PRESIDENT

Osman Abbasi is a public interest attorney with nearly 15 years of experience in criminal prosecution, civil litigation, and police oversight. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, he currently serves as a Deputy Attorney General in the Police Practices Section of the California Department of Justice.
Osman is also Chair of LACBA's Criminal Justice Section and serves on the Executive Board of the Muslim Bar Association of Southern California and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office’s Asian Advisory Board.
In his spare time, Osman enjoys playing the guitar and gardening.

CO-PRESIDENT ELECT

Priya Gulati is a legal recruiter with over a decade of experience, driven by a genuine love for helping attorneys find fulfillment in their careers and lives. A longtime member and past board member of SABA-SC, she’s especially passionate about mentoring South Asian law students—demystifying practice areas and helping them chart practical, purpose-driven paths from law school forward.
Priya earned her J.D. in 2011 and previously practiced law representing homeowners associations in South Orange County.
Outside of work, she’s a proud mom of two—committed to family hikes (despite her kids’ protests), obsessed with building elaborate snack plates, and dedicated to weaving in Indian heritage through classical dance and daily mantras.

CO-PRESIDENT ELECT
JUDICIAL EVALUATIONS

Shiraz Khalid is a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to his role as a senior prosecutor, Shiraz serves as an adjunct professor of law and as a temporary judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
He began his legal career as a civil litigator before joining the District Attorney’s Office.

TREASURER

Talha Khan-Valbuena serves Los Angeles County as a Deputy District Attorney and as a Commissioner on the LGBTQ+ Commission. He considers advancing justice for individuals with mental illness and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights his life’s calling.
Originally from Karachi, Talha is fluent in Urdu and Hindi and proudly embraces his South Asian heritage. He enjoys showcasing his culinary flair—especially through his signature chicken tikkas and biryani.
Talha’s love for long distance running has earned him qualifying times for the Boston and New York City Marathons. Driven by purpose, he has participated in charity races supporting trans advocacy and pediatric cancer care. In his downtime, he enjoys jogging the LA River trail with his loyal furry companions, Blue and Hunza.

SECRETARY

Avni P. Mehta is a Senior Managing Associate at Sidley Austin LLP’s office in Century City, where she focuses her practice on global corporate and private equity transaction matters, representing privately held corporate entities and funds in domestic and cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, other business combinations, equity investments, corporate restructurings, and general corporate matters. 
She earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.S. in Foreign Service with a focus on International Politics – Security Studies and Asian Studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Avni enjoys singing, cooking and traveling in her free time.

EVENTS

Hassan Shaikh is an associate at Mintz in Los Angeles. He is a trusted advisor to health plans, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and rebate aggregators, health care providers, and private equity firms navigating the complexities of today’s health care landscape.
Before joining Mintz, Hassan practiced at a top-tier international law firm in New York City and later at a boutique M&A firm in Los Angeles. 
He earned his J.D. from Duke Law School, where he was an editor of the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy. Hassan also holds a B.S.Ed and MPH from Baylor University, with a concentration in health education.
Hassan recently moved to SoCal from Sugarland, TX, and he likes to play tennis, swim, and hang out with his wife and kids.

EVENTS

Devika Tandon is an Attorney Advisor at the Bureau of Prisons, based at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. She provides legal counsel on matters impacting federal corrections and public safety.
Prior to her current role, she served as a staff attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, advocating for unaccompanied minors in deportation proceedings. Devika’s earlier career spanned the corporate tech space, including roles in drone technology, e-commerce, and fintech, before she transitioned fully into public service.
She is the founder of Motherland Designs, a storytelling and art brand rooted in cultural identity, healing, and South Asian heritage.

PUBLICITY & MEMBERSHIP

Nitya Bhardwaj is a litigation associate whose practice focuses on complex commercial disputes, government investigations, and white collar defense. She has represented clients in matters before the SEC, DOJ, and other regulatory agencies. She also handles litigation and arbitration involving business torts, fiduciary duties, intellectual property, and employment disputes.
Nitya previously served two terms on SABA-SC’s Board of Directors as the Law Student Director (2019–2021) and was President of Loyola Law School’s South Asian Law Student Association.
During law school, she was also a member of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot team and served as Research Editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review.

PUBLICITY & MEMBERSHIP

Marize Alphonso is in-house counsel for Apple Inc.’s original content team, and previously worked at boutique entertainment law firms providing legal services for talent and many TV shows and movies.
She graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in Rhetoric and English, and from UCLA School of Law with a specialization in Entertainment, Media and Intellectual Property.
Marize was a past-president of SABA-SC. She’s currently on the boards/organizing committees for Goans of America (SoCal), Professional Entertainment Female Attorneys, Cal Alumni Association (SGV), and the APA Holiday Toy Drive.
For fun, Marize sings with the LA Lawyers Philharmonic’s Legal Voices, fosters kittens, and is in way too many book clubs.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Shilpa Anand is a partner at Castelblanco Law Group, in Studio City, CA, where she champions tenants’ rights, through litigation focused on slum-housing and habitability cases.
She received her J.D at Southwestern Law School, and completed her undergraduate education at the University of California San Diego, double-majoring in Psychology and International Studies.
During her free time, Shilpa loves hiking, cooking, going for walks, and traveling.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Prashanthi Manoharan is an Associate Attorney at Tucker Ellis LLP, where she assists clients across a broad range of practice areas, with a particular focus on business litigation, labor and employment, and mass tort and product liability matters.
She earned her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). During law school, Prashanthi served as Vice President of Communications for the South Asian Law Students Association and was a student member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group.
In her free time, she enjoys Bharatanatyam dancing, watching Netflix documentaries, playing volleyball, and exploring new culinary spots around Los Angeles.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Shalini Manaktala has served as a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for over 22 years.
She is a current member and previously served as the Community Outreach Liaison for Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles, where she was dedicated to serving and empowering the South Asian community. Her passion lies in promoting civic engagement among youth through her long-standing involvement with Project LEAD and the Teach Democracy program.
She is also a member of WLALA and Women’s United OC and holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from USC and a J.D. from Whittier College School of Law.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Anujan Jeevaprakash is a complex litigation and employment attorney based in Santa Monica, representing private businesses, individuals, and public agencies nationwide in complex commercial disputes, regulatory compliance, and employment matters. In addition to his litigation practice, Anujan actively advises on local and statewide affordable housing initiatives and serves on Santa Monica’s Commission on Affordable Housing and Homelessness. He is passionate about supporting South Asian legal professionals and advancing diversity within the legal community.

JUDICIAL EVALUATIONS

LAW STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

Sanaya Shah is a rising second-year law student at LMU Loyola Law School. She will serve as the incoming Director of Events/SABA Liaison for the South Asian Law Student Association and as a General Board Member of the Women’s Law Association. Before law school, Sanaya worked as a Client Services Associate at an estate planning firm in Newport Beach.
She is a proud alumna of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Professional Writing for Civic Engagement. While at UCSB, she served as President of UCSB Dhadkan, a nonprofit organization that hosted Santa Barbara’s largest charity Bollywood and Bhangra dance competition.
In her free time, Sanaya enjoys exploring new coffee shops, running, and spending time with friends and family.