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ARMENIAN BAR ASSOCIATION'S 20TH ANNUAL MEETING WITH GOVERNOR GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN
AZG Armenian Daily
23/06/2009
Diaspora
Several hundred legal heavyweights and dignitaries, along friends
and family, celebrated the Armenian Bar Association's (ArmenBar)
20th Anniversary at a gala on May 9, 2009 at the Glendale, Hilton. The
banquet culminated a spectacular weekend complete with legal seminars,
a pro bono community workshop, a star studded luncheon, and receptions.
"This was a fabulous meeting," said Armen Hovannisian, past Chairman
of ArmenBar, and the meeting organizer. "After 20 years, we reaffirmed
our wide relevance, special community role, and dynamic vibrancy. Our
report card shows that we continue to make a positive difference for
Armenian communities throughout the world," said Hovannisian.
Governor George Deukmejian, one of an elite group of ArmenBar Honorary
Members, was the keynote speaker at the gala dinner banquet . He wowed
the crowd with the delivery of a true statesman and also with his
comical anecdotes from the annuls of Nasreddin Hodja. Four hundred
enthusiastic supporters were on-hand to witness the recognition and
awarding of distinguished ArmenBar members.
Raffi K. Hovannisian received the highly coveted Hrant Dink Freedom
Award for his principled stand on Genocide recognition throughout the
world. He is the founder of ArmenBar, the First Foreign Minister of
the Republic of Armenia, and the first Armenian from the Diaspora to
become a member of the Armenian Parliament.
Professor Ann Lousin, the only three term Chair of ArmenBar, and
a professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago received a
Lifetime Achievement Award for her extensive service and mentoring
to lawyers and law students. Vicken Simonian, the longest-serving
Board member of ArmenBar, received a Public Service Award for years
of pro bono service to the Armenian community and for his sustained
volunteerism in the Los Angeles County court system as a judge pro tem,
mediator, arbitrator and settlement officer.
California Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin was the main luncheon
speaker, and was introduced by fellow California Supreme Court Justice
Marvin Baxter, a founding and Honorary Member of the Armenian Bar
Association. After drawing parallels between his own family's immigrant
past and the experiences of the Armenian community, Chin praised the
outreach efforts of ArmenBar and encouraged the group to promote and
help preserve impartiality in the judiciary.
A panel on human and civil rights in Armenia, and the role of the
courts in protecting such rights , was an important part of the
legal seminars. Renowned Armenian civil rights attorney and Member
of Parliament Zaruhi Postanjyan was the guest speaker. She was joined
by Raffi K. Hovannisian on the panel.
Nicholas Koumjian, a prosecutor in several international criminal
tribunals and currently working at the Hague, was a special guest
speaker in a panel focusing on the prosecution of war crimes and
crimes against humanity. Koumjian is the chief prosecutor in the highly
publicized, current trial of Charles Taylor, the former President of
Liberia. The trial is taking place in The Hague, and Taylor is the
first former African head of state to appear before an international
tribunal for crimes against humanity.
Phillip Lynch, an Assistant U.S. Attorney who was appointed by the
U.S. Department of Justice to be the Rule of Law Coordinator in
Baghdad, Iraq in 2007, joined Koumjian on the panel. Lynch has had
the unique experience of helping to establish Iraq's legal system
following the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, and shared some of
those experiences. He discussed his first-hand involvement relating
to the trial of Saddam Hussein, which resulted in a death sentence
and execution. The panel was moderated by John Lulejian, an Assistant
United States Attorney who prosecutes violent and organized crime,
and is a Board Member of ArmenBar.
Garo Ghazarian, Dean of the People's College of Law, lead a panel
discussion on "Crime and Justice in the Armenian Community." The panel
included Steven Lubell a Commissioner in the City of Burbank, Thomas
Lorenz and Tigran Topadzhikyan, both Seargents with the Glendale Police
Department and Fred Mesropi, a Deputy District Attorney with the County
of Los Angeles. The topics included the perception of Armenians within
the local communities, helping the community with rulings from the
bench and certain types of crimes including those related to traffic,
alcohol, identity theft and health and welfare fraud.
During the celebratory weekend, ArmenBar held a pro bono workshop
for the community at the St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church
in Glendale. The workshop featured a number of outstanding local
attorneys giving practical, and where possible, one-on-one, advice
to community members on issues of interest such as immigration,
domestic violence, landlord/tenant disputes and criminal matters. The
panelists included Alice Yardum Hunter, Lucy Avedissian, Hagop
Tashjian, Betty Jamgotchian, Victor Hairapetian, Raymond Hovsepian,
Raymond Zakari, Vicken Simonian, Varoujan Agemian, Sarkis Babachanian,
Theresa Gibbons, Azniv Ksachikian, Nigol Manoukian, Garo Ghazarian
and Dorine Martirossian.
The meeting was presided over by Armenbar Chair Sonya Nersessian from
Boston, Massachusetts.
All of the Officers of the organization were installed to a second
term, including Nersessian as Chair, Edvin Minassian from Glendale
as Vice-Chair, Sara Bedirian from Beverly Hills as Treasurer and
Christine Engustian from Providence, Rhode Island as Secretary.
"The strength and vitality of the Armenian Bar Association during
this celebratory weekend is a springboard for the future growth and
continued success of this organization," said Nersessian.
The group will next meet in Toronto in early October for its mid-year
meeting. More information can be obtained by visiting the ArmenBar
website atwww.armenianbar.org.
AZG Armenian Daily
23/06/2009
Diaspora
Several hundred legal heavyweights and dignitaries, along friends
and family, celebrated the Armenian Bar Association's (ArmenBar)
20th Anniversary at a gala on May 9, 2009 at the Glendale, Hilton. The
banquet culminated a spectacular weekend complete with legal seminars,
a pro bono community workshop, a star studded luncheon, and receptions.
"This was a fabulous meeting," said Armen Hovannisian, past Chairman
of ArmenBar, and the meeting organizer. "After 20 years, we reaffirmed
our wide relevance, special community role, and dynamic vibrancy. Our
report card shows that we continue to make a positive difference for
Armenian communities throughout the world," said Hovannisian.
Governor George Deukmejian, one of an elite group of ArmenBar Honorary
Members, was the keynote speaker at the gala dinner banquet . He wowed
the crowd with the delivery of a true statesman and also with his
comical anecdotes from the annuls of Nasreddin Hodja. Four hundred
enthusiastic supporters were on-hand to witness the recognition and
awarding of distinguished ArmenBar members.
Raffi K. Hovannisian received the highly coveted Hrant Dink Freedom
Award for his principled stand on Genocide recognition throughout the
world. He is the founder of ArmenBar, the First Foreign Minister of
the Republic of Armenia, and the first Armenian from the Diaspora to
become a member of the Armenian Parliament.
Professor Ann Lousin, the only three term Chair of ArmenBar, and
a professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago received a
Lifetime Achievement Award for her extensive service and mentoring
to lawyers and law students. Vicken Simonian, the longest-serving
Board member of ArmenBar, received a Public Service Award for years
of pro bono service to the Armenian community and for his sustained
volunteerism in the Los Angeles County court system as a judge pro tem,
mediator, arbitrator and settlement officer.
California Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin was the main luncheon
speaker, and was introduced by fellow California Supreme Court Justice
Marvin Baxter, a founding and Honorary Member of the Armenian Bar
Association. After drawing parallels between his own family's immigrant
past and the experiences of the Armenian community, Chin praised the
outreach efforts of ArmenBar and encouraged the group to promote and
help preserve impartiality in the judiciary.
A panel on human and civil rights in Armenia, and the role of the
courts in protecting such rights , was an important part of the
legal seminars. Renowned Armenian civil rights attorney and Member
of Parliament Zaruhi Postanjyan was the guest speaker. She was joined
by Raffi K. Hovannisian on the panel.
Nicholas Koumjian, a prosecutor in several international criminal
tribunals and currently working at the Hague, was a special guest
speaker in a panel focusing on the prosecution of war crimes and
crimes against humanity. Koumjian is the chief prosecutor in the highly
publicized, current trial of Charles Taylor, the former President of
Liberia. The trial is taking place in The Hague, and Taylor is the
first former African head of state to appear before an international
tribunal for crimes against humanity.
Phillip Lynch, an Assistant U.S. Attorney who was appointed by the
U.S. Department of Justice to be the Rule of Law Coordinator in
Baghdad, Iraq in 2007, joined Koumjian on the panel. Lynch has had
the unique experience of helping to establish Iraq's legal system
following the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, and shared some of
those experiences. He discussed his first-hand involvement relating
to the trial of Saddam Hussein, which resulted in a death sentence
and execution. The panel was moderated by John Lulejian, an Assistant
United States Attorney who prosecutes violent and organized crime,
and is a Board Member of ArmenBar.
Garo Ghazarian, Dean of the People's College of Law, lead a panel
discussion on "Crime and Justice in the Armenian Community." The panel
included Steven Lubell a Commissioner in the City of Burbank, Thomas
Lorenz and Tigran Topadzhikyan, both Seargents with the Glendale Police
Department and Fred Mesropi, a Deputy District Attorney with the County
of Los Angeles. The topics included the perception of Armenians within
the local communities, helping the community with rulings from the
bench and certain types of crimes including those related to traffic,
alcohol, identity theft and health and welfare fraud.
During the celebratory weekend, ArmenBar held a pro bono workshop
for the community at the St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church
in Glendale. The workshop featured a number of outstanding local
attorneys giving practical, and where possible, one-on-one, advice
to community members on issues of interest such as immigration,
domestic violence, landlord/tenant disputes and criminal matters. The
panelists included Alice Yardum Hunter, Lucy Avedissian, Hagop
Tashjian, Betty Jamgotchian, Victor Hairapetian, Raymond Hovsepian,
Raymond Zakari, Vicken Simonian, Varoujan Agemian, Sarkis Babachanian,
Theresa Gibbons, Azniv Ksachikian, Nigol Manoukian, Garo Ghazarian
and Dorine Martirossian.
The meeting was presided over by Armenbar Chair Sonya Nersessian from
Boston, Massachusetts.
All of the Officers of the organization were installed to a second
term, including Nersessian as Chair, Edvin Minassian from Glendale
as Vice-Chair, Sara Bedirian from Beverly Hills as Treasurer and
Christine Engustian from Providence, Rhode Island as Secretary.
"The strength and vitality of the Armenian Bar Association during
this celebratory weekend is a springboard for the future growth and
continued success of this organization," said Nersessian.
The group will next meet in Toronto in early October for its mid-year
meeting. More information can be obtained by visiting the ArmenBar
website atwww.armenianbar.org.