The Touchpoints Tour
New AGBU President Sam Simonian pays a visit to South America
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July 07, 2011
Young Professionals of Los Angeles Partner with Armenian Bar Association to Help Students Considering a Law Career
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Event organizer Theodore Khachaturian introducing the panelists at the May 19 panel at the AGBU Pasadena Center. -
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A view of the audience of young professionals and students listening to the law panel discussion, which was jointly organized by AGBU YPLA and the Armenian Bar Association.
By Aleen L. Khanjian
On May 19, 2011, more than 75 young professionals, including some college and high school students, gathered at the AGBU Pasadena Center's Boyajian Hall for a panel discussion featuring distinguished members of the Armenian Bar Association (ABA). The panelists discussed how they entered their practice areas, their personal experiences in private and government practice, and ethical aspects of the legal profession. They were also there to offer professional guidance and advice on succeeding in the industry.
The panel was moderated by Assistant US Attorney John Lulejian, who is a federal prosecutor of violent and organized crime and a member of ABA's board of governors. He introduced the panelists and brought each of their areas of expertise and past experiences to light. Panelists included ABA chairman, Edvin Minassian, and renowned criminal defense attorney Garo Ghazarian, who is the vice-chair of ABA and the dean of the People's College of Law. The treasurer and secretary of ABA -- Sara Bedirian and Hovanes Margarian, respectively -- also spoke, as did Deputy Public Defender Victoria Ourfalian and Assistant US Attorney Tamar Kouyoumdjian.
Event organizer Theodore Khachaturian of Callanan, Rogers & Dzida, LLP emphasized that this event was one of many partnerships that YPLA has taken advantage of in furthering the mission of the group. "We are proud to partner with the Armenian Bar in accomplishing the AGBU Young Professionals' goal of familiarizing yet another generation of young Armenians with the achievements of professionals in our community. I was pleased to see so many young adults come out who were eager to hear about the different career paths available in law," he said. "Our distinguished panel emphasized that regardless of the path you choose, success is only achieved through honesty, integrity, and a sense of social justice."
Edvin Minassian praised the YPLA team. "It was our pleasure to partner with YPLA. They are a great group of energetic and vibrant professionals in our community. We were very impressed with the caliber of the attendees and the enthusiasm they showed for a potential career in law. Just as the diversity of the specialties of our panelists was important to make this an effective program, the active engagement of the audience was equally important. We look forward to future programs with AGBU YPLA," he said.
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