LOS ANGELES—Gracing the 30th anniversary of its establishment, the Armenian Bar Association will convene a fascinating annual conference and celebrate its red-letter day in dramatic fashion. The conference program and the ensuing evening ball will take place on June 28 – 29, in Downtown Los Angeles. Both events are expected to draw record numbers from the legal community and from the public at large. All functions are open to the public, with free admission for non-lawyers to the continuing legal education program, and tickets-for-purchase for the gala banquet.

Appearing at the top of the marquis will be Judge Dickran Tevrizian, Jr., whom the Armenian Bar will honor with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the gala banquet, which will be held at the stately and super-impressive California Club. In the words of Armenian Bar Chairman Gerard Kassabian, “Rare are the lives of men who have done so much for so many in the legal profession. What Judge T. has shown us over the years is just how right it is to be proud and expressive of our Armenian heritage on a broad, multi-cultural platform here in Los Angeles, and throughout the country. Please join us as we raise our glasses and fill our hearts in humble tribute to the historic career of one of our iconic founding members.”

Judge Tevrizian was the first Armenian American to be appointed to the federal bench, a position he held with an abundance of dignity and decorum for more than 30 years. A worthy recipient of numerous awards and recognized as a “shining star, great judge, kind human being, and 13 or 14 on a scale of 10,” Judge Tevrizian is widely respected for faithfully following the law and steering feuding parties towards informal resolution as opposed to contentious litigation. Since his retirement from the bench, Judge Tevrizian has become one of the prized neutrals at JAMS and was recently selected to the 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list in the alternative dispute resolution category.

The annual conference program, at the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, will open with a Saturday morning wake-up call about the plunder of historic Armenia’s native culture and civilization, and then will touch upon the legal challenges and opportunities in restoring dimensions of it. Moderated by Armenian Genocide Reparations Committee Chairman Armen K. Hovannisian, two renowned experts in the field will weigh in with their practical, hands-on experiences on the ground itself of the Armenian homeland and in U.S. and international tribunals.

The first discussant will be trail-blazing and thought-provoking Matthew Karanian, Esq., who will display a mesmerizing, virtual journey entitled, The Armenian Highland, From Riches to Ruins to Rehabilitation. The second panelist, Thaddeus Stauber of Nixon Peabody LLP, comes to the Armenian Bar as that type of rare treasure, who will talk candidly about the hitches and hurdles in efforts to reclaim vestiges of cultural heritage through the court and arbitral systems. His presentation is titled The Road to Recovery is A Winding Path. Mr. Stauber advises the world’s leading cultural institutions, foreign sovereigns, international art collectors, dealers, artists, universities, foundations, estates and individuals.

The afternoon panel discussion will be—in itself—a prodigious and historic event. In an unprecedented presentation in the Diaspora, the Human Rights Ombudsmen of the Republic of Armenia, Honorable Arman Tatoyan, and of the Republic of Artsakh, Honorable Artak Beglaryan, will take the stage side-by-side to share their views, respond to questions about the protection and restoration of human rights, and chart new lines of cooperation with the Diaspora.

Bringing this truly unique arrangement into perspective, Garo B. Ghazarian, Co-Chairman of the Armenian Rights Watch Committee and the panel’s moderator, commented that “the rights of women and men, of friend and foe, of Armenians and non-Armenians, settled long ago at the base of our organization’s code and credo. We carry an extensive legacy of reciprocal reinforcements with the homeland, and as the guardians of the personal and collective rights of our communities in the diaspora. And, now, we are thrilled to have the personifications themselves of the primacy of human rights, the right honorable Ombudsmen of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.”

To RSVP for the conference (required) and for tickets to the gala banquet, please send an email. For further program and weekend details, please visit the website.

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