🌼 SABA Recap
6 min read

🌼 SABA Recap

Desi-derata

This email goes out to 1,660 South Asian legal professionals.

SABA Recap

This was the best SABA conference I've attended. People were energized to connect with old and new friends. But I noticed something new. It seems like as a community we're exploring new paths and being more open about our lives then before.

This is also the first conference I've attended since cutting out alcohol. I noticed I wasn't alone on that, and that several friends I've known for a while had cut it out too. It felt good to be able to do morning yoga (great job Priya) and it made going out Saturday night a lot easier to bounce back from.

I moderated a panel on moving in and out of law. Some takeaways from the panel:

  • personal finance is essential to de-risking creative moves
  • if you're spending like your peers, you won't leave them
  • a network isn't a network until you use it
  • share where you're trying to go and ask for help
  • business judgement isn't some magical thing
  • most businesses are ordinary people who just started selling something
  • just go for it
  • analysis is a waste of time, applying for roles has zero downside

What were your impressions of the conference?

The Indie Guide to Building Your Legal Network

Part of the mission of Pani Cooler is to help South Asian lawyers create a powerful network of any legal professionals. I attribute any success I've had with my career to the relationships I've developed and grown. The principles developed over a decade and hundreds of meetings with lawyers are now the framework of The Indie Guide to Building Your Legal Network.

Here's what some Pani Cooler subscribers had to say about The Indie Guide:

​Amisha Patel, Senior Associate, Dechert LLP: "Your writing is clear and concise, and I like how you weave in personal anecdotes and stories from others. You also outline a very clear action plan. Even as someone not in the law school setting, I found this extremely valuable in thinking about ways to reinforce many of the lessons that needed reinforcing on how to present well in strengthening and nurturing my network."

​Neha Shah, Labor Relations, California State University: "I wanted to let you know that I've finally completed your networking guide and I thought it was fantastic. You provide great advice on not only creating relationships, but also on nurturing them. Your writing is clear and easy to follow and I appreciated the personal touch you added with examples of your own successes. This is a great guide for attorneys (and law students) at all levels of their career."

​Amit Kulkarni, Patent Counsel, Knobbe Martens: "The suggestions given in Khurram’s book completely changed my perspective about approaching strangers, especially established attorneys. Not only did I realize that I too had a lot to offer, but I also realized that I wasn’t on a temporary need-based journey. Rather, I was embarking on a long-term relationship-building approach. Like Khurram says, you already have the “human capital,” but it’s your “social capital” that’ll open doors and pay off in the long run."

Pick up your copy here.

The Jobs

The mission of Pani Cooler is to build direct connections between South Asian lawyers. A key part of that is getting South Asian lawyers hired and promoted. The below roles include direct contact information for your colleagues. Reach out to these lawyers in a manner consistent with the goals of building community on this platform.

In-House

Legal Adjacent

Government

  • ​Hiral Mehta: Hiral is Deputy Chief at U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney's Office is looking for an Assistant U. S. Attorney. Reach out to Hiral at [subscribers only]

Law Firm

  • ​Harsh Parikh: Harsh is a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP. Harsh's team is looking for a senior health care transactions associate. Reech out to Harsh at [subscribers only]
  • ​Nikhil Gore: Nikhil is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP. Nikhil's team is looking for a financial services regulatory associate, mid- or senior-level. Preference for D.C. but we also have offices in New York and the Bay Area that could work for this role. Reach out to Nikhil at [subscribers only]
  • ​Shanti Katona: Shanti is a member at Polsinelli and Vice Chair of Polsinelli’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice. Shanti is looking for attorneys with 2+ years of substantive Chapter 11 and bankruptcy litigation experience. This position can be based in our Wilmington, Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, Atlanta or Los Angeles office. Reach out to Shanti at [subscribers only]
  • ​Ajay Mago: Ajay is managing partner at Edwards Maxson Mago & Macaulay, LLP. Ajay's team is looking for mid-level and senior attorneys to join the firm’s Technology Transactions, Commercial Contracts, Corporate – Private Equity and M&A, Corporate – Venture Capital and Emerging Companies, and Banking and Finance practice groups. The positions can be remote anywhere in the U.S. or hybrid in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, and New York. Reach out to Ajay at [subscribers only]