co-Chair Lucy Varpetian. “We look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come,” said Garo Ghazarian, organizing committee chair and former two-term chairman of the Armenian Bar Association.

Judges’ Night 2017