Dinner Reception Schedule (November 16th)
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Cocktail Reception & Networking Hour
Building the network of Iranian-American attorneys and professionals is one of the biggest goals of the IABA. By building our connections with each other, we could develop more resources for our practices and help build a foundation for our community.
7:30pm - 8:00pm
Conference Overview and Opening Remarks
Speakers:
Ramin Montazeri (Moderator) Bio
Mr. Montazeri is an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP as a Project Finance attorney, specializing in the power, oil and gas sectors, and has an active pro bono practice with a focus on immigration matters. Mr. Montazeri is the current Vice President of the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA) and previously served as the President of the National Muslim Law Student's Association. He graduated cum laude from University of California, Irvine, where he received a B.A. in Political Science and Business Economics. Thereafter he received a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School in 2013, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Mr. Montazeri also attended Sorbonne Law School in Paris, receiving a certificate in International Business Law and Governance. He also received the IABA scholarship for outstanding service to the Iranian American community.
Natalie Rastegari (Moderator)
Natalie Rastegari is a litigation associate at Salisian | Lee LLP. Ms. Rastegari’s practice is focused on representing Southern California-based businesses and individuals in a wide variety of business and real estate matters. Ms. Rastegari has gained significant experience inside and outside of the courtroom, handling all phases of litigation and settlement negotiations, including pre-trial and jury trial practice. Ms. Rastegari received her J.D. from USC’s Gould School of Law. While there, she externed for Justice Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. During the course of her legal studies, Ms. Rastegari also worked in her law school’s immigration clinic and for a prominent civil rights and employment litigation firm in downtown Los Angeles. She received her B.A. from UCLA, graduating cum laude.
Ms. Rastegari was the 2017 Los Angeles Chapter President for the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA), and currently serves on the IABA National Board as Treasurer and LA Chapter Representative.8:00pm - 8:30pm
Honoree Speakers and Awards
Outstanding Probono Award
Oliver Rocos
Oliver Rocos represents multi-national corporations, finance companies, and banks in securities and other complex commercial litigation matters, in addition to representing a range of corporate entities in sports, media, and entertainment related litigation. Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Mr. Rocos spent over three years working as a litigation associate in the New York offices of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Before joining Cravath, Mr. Rocos practiced law for three years as a commercial barrister from chambers in Lincoln’s Inn, London. He received a bachelor’s degree in history and another in law from Cardiff University in Wales, UK, and his master’s degree in law from Boston University.Partnership in Service Award
John Freedman
John Freedman's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, government investigations, white-collar criminal matters, and parallel proceedings involving simultaneous civil litigation and government investigations. Mr. Freedman's commercial litigation experience includes representing corporations, accounting firms and accountants, broker-dealers, investment advisers, corporate boards and committees, and individual corporate officers and directors in securities fraud litigation and investigations; representing clients in shareholder derivative and other fiduciary duty litigation; defending corporations in antitrust class actions and merger litigation; and other commercial litigation. Mr. Freedman also regularly represents clients in investigations and enforcement matters by the United States Department of Justice, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and other government agencies. He has also litigated real estate, contract disputes, intellectual property, false advertising, civil rights, employment, and other commercial matters in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations. Mr. Freedman has specific experience in disputes involving issues of corporate finance, valuation, statistics, and the application of generally accepted accounting principles.Iranian American Community Award
Bita Daryabari
Bita Daryabari is an Iranian-born philanthropist, entrepreneur and computer scientist. She has founded several community organizations that relate to the Iranian-American experience in different ways. She has contributed to educational institutions to promote research in Iranian studies, including Stanford, UC Davis and Berkley. In 2011, Bita founded a community organization in California called the Pars Equality Center that has been one of the organizations at the forefront of assisting Iranian immigrants living in the United States. Bita also contributed a $2 million for the Shahnama Project at Pembroke College in 2013. She has been a leader to move our community forward and the IABA is privileged to award her the Iranian American Community Award of the year.8:30pm - 9:00pm
Round Table Dinner
Engage with attorneys, professionals, and community leaders over our round table dinner and build new relationships that could last a lifetime.
9:00pm - 9:30pm
Keynote Address by Xavier Becerra
Xavier Becerra is the 33rd Attorney General of the State of California, and is the first Latino to hold the office in the history of the state.
9:30pm - 9:45pm
IABA Foundation Scholarship Award Announcement
On behalf of the IABA Foundation, Atoosa Vakili and Sara Izadpanah will announce the recipients of the 2018 IABA Outstanding Service Scholarship Award and discuss the future of IABA’s effort to contribute to Iranian-American law students.
9:45pm
Closing remarks and the Road Ahead
Speakers: