NEW YORK, June 29, 2010– Karen Ostad, a business restructuring lawyer from New York, has been elected president of the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA) for a one-year term. Ostad, a partner with Morrison & Foerster, is the IABA's first woman president. She succeeds past president, Nema Milaninia of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
"Karen brings years of experience as a partner for one of the top law firms in the country and with key relationships to the legal world and the Iranian American community. Her appointment as president of IABA is a reflection of her impressive qualifications and dedication to IABA's mission, but also the growing success of this organization," said Milaninia.
A native of Tehran, Ostad received her undergraduate degree from New York University, and her law degree from New York Law School. Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, Ostad was a partner at another global law firm, Lovells LLP. Ostad is fluent in Farsi, French and German.
In anticipation of her new role, Ostad remarked, "I am very proud of the IABA's accomplishments in the past year, which include creating a scholarship fund for law students, working with the U.S. Census Bureau to ensure that Iranian Americans are counted, and providing mentoring, community service and pro bono opportunities to our members. This year I hope to expand our membership, enhance our continuing legal education and mentoring programs for young lawyers and continue to be a voice to advance human rights and equality."
With over 1500 members and chapters throughout the country, the IABA is one of the largest and most active minority bar associations in the United States. As the national voice of the Iranian American legal profession, the IABA is a non-religious, independent professional organization that promotes programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, provides continuing legal education, seeks to educate and inform the Iranian American community and the community at large about important legal issues, and strives to publicize and promote the achievements of Iranian American lawyers and other legal professionals.