A group of Goulston & Storrs attorneys – Mitali Biswas, Vaishali Goyal, Muryum Khalid, Kiman Kaur, and Rajinder Saini – had the wonderful opportunity of attending the first sold-out South Asian Bar Association (“SABA”) North America Annual Conference in Boston!

With over 800 South Asian attorneys in attendance, this year’s conference hosted over 20 panels, seminars, and programs across a range of topics including, but not limited to: 

• Human rights in South Asia;
• Strategies for cross-cultural and cross-generational mentoring;
• Importance of trauma-informed lawyering; and
• Unpacking trends in domestic and international strategic transactions.

One of our personal favorites was the panel unpacking the 2022–2023 SCOTUS term and its key cases on LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, indigenous peoples' rights, student loans, free speech, and affirmative action. While these seminars provided excellent opportunities to learn from social justice activists and industry-leading attorneys in our South Asian community, they were only a tiny slice of the experience.

Beyond the formal conference programming, we had the opportunity to write letters to survivors of sexual violence and build sexual health kits in collaboration with Saheli. This incredible Boston organization supports South Asian women and girls, and raises awareness for the SABA Foundation, which promotes access to justice for South Asian communities in North America.

Above all, the conference focused on making connections within the South Asian community, creating a space for South Asian attorneys, like us, to come together and share personal stories of success, strength, and resiliency. The SABA conference allowed us to connect with our fellow South Asian attorneys, solidifying existing relationships while forging new ones. It was a beautiful showing of the power and importance of community and relationships.

We are grateful for having the opportunity to attend this year’s conference and look forward to seeing everyone in Toronto next year!