Chair Elect – Saba Syed

Saba Syed is a civil litigator at Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP, a premier full-service law firm based in Dallas, Texas.  Saba is a determined and driven attorney who excels in the courtroom and defends courtroom victories on appeal. Saba litigates complex commercial litigation matters, ranging from securities litigation to patent litigation, across multiple industries, including real estate investment trusts, construction suppliers, construction subcontractors, interior construction designers, commercial landlords, and event industry planners.

In addition to her service to the Asian Pacific Interest Section for the State Bar of Texas, Saba has been recognized for her contributions to the Dallas legal community.  Saba is an active member of the Dallas Bar Association (DBA), and was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Minority Attorney Award, which is bestowed annually and recognizes “outstanding commitment, participation, and dedication to the DBA by a minority lawyer during the year.” She currently serves as Co-Chair for the DBA CLE Committee, which was awarded the 2020 Jo Anna Moreland Outstanding Committee Chair Award.  In addition to her service to DBA, Saba sits on a 10-person board for the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, which serves a diverse membership of approximately 3,000 young lawyers in Dallas, Texas.  Saba is a 2017 Pathfinder for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and regularly mentors law students and young lawyers seeking to find their footing in the legal field.

Vice Chair – Sang Shin

Sang Shin is an experienced immigration attorney with a demonstrated history of successfully representing clients in their immigration matters. He has experience representing companies and employers of all sizes, across industries (small, mid-size, and multi-national corporations), in their employment-based immigration matters. He also provides advice to his clients on strategies to ensure that they effectively implement a compliant immigration program that withstands the highest level of scrutiny during government audits.

Sang possesses in-depth experience working with new and emerging start-up companies, international companies investing in the U.S. for the first time, and individual investors to handle immigration-related issues at all stages of their business’ life cycle. Sang works with his corporate and individual clients to guide them through the complex investment process, to ensure the immigration process is efficient for their business and meets their personal needs. With a service-oriented and holistic approach, Sang acts not only as an immigration attorney, but also as a true business partner, working toward his clients’ overall success.

Treasurer - Julie Chen Allen

Julie serves as a senior attorney with the Texas Association of School Boards Legal Services Division. At TASB, Julie counsels school board members, superintendents, and other education leaders in serving Texas public education. Additionally, she drafts legal resources and educational content, and is a frequently requested speaker on topics of open government, records, data privacy, cybersecurity, and other technology law topics. Prior to joining TASB, Julie served as general counsel to Spring Independent School District and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and practiced in general civil litigation in the private and public sectors.

Julie graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s in journalism while writing for The Daily Texan, The Dallas Morning News, and Tribune Media Services. She received her law degree from The University of Texas School of Law, where she was an editor on the Texas Journal of Civil Liberties & Civil Rights, a writer for The National Jurist, and published research on suicide watch protocols in juvenile detention facilities.

Julie is active in various sections of the State Bar of Texas and as an a volunteer at her community schools. When free, she enjoys reading, yoga, and spending time in the great outdoors with her family and their beloved rescue dogs.

Secretary - Nadia Gire

Nadia I. Gire is a trial attorney with experience in a broad range of matters. Her practice includes business and commercial disputes, as well as insurance coverage litigation and first and third-party insurance work.

On a number of cases in which she has served as lead counsel, Ms. Gire has obtained zero-dollar verdicts and resolved matters entirely at the summary judgment stage. Her trial experience includes favorable verdicts for several complex matters and includes several long federal jury trial.

Ms. Gire earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and her juris doctorate from South Texas College of Law. In her free time, Ms. Gire volunteers for non-profit organizations including The Baylor Teen Health Clinic, Texas Children’s Hospital, The Landing, Risala Foundation and The South Asian Bar Association.