South Asian Bar Association of Arizona
The South Asian Bar Association of Arizona (SABA-AZ) works to advance the social, political, economic, and legal issues facing the South Asian community in Arizona. Like many affinity bar organizations, SABA-AZ had early beginnings as an informal outlet for South Asian lawyers to meet and build relationships. Since the early days of four-person happy hours in the mid-2000’s, SABA-AZ has grown tremendously – most recently hosting its second annual Diwali celebration in November 2024, garnering over 150 guests from the legal community.
Characterized by its early members as a grassroots movement, SABA-AZ’s early traction can be traced back to founding members cold-calling attorneys on the State Bar of Arizona directory who had South Asian-sounding last names, asking them if they would like to meet and join this growing network. Surely enough, this approach proved to be successful and got the attention of new members. Growing from four to ten members, ten to twenty, and so on – these were the early goals of SABA-AZ. In 2017, SABA-AZ formally incorporated, navigating the operational challenges of bringing this grassroots movement closer to its goal of growth and moving the organization forward.
In addition to the administrative challenges associated with formation, SABA-AZ also faced challenges unique to starting a small but growing organization. For many years, a handful of members rotated between leadership positions within the group; however, they quickly realized they would need to build a pipeline of new leaders to help continue the good work of SABA-AZ. Additionally, the organization faced, and continues to face, challenges of having a fairly small South Asian population in Arizona. Nevertheless, the group continues to focus on growth and networking and has enlisted its more junior members, including law students local to Arizona, to carry on this legacy. SABA-AZ’s annual Diwali celebration is just one of the many events put on by the group to encourage members to build relationships, educate others on South Asian culture, and serve the South Asian community.
From its phone-banking days, SABA-AZ has focused on steady growth and meaningful member engagement. SABA-AZ recognizes the unique challenges that face South Asian attorneys practicing in Arizona and works to bridge those gaps and uplift its members to become the successful individuals they are today. Looking to the future, SABA-AZ will continue to grow, partner with its sister affinity bars, and support South Asians in Arizona.
For more information, please visit their website at https://linktr.ee/saba_az.
Interview Clips
Sheena Ching discusses the early years of the South Asian Bar Association:
Sheena Chiang discusses challenges facing minority attorneys:
Sheena Chiang talks about how SABA-AZ grew its membership:
Sheena Chiang reminisces about the Diwali festival hosted by SABA-AZ:
[Link to Interview Clip Part 1]
[Link to Interview Clip Part 2]
Sheena Chiang discusses SABA-AZ's future plans and goals:
Watch the full interview here discussing with members of the SABA-AZ:
