SUMMER 1999 - VOLUME 10, NUMBER 2 THE REPORT OF THE CHAIR ARMENBAR'S TENTH ANNUALMEETING ARMENBAR INVITED TO ATTEND WORLD DIASPORAN CONFERENCE JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, LAW STUDENTS ATTEND SOCIAL MIXER IN LOS ANGELES MEMBERS IN THE NEWS AND ON THE MOVE THE REPORT OF THE CHAIR by VICKEN I. SIMONIAN, Esq. Chair of the Board of Governors Back to Top I am happy to report that our organization has been gaining substantial momentum as we head into the 21st Century.  Our 10th Annual meeting in Las Vegas turned out to be a resounding success.  The meeting was well attended and included an all-star group of panelists.  California State Senator Chuck Poochigian gave an inspiring keynote speech at the luncheon.  The meeting turned out to be a tribute to our decade of service to the Armenian communities throughout the world, and the Republic of Armenia. The organizing committe did a fantastic job, spending countless hours making sure every detail was covered.  The result was an event I believe was one of Armenbar's finest hours. The Board of Governors resolved to hold the 11th Annual meeting in Wash., D.C.  The organizing committee is headed by board member Ara Tramblian.  Many of you will remember the 1992 Annual Meeting in the nation's capital, which was one of our most memorable.  It featured guests from the Supreme Court of Armenia, including then Chief Justice Tariel Barseghian.  I can tell you that Ara and his committee already have plans to make the meeting a marquis event, including having a reception at the Armenian Embassy and having qualified members sworn before the U.S. Supreme Court. I encourage all of you to attend the annual and mid-year meetings.  The mid-year is shaping up to be quite a draw.  It will be held in  the trendy "Gaslamp District" of downtown San Diego, and feature California State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian, who will be the keynote luncheon speaker. I am a firm believer that the success our organization has enjoyed is attributable to Armenbar's leadership.  Therefore, it is with great humility that I  join the ranks of such great leaders as Raffi Hovannisian, David Balabanian, Armen Hovannisian, James Derian, Tom Samuelian, Professor Ann Lousin and Tamar Hajian.  I will do my best to continue the excellent tradition of leadership these individuals have set forth.  It will be a tough act to follow. Finally, I challenge all of you to increase your participation in Armenbar events and help boost our ranks by bringing friends and acquaintances into the organization.  There are many projects to choose from, and the reward of thanks from the community members we assist is priceless. CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR, JUDGES, LAWYERS ATTEND ARMENBAR'S 10th ANNUAL MEETING AT THE MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS Back to Top California State Senator Chuck Poochigian addressed a crowd of over 120 judges, lawyers, law students and community members who flocked to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the weekend of February 12-14, 1999 to attend the Armenian Bar Association's landmark 10th Annual Meeting.   "The 10th Annual Meeting represented one of our finest hour," said Chairman elect Vicken I. Simonian, of the packed house of participants which included lawyers from the Republic of Armenia, Canada, France and the United States.   The organizing committee of Executive Director Lousine Varpetian, Board members Steven Dadaian, Armen Hovanissian, Saro Kerkonian, Simonian and members Carla Matta-Kotoyantz, Nicholas Koumjian and Zaven Sinanian did an outstanding job in organizing an excellent program.   The MGM Grand convention facility opened in April, 1998, and is considered one of the best in the world.  Members and guests were seen enjoying themselves in the "Entertainment Capital of the World" into the wee hours of the morning.   The meeting kicked off on Friday night with a cocktail and appetizer reception in the vista room of the convention building.  Saturday morning, members were treated to a continental breakfast, then attended business meetings.  Included on the agenda was confirmation of Board of Governors nominees Lisa Barsoomian (Wash. D.C.), Denise Darmanian (New York, NY), Saro Kerkonian (Los Angeles, CA) and Ara Tramblian (Arlington, VA).  Those nominees were unanimously approved by themembers.   Next was the first panel discussion entitled "Investing in Armenia-The Legal Perspective."  The discussion was met with great interest. Dignitaries from the Republic of Armenia, including Viktoria Ter Nikoghosyan, Ph.D., Director of Investment and Export Policy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Vatche Kirakossian, also of the Ministry of Industry and Trade joined Investor/Community Leader Kosti Shirvanian and attorney members Van Krikorian and Thomas J. Samuelian in presenting views on how diasporan Armenians may invest in Armenia.   Ter Nikoghosyan utilized an informative power-point computer presentation in giving her speech.  The meeting room was filled to capacity.   The participants were thereafter treated to an elegant luncheon in the vista room, overlooking the MGM pool and theme park.  Simonian introduced the honored guests, then gave the podium to Professor Ann Lousin of the John Marshal Law School in Chicago, who presented outgoing Chair S. Tamar Hajian with a special gift, and thanks for her years of service to Armenbar.   Salpy Kerkonian, a flute virtuoso, delighted the luncheon audience with selected pieces from Armenian composers, including Komitas. Salpy was accompanied on the piano by her mother Sossy Kerkonian.  The performance earned a rousing ovation.   Armen Hovannisian next took the podium to first read a moving and inspirational letter to the association from its founder, Raffi Hovannisian.  Armen then gave an enthusiastic and warm introduction of the keynote speaker, Senator Poochigian.   Poochigian recently was elected as state senator from central California, and is a rising star in California politics.  He praised the good work of the association and stressed that building honest relationships in the business, political and social arenas is the key to success and problem solving in our community. Following the luncheon, three renowned jurists presented a discussion on "Effective Advocacy."  The panelists were California Supreme Court Justice Marvin Baxter, former Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian and U.S. District Court Judge (C.D. Cal.) Dickran Tevrizian.  The presentation by the distinguished group was informative and well received. Nicholas Koumjian, a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, moderated the final panel discussion of the day entitled "Crime and Punishment in the Armenian Community."  Panel members included accomplished defense attorney Mark Geragos, Chahe Keuroghelian, a community liason officer from the Glendale Police Department and John Hovannissian, a detective from the Los Angeles Police Department. The Saturday events were concluded with another cocktail and appetizer reception.  Members and guests then had their run of the town, including the many casinos, nightclubs, shows and restaurants.  On Sunday morning, the Board of Directors met to elect the new Board.  Vicken Simonian was elected Chairman, Steven Dadaian, Vice-Chairman, Saro Kerkonian, Treasurer, Lisa Esayian, Secretary and S. Tamar Hajian, Ex-Officio. Lusine Varpetian will remain as the Executive Director until the mid-year meeting.  The new board moved to hold the mid-year meeting in San Diego, California and the 11th Annual meeting in Washington, D.C. As part of the Sunday program, a special presentation was made by Professor Vahakn N. Dadrian, who discussed a number of issues raised in his recent publication "Warrant on Genocide".  Dadrian is a renowned genocide scholar and Director of the H.F. Guggenheim Foundation Genocide Project.  His works have been twice published in the Yale Journal of International Law.  He received a standing ovation following his speech, and was available afterward to sigh copies of his book and speak to members of the audience. Simonian encouraged members to continue the hard work that has defined the Armenian Bar Association, and to make every effort to attend the mid-year and Annual meetings. ARMENBAR INVITED TO ATTEND WORLD DIASPORAN CONFERENCE Back to Top The Republic of Armenia will hold a "World Diasporan Conference" in Yerevan in late September.  Armenbar has been invited to attend, and we will be represented by past presidents and PIRAG project directors Tom Samuelian and Tamar Hajian.  The purpose of the conference is promote relations and create a dialogue between Armenia and its ethnic counter parts throughout the world. Prior to the September conference, a series of planning meetings have taken place throughout the world, presided over by Armenian Foreign Minister Vahan Oskanian.  Armenbar representatives attended two of the planning meetings, one in Wash. D.C., and another in Los Angeles.  At both meetings, our organization presented the Foreign Minister with a slate of substantive issues which we believe should be addressed in Yerevan.  The issues include: 1. A tax treaty with the United States to promote  commerce and prevent double taxation to  potential investors; 2. Social Security reciprocity; 3. Dual Citizenship; 4. Having a nonvoting diasporan member  in the Armenian Parliment; 5. Creating a system for diasporan representation  in Armenian government. Foreign Minister Oskanian thanked the Armenian Bar Association for presenting such well thought out issues, and indicated that he supported implementation of all the issues presented. JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, LAW STUDENTS  ATTEND SOCIAL MIXER IN LOS ANGELES Back to Top Continuing its presentation of social mixers in the Los Angeles area, the Armenian Bar Association held a mid-week, after work get together at McCormick and Schmicks restaurant in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 1999. In attendance were former California Governor George Deukmejian, California Supreme Court Justice (retired) Armand Arabian, former Los Angeles District Attorney Robert Philibossian, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Sohigian and others. The mixer provided an excellent opportunity for members to mingle, network and relax from the stresses of the day. Those in attendance were addressed by Executive Director Lousine Varpetian, who provided opening remarks and introduced the special guests, Chairman Vicken Simonian, who gave a brief overview of current Armenbar activities, and Memebership Committee Chairman Mark Kelegian, who made a strong pitch to increase the ranks of the organization by enlisting the assistance of every member present. MEMBERS IN THE NEWS AND ON THE MOVE Back to Top Justice Armand Arabian -  Retired Justice of the California Supreme Court, Armand Arabian has been quite busy this year.  He was honored by the San Fernando Valley Bar Association on February 18 at its "Annual Judges' Night" event.  Arabian gave a generous contribution to assist in the creation of a resource and communication center in the San Fernando Valley courts.  Based on his lifetime of leadership and committment to the California court system, the Van Nuys and San Fernando Superior and Municipal courts have opened the "Armand Arabian Attorney Resource and Communication Center" available for use by practicing attorneys. In May, he participated in judicial workshops on criminal issues in Khabarovsk and Blagovesheschensk, in Russia's far east regions.  He was accompanied by Judge Manuel Real of the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.  Discussions included the criminal situation, detention, money laundering and economic crimes.  Upon his return, Arabian was the keynote speaker at the Glendale/Burbank/Pasadena Bar Associations' Judges' Night on May 26.  The event was co-sponsored by the Armenian Bar Association.  Arabian spoke about his trip to Russia and showed several slides. In June, he and his wife Nancy hosted a reception for California State Senator Chuck Poochigian, a rising star in California politics, and the keynote speaker at our 1999 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. United States District Court Judge Dickran Tevrizian -  Judge Dickran Tevrizian of the U.S. District Court was recently awarded the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor".  This national honor is awarded to distinguished American citizens who exemplify the ideal of living a life dedicated to the American way of life while preserving the values of a particular heritage group. On May 11, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recognized Judge Tevrizian for his receipt of the award, and for his years of public service.  A special commendation was given to Tevrizian by Don Knabe, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Garo Mardirosian -  Los Angeles attorney Garo Mardirossian obtained a multi-million dollar civil judgment for his client Massoud Hakimian on April 23.  Hakimian was badly burned as a result of a defective old stove in his apartment.  The trial lasted two months, with the jury rendering a verdict for the plaintiff of $6,650,000.00.  Mardirossian has won many seven figure civil awards during his career, including the largest judgment ever rendered against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in a police brutality case.