Newsletters

Dear SABA-SD family,

What a whirlwind this summer has been. The heart of it, for our chapter, was the 2026 SABA North America Annual Conference — hosted right here in San Diego. Watching our national community fill our own city was something none of us will forget: days of packed programming, familiar faces, brand-new ones, and a real sense of how far this network reaches.

On a housekeeping note: our website has had a complete makeover. It is cleaner, easier to navigate, and finally does justice to the work this chapter does. Please head over to www.sabasandiego.org for the latest updates — and for photos from the 2026 SABA North America Annual Conference here in San Diego.

Please continue reading for information about an end-of-summer mixer, a reenactment we are proud to co-sponsor, a Know Your Rights program going national, and our Awards and Installation Ceremony to mark on your calendar now.

With gratitude,

Arwa Zakir Kakavand, President, SABA-SD

SABA-SD is proud to be part of the San Diego Unity Bar, and we hope you'll join us as SDUB marks two years of diverse lawyers working together. The evening honors excellence and unity, recognizes the San Diego Judicial Mentorship Program, and celebrates two founding members whose leadership made the Unity Bar possible — Ted Holmquist and Ramesses Surban. Justice Martin Jenkins (Ret.) will deliver the keynote remarks.

Our thanks to Sempra for generously hosting the event at their downtown location.

Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026
Registration & mingle: 5:00 PM · Program: 6:00 – 8:00 PM PDT
Location: 488 Eighth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Cost: $25 general · $10 law students

Scan to register

Before the fall calendar takes over, let's get together. Join your SABA-SD board and members for a relaxed end-of-summer happy hour — no panels, no programming, just good company, cold drinks, and the chance to meet people you have only seen on an email chain. New members, law students, and friends of SABA are all warmly welcome.

Date: Late August 2026
Location & Time: Details to be announced

Details are still being finalized — watch your inbox, our social media, and www.sabasandiego.org for the announcement.

SABA-SD is proud to co-sponsor PALSD's seventh courtroom reenactment, presenting the landmark United States Supreme Court case Oyama v. California — the challenge to California's Alien Land Law brought on behalf of Kajiro Oyama, a Japanese American farmer who purchased land in Chula Vista in the 1930s. It is our own community's history, litigated a few miles from where we practice today.

The one-hour program weaves together narration, witness testimony, and judicial opinions performed by judges and attorneys, accompanied by a presentation of historical photographs. A Q&A and reception follow, giving guests time to talk through the case together. Judge Dana Sabraw returns to the cast again this year, joined by Chief Judge Bashant, Judge Ohta, Assistant Presiding Judge Shelton, Judge Bae, and Judge Epley.

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026, 5:30–7:30 PM
Location: Jury room, United States District Court, San Diego
Hosted by: Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego, co-sponsored by SABA-SD
Background on the case: Case summary
Registration: Details to follow — watch your inbox and our social media

Please share this one widely with your colleagues and your firms — reenactments like this are how a legal community keeps its own history in the room.

Join us on Thursday, December 3, 2026 at the San Diego County Bar Association as we present the Friend of SABA, Justice in Action, and SABA-SD Scholarship awards, and install our 2027 Board of Directors. It is our biggest night of the year and the best possible way to close out this chapter's work — please mark your calendars now.

Firms, organizations, and individuals interested in supporting the evening can review our sponsorship levels and benefits here:

We are excited to share a Know Your Rights presentation built jointly by SABA-SD's Afghan Outreach Project, AfghanEvac, and the Afghan Empowerment Fund. As enforcement activity intensifies, the most useful thing we can put in a family's hands is clear, accurate information about what their rights actually are — and what to do in the moment they are tested.

The presentation walks through core rights during an encounter with immigration enforcement, illustrated with practical scenarios rather than abstractions, and is designed to be understandable whether or not you have ever spoken to a lawyer.

This program is national in scope — it is not limited to San Diego. If you know someone anywhere in the country who could benefit, please pass the registration link along to them.

Date: TBD — September 2026
Registration: Please stay tuned for more information and the registration link.

Women of Color in the Law invites our members to this year's Pass It On: Style and Support clothing exchange and networking lunch. The tradition traces back to 2002, when ALJ Vallera Johnson began the Women of Color in the Law luncheons so that law students and new lawyers would have a place to meet the legal community and talk honestly about what women in this profession experience. Judges, attorneys, firms, and all three local law schools have carried it forward since, and the clothing exchange has become its signature annual event.

Date: Sunday, September 13, 2026, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Private home in Poway (address provided with ticket)
Tickets: $10 for law students · $20 for non-students and attorneys

Sponsorship: A Community Ally sponsorship is available for $250 and includes two event tickets, recognition on social media and the Women of Color in the Law website, and acknowledgment at the event. Sponsorship questions may be directed to [email protected].

Please help spread the word by sharing the event with your organization, your networks, and your social media.

The Unfinished Mission — AfghanEvac’s report on where the effort to relocate and resettle our Afghan wartime allies stands today, and on how much of what was promised remains undone. It is the piece to read before your next conversation about this work, and the one to forward to colleagues who ask what is still at stake.
reports.afghanevac.org/unfinished-mission

Asylum Interview Action — AfghanEvac’s action page on asylum interviews, laying out what is happening right now and the concrete steps attorneys, advocates, and community members can take in response. If you have been looking for a way to help that fits into an afternoon, start here.
afghanevac.org/asylum-interview-action

Dr. Lakeya Cherry is an executive coach, leadership consultant, facilitator, and speaker who helps leaders navigate complexity, strengthen their influence, and lead with greater confidence and intention. She works with executives, attorneys, nonprofit leaders, and other professionals facing pivotal transitions, expanding responsibilities, and the demands of high-pressure leadership. Her services include executive coaching, leadership development, strategic facilitation, and keynote speaking. A former nonprofit CEO, Dr. Cherry brings a thoughtful, practical, and results-oriented approach to helping leaders make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and achieve sustainable success.

Learn more at www.lakeyacherry.com.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office has asked us to share the save-the-date for this year's Southern California Prosecutorial Career Fair. Attendees can meet District Attorney offices from across the region, learn about office cultures and current openings, get resume and interview guidance, and in some cases interview on the spot. Law students and attorneys considering a move into prosecution are encouraged to attend.

Date: Friday, September 4, 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: County of Orange Conference Center, 601 N. Ross St., Santa Ana, CA 92703
Pre-register: Career Fair Pre-Registration Form

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention remains one of the largest annual gatherings of attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students in the country, and it is close to home this year. Whether you are looking to advance your career, widen your network, or simply find some inspiration, it is worth the trip up the coast.

Date/Location: November 12–14, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA
Register: Convention page

Several offices reached out this month asking us to circulate openings to our members. Please apply, and please share these widely with anyone in your network who might be a fit.

The San Diego City Attorney's Office is actively recruiting an Assistant City Attorney to lead its Civil Litigation Division, and has invited SABA-SD members to apply and share the opening with their networks.

Salary: $250,000 – $295,000
Closing date: Friday, August 21, 2026, 11:59 PM
Apply: Full posting on GovernmentJobs.com
Questions: Ashley Stevens, MPA, Program Manager, Office of the City Attorney — [email protected] · (619) 533-5811

The Judicial Council of California is recruiting for an Attorney II position and asked us to circulate the announcement to our members.

Apply / full announcement: www.courts.ca.gov
Questions: Willie Yapching, Administrative Specialist, Human Resources — [email protected] · (415) 865-8944

The Orange County District Attorney's Office has asked us to share its current attorney openings alongside the career fair above.

Deputy District Attorney I–III
Deputy District Attorney IV