The following are IABA's principal committees through which much of our activities are undertaken at the national level. The Committees are comprised of at least one member of the Board of Directors and IABA members. We encourage all IABA members to volunteer as committee members. If you are interested in joining one of our committees, please contact the Director member of that committee


Member Services Committee

IABA Member Services Committee oversees the Mentoring Program, administers the IABA Lecture Series, and facilitates attorney referrals.

IABA's Member Services Committee oversees the Mentoring Program. The overall program policies of the Mentoring Program are to assist law students with the law school experience and with becoming familiar with the practice of law. The Mentoring Program is further designed to assist law school graduates and junior members of the bar with their transition to legal practice. IABA student members and junior attorneys may apply for a mentor by filling out a mentor application form. Attorneys interested in becoming a mentor are encouraged to indicate so on their profile or to contact the Member Services Director by clicking here.

The Member Services Committee in collaboration with each Chapter administers the Lecture Series. The lectures presented through the Lecture Series are primarily intended to strengthen the Mentoring Program by providing students and newly admitted members of the bar with the opportunity to learn about the different practices and areas of the law. The Member Services Committee hopes to provide CLE courses and conferences in the near future.

Committee Chair: Niki Moore.


Public Relations Committee

The Public Relations Committee promotes IABA's resources and provides the legal and broader community with information about the organization and its activities. More specifically, the Committee manages IABA's contact with and outreach to the media, and establishes relationships and affiliations with other organizations, including legal, Iranian American and community organizations. The Public Relations Committee additionally creates promotional and advertising materials about IABA.

Committee Chairs: Farschad Farzan & Katayoun Goshtasbi.


Scholarship Committee

IABA issues one or more scholarships each year to law students in good standing enrolled in accredited law schools, and solicits and evaluates scholarship applications.

Scholarship Coordinator: Panteha Abdollahi.


Government Outreach Committee

Although IABA is a non-political 501(c)(3) organization, the Government Outreach Committee reaches out to local, state, and national judicial officers and government representatives in an effort to inform them about the various interests of the Iranian American community.

Committee Chairs: Salman Elmi, Anthony B. Ravani, & Hermine Valizadeh.


Fundraising Committee

The Fundraising Committee strives to reach out to similarly-minded organizations and individuals who are interested in funding our various projects including, among other things, a scholarship endowment for Iranian American law students, information sessions regarding important matters affecting the Iranian American community, and pro bono legal services for those in need.

Committee Chairs: Niki Moore & Panteha Abdollahi.


Public Interest Committee

IABA encourages attorney members to undertake pro bono legal services as part of our wider community responsibility as practitioners and as confirmation that the performance of pro bono work has been and continues to be part of our responsibilities as lawyers. Pro Bono work is legal work done "for the public good."

IABA attorney members who undertake pro bono work do so either without charge or at reduced cost for members of the public who are ineligible for Legal Aid or have limited means to retain legal representation. Pro bono work is also undertaken by attorneys for charitable and other non-profit organizations.

IABA Pro Bono Program is overseen by the Public Interest Committee. This committee coordinates referrals of clients (approved within guidelines) to law firms and IABA attorney members that are willing to provide legal assistance on a pro bono basis. The committee uses means, needs and merit tests to ensure that the most deserving people and cases receive pro bono assistance. The criteria and guidelines for pro bono referrals to law firms follow a three step process:

The client must have been refused, or must be ineligible for, legal aid;

The client must satisfy the means and merit criteria; and

The matter must comply with the Pro Bono Program's guidelines.

Currently, the Public Interest Committee will consider cases in the following areas:

  • Civil Rights/Discrimination;
  • Immigration Law (with priority afforded to asylum matters);
  • Matrimonial/Family Law;
  • Criminal Law; and
  • Adoption Law.
The following areas are generally excluded from the Pro Bono Program:

  • Administrative Law
  • Business/Corporate Law
  • Child care and protection
  • Criminal Law
  • Debt and credit matters
  • Employment/Industrial Law
  • Local government and planning
  • Personal Injury and Professional Negligence on normal or conditional fee basis
  • Tenancy matters
  • Traffic matters/motor vehicle accidents
  • Wills and Estates
  • Workers Compensation

Means and Merit Test

Pro bono assistance will normally only be granted to applicants who would otherwise be unable to meet the financial costs of adequate legal representation. The merit test relates to the reasonable prospects of a successful outcome in favor of the applicant. Individuals seeking pro bono assistance should complete an online Application for Pro Bono Referral. The IABA Public Interest Committee reviews the submitted application for eligibility.

If the application complies with the guidelines, the Committee will contact appropriate law firms and practitioners listed on the IABA pro bono register. When a successful referral is made, the client and the law firm or lawyer may proceed to enter into an attorney/client relationship. In order to help individuals unable to pay disbursements (out-of-pocket expenses), the Pro Bono Program allows certain disbursements to be claimed by registered pro bono law firms or lawyers in accordance with guidelines. The Pro Bono Program may assist eligible applicants with pro bono legal assistance.

Committee Chair: Amir Ghavi.


Publications Committee

IABA's Publications Committee is tasked with soliciting, editing, approving and disseminating articles, reviews and other written material. In particular, IABA considers itself as an organization that is suitably positioned to identify, research and analyze legal issues of import to the Iranian American community and to convey to our constituents information relevant to protecting the rights of Iranian Americans under the law. As an educational organization, IABA endeavors to remain vigilant of significant legal developments and to bring them to the attention of our colleagues and members, including the means and recourses to remedy prohibited governmental conduct, such as discrimination. An example of this is the report commissioned by IABA on the Special Registration or NSEERS (National Security Entry/Exit Registration System) program that documented the targeting of Iranian Americans, as well as other minorities, by the Department of Homeland Security (click here to view the report).

In addition to researching and writing of reports on specific legal developments or practices that impact on civil rights, the Publications Committee often solicits articles from third parties that provide practical information on subjects of more general application, such as starting a business, compliance with OFAC rules, developing a tax efficient strategy, and protecting intellectual property rights. We hope to feature more of these useful articles in the future.

Finally, the Publications Committee is responsible for publishing the periodic IABA Review and Newsletter. Click to view current and former editions of the Review and Newsletter.

Please contact us if you are researching or writing an article that may be of interest to IABA or is consistent with its mission, or you would like IABA's assistance with publication of such an article, or if you wish to collaborate with other members to combine resources for purposes of legal research and writing.