Our Team
2026-2027 Board
Asha Paulose, Esq.
Asha Paulose, Esq. is the founder of The Law Office of Asha Paulose, P.C., a boutique Elder Law and Estate Planning firm based in Bardonia, NY. With 20 years of legal experience, Asha established her firm in 2022 to provide personalized guidance on Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Estate Planning, Probate, and Administration.
Serving clients across New York, Asha is dedicated to helping individuals and families preserve their assets, plan for future financial needs, and create a meaningful legacy. Her firm offers comprehensive services, including Trusts and Wills, Special Needs Planning, Medicaid Planning, Guardianship, and more.
Instead of chasing corner offices and fancy suits, Asha would much rather teach a webinar, enjoy the perfect cup of chai at a Client’s kitchen table—and still make it home in time for the school bus.
As a first-generation American with parents from Kerala, India, Asha has a personal understanding of the challenges faced by immigrant families. Her virtual practice model provides a convenient platform for busy families and seniors to discuss inter-generational wealth protection from the comfort of their homes.
President
Maninder Singh, Esq.
Maninder Singh has been employed as an Assistant District Attorney at the Queens District Attorney’s Office since 2020. He began his career prosecuting domestic violence cases. Maninder is now handling a large variety of felony cases, including gun possession, assault and robberies.
Maninder was born in Jalandhar, India, and raised in Queens County for most of his life. He earned his B.A. from John Jay College and J.D. from St. John’s Law School.
Treasurer
Taneem Kabir is a commercial and intellectual property law attorney who currently serves as Principal Law Clerk to Hon. Leonard Livote in the Commercial Part of Queens County Supreme Court.
Taneem was born in Bangladesh, raised in the Bronx, and graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.S. in Biology. He then attended New York Law School and graduated with a specialization in intellectual property law with distinguished recognition as a Public Interest Fellow. He is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He previously served as a Judicial Hearing Officer with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, and also as a Special Master to Hon. Gerald Lebovits in New York County Supreme Court. For nearly ten years, Taneem managed his own law practice where he guided clients of all sizes in enforcing their intellectual property rights, expanding their business reach, and formulating creative ways to reduce liability.
Since 2025, Taneem has served as VP of External Affairs and Outreach at SAICBA-Q. During this time he has worked with his fellow board members in revamping the organization's website, improving its email marketing, streamlining its customer management system, and elevating its profile within the legal community. He is a member of the organization's new Judiciary Committee, and also chairs its Journal Committee.
Executive Vice PresidentTaneem Kabir, Esq.
General SecretaryJessica Ramsawak, Esq.
Jessica H. Ramsawak is an Associate Attorney at Martin Clearwater & Bell LLP, where she practices medical malpractice litigation in New York State courts. Before earning her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2024, Jessica gained experience in medical malpractice law at three New York area law firms, and completed a rewarding judicial internship in Kings County Supreme Court with the Honorable Consuelo Mallafré-Mélendez.
Jessica is a first-generation Trinidadian American and was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany in 2020. Jessica previously served as the VP of the Private Sector for SAICBA-Q. Additionally, Jessica served as the President of the Albany State Indian Alliance at UAlbany from 2019-2020, and as the President of the Brooklyn Law School South Asian Law Students Association from 2023-2024.
VP of Public SectorFatima Mustafa, Esq.
Fatima Mustafa is a Principal Law Clerk for Honorable Joseph J. Esposito at Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term with whom she worked with since her admission to the Bar in 2020. Fatima oversees a multitude of cases, ranging from motor vehicle accidents to medical malpractice, contract cases and more.
Fatima is a first-generation Pakistani - American. She was born and raised in Queens. Fatima attended John Adams High School, received her B.A. from Pace University, and her J.D. from Hofstra Law School.
When Fatima is not dancing to the latest Bollywood songs, you can find her building connections with newly admitted attorneys, sharing the support and guidance she once needed as the first female Pakistani attorney in her family. Fatima is committed to helping in any way she can and strives to make everyone feel included and valued within the community.
Vice President of Social Media RelationsShivani Parikh, Esq.
Shivani Parikh is racial justice & civil rights advocate for South Asian American working and immigrant families. After graduating from Cornell University and Fordham Law School, she moved to Jackson Heights to work in the right-to-counsel tenant defense division of Queens Legal Services.
Deeply committed to advancing Desi civic participation and representation, she is the Youth Lead for the Legal & Governance Committee of South Asians for America (SAFA), the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) representative for Fordham Law's Alumni Attorneys of Color (AAC), a member of the NYC Civic Engagement Commission's Language Assistance Advisory Committee (LAAC), and a member of the New York State Young Democrats' Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus.
Co-Vice President of the Private SectorMayank Dahiya, Esq.
Mayank Dahiya is an Associate Attorney at Caitlin Robin & Associates, PLLC, who handles a wide variety of cases including civil rights claims, personal injury actions, and nursing home defense.
Mayank graduated from Hofstra University Law School in 2023 and joined the Queens County District Attorney’s Office as an ADA after graduation. While at the Queens DA’s office, Mayank developed his litigation and investigation skills and handled a high volume of cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felony matters carrying these cases through all phases of investigation and prosecution.
During Law School, Mayank served as a Judicial Extern for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, where he researched and drafted memoranda on various civil matters and developed his legal writing skills.
Mayank is admitted to practice in NY.
Co-Vice President of the Private SectorHirsha Venkataraman, Esq.
Hirsha Venkataraman is a newly minted attorney who completed a reproductive justice fellowship at If/When/How and The Women’s Law Project (WLP), and in early September 2024 started at Brooklyn Defender Services in their Family Defense Practice.
Prior to law school, Hirsha spent almost a decade working in sales and account management within the financial sector before embarking on a legal career to make sure that reproductive rights are preserved, and that families are protected both during and after their pregnancies. Hirsha volunteers with Push for Empowered Pregnancy to advocate for legislation providing paid leave following stillbirth, and for continued research into eradicating preventable stillbirths. He runs an annual fundraiser, the Run for Thalia, to honor his angel and help other parents.
Hirsha graduated from CUNY School of Law and Rutgers University – New Brunswick with a B.A. in Economics. He was born and raised in New Jersey, but proudly reps Queens everywhere he goes. In his free time, he enjoys running, karaoke, trying new vegan restaurants, and spending time with his wife, Mamta, and son, Raja, who is always looked after by his big sister.
Vice President of External Affairs & Outreach
Shivangi Kumar-Joshi, Esq.
Shivangi Kumar-Joshi earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, where she served as class representative and deepened her commitment to public service. Through the Mediation Clinic, she mediated Small Claims Court cases in Queens County. She also interned with a New York State Supreme Court Judge and a New York law firm. In 2016, she received Fordham’s Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award.
She began her legal career as an Associate Attorney at a New York law firm, representing corporate clients in tort, corporate, and employment litigation. She drafted and argued motions, handled depositions, conducted legal research, and advised clients on compliance.
In 2020, she became an Assistant Law Clerk to a New York State Supreme Court Judge in Queens County. She conducted legal research, analyzed appellate materials, managed the Court calendar, drafted jury instructions and judicial decisions, and ran pretrial discovery, motion, and settlement conferences on the Court’s behalf.
Shivangi now serves as an Associate Court Attorney in the Law Department of the New York State Supreme Court, Queens County, where she researches complex legal issues and drafts decisions, opinions, orders, and memoranda for Judges.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family/friends, reading, and playing tennis.
Navin Hardyal is an immigration attorney licensed to practice in New York and Massachusetts. He earned his J.D. from New England Law | Boston, where he served as an Executive Editor of the New England Law Review. His practice focuses primarily on employment-based immigration.
Navin was born in Guyana and grew up in the Bronx. His broader legal interests include following Supreme Court Opinions and Public Policy.
Outside of work, Navin enjoys writing, riding motorcycles, and bird photography.
Vice President of Membership & InclusionNavin Hardyal, Esq.
Co-Vice President of Planning & Events
Pious Ahuja, Esq.
Pious Ahuja is a Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Special Victims Bureau at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. She is responsible for prosecuting sexual assault and child abuse cases occurring with Kings County. Prior to joining Kings County District Attorney’s Office, she worked as a prosecutor in the Domestic Violence Bureau at Queen’s District Attorney’s Office.
Pious graduated from American University Washington College of Law, cum laude, in 2015. She also obtained a MA in International Affairs from American University School of International Service in 2015. After law school, Pious worked with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia with the Victims Support Section, Asylum Access in Malaysia, and Counsel to Secure Justice in New Delhi with child victims of sexual assault. In her spare time Pious enjoys traveling, having traveled to over twenty-seven countries and has even lived in at least five other countries.
Co-Vice President of Planning & EventsLinda Rampertab, Esq.
Linda Rampertab is a Principal Court Attorney for a Supreme Court Justice in Queens County. Linda is a practicing attorney for over 16 years; 13 of those years she represented a diverse cross section of New York City residents as legal services attorney for members of several Communication Workers of America municipal trade unions. Over the course of her legal career Linda represented clients in a broad spectrum of legal areas including Matrimonial; Family Court custody, child support, and family offense matters; and Landlord/Tenant matters.
Linda finds her current role as a Principal Court Attorney in a Matrimonial Part of Supreme Court particularly rewarding as she works with litigants to resolve their cases, balancing the emotional aspects of matrimonial practice with the practicality of financial planning for parties and their children’s future beyond litigation. Another aspect of her professional life. Linda finds necessary and gratifying is her work with students and young lawyers through internship and mentoring programs, including a robust internship program she facilitates and manages with Justice Titus.
Linda is an immigrant from Guyana and a proud graduate of CUNY and SUNY schools. Linda’s background and education inform her work and fosters a unique understanding of the clients she represented and the litigants who now appears in the courtroom in which she works.
Advisory Board
(President 2018-2020)Hon. Ushir Pandit-Durant
Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant is a co-founder of SAICBA-Q and served as its President from 2018 - 2020.
Hon. Karen Gopee
Justice Karen Gopee was the first Indo-Caribbean Jurist in New York State, elected to the Supreme Court in 2021 and appointed to the New York State Criminal Court in 2015.
Prior to the bench, she served as a Prosecutor in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, specializing in domestic violence and child abuse cases. She served as the Principal Court Attorney at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, a multi-jurisdictional treatment court where she helped develop and expand diversion, educational, housing, treatment and community programs.
Justice Gopee was the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Alternative Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice Committee, and President, former Executive Vice President, and founding member of South Asian Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens. She currently serves as an officer of the Queens County Supreme Court Judges’ Association, the Treasurer of the Asian American Judges Association of New York and an officer and co-chair of the CLE Committee for the Caribbean American Lawyers’ Association.
Justice Gopee was born in Trinidad, graduated with honors from the State University of New York at Binghamton and St. John’s University School of Law.
(President 2020-2023)
Ali Najmi is a leading election attorney and seasoned trial lawyer with a distinguished pedigree in New York’s legal and political circles. A graduate of CUNY School of Law, Najmi began his career as counsel in the New York City Council, where he advised elected officials on legislative and political matters before building a thriving private practice. He has represented candidates at every level of New York politics and has become a trusted strategist in the city’s most complex election law disputes. Most recently, he has served as counsel to the Democratic nominee for mayor of the City of New York, Zohran K. Mamdani.
As co-founder of the South Asian & Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens (SAICBA-Q), Najmi has been a driving force behind the historic diversification of New York’s judiciary, particularly in Queens, where his advocacy has helped usher in a new generation of judges who reflect the city’s communities. Known for his trial skills and deep community ties, Najmi continues to blend courtroom excellence with a commitment to expanding representation and justice in New York City.
(President 2023-2025)Ali Najmi, Esq.
Hon. Andrea Ogle
The Hon. Andrea Ogle’s family emigrated from Guyana to the United States in 1970 and settled in Queens County. She graduated from Queens College and Seton Hall University School of Law. She is admitted in the Supreme Court of the United States and the State Courts of New York and New Jersey.
Judge Ogle managed a diverse law practice for over twenty years. In 2021 she was elected as Judge of the Civil Court and became the first Indo/Afro Guyanese Civil Court Judge elected in Queens County. In 2024 Judge Ogle was elected as Justice of the Supreme Court -Queens County, Civil Term.
Judge Ogle is a former member of the Board of Managers for the QCBA, former VP of the Assigned Counsel Association of Queens Family Court, former VP the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association-Queens and an active member of QCWBA, NYCBA, Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association, AAJANY, The NAWJ and the Queens Civil Court Equal Justice Subcommittee.
Ajay Chheda, Esq.
Ajay D. Chheda is a Section Chief in the Major Economic Crimes Bureau of the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
After graduating from Fordham Law School, Ajay joined the Queens County District Attorney’s Office. Over the past 17 years, Ajay has prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and felony matters and taken multiple cases to trial. Ajay has conducted numerous investigations into organized crime, organized gang activities, narcotics trafficking, and weapons trafficking. He has also represented the Queens County DA's office on NYC Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice.
Prior to his prosecutorial career, Ajay was a patent agent and consultant where he assessed the patentability of inventions and their technical and commercial potential. Prior to that, Ajay was a research scientist in the field of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, where he conducted research on human DNA repair systems.
Ajay was born and raised in Bombay and in Houston. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Caltech, a Master of Science degree from NYU, and M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Fordham. He is admitted to the bar in Connecticut and New York and is a USPTO-registered Patent Attorney. He is a founding member of South Asian Indo-Caribbean Bar Association.
Hon. Amish R. Doshi
Judge Amish R. Doshi became the first Indian/South Asian man to be elected as a Civil Court Judge in Queens County. He was elected in 2024 and presides over civil court cases in New York City Civil Court, Queens County, since January 1, 2025.
Prior to being elected, Judge Doshi was in private practice for almost 25 years, where he focused in the areas of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, general corporate/business law, residential and commercial real estate transactions, Estate Planning and state and federal commercial litigation. He has also acted as outside General Counsel to a variety of businesses including medical practices, franchises, hotels, restaurants, bars, retail establishments and construction companies. He worked at a few law firms prior to his election and was also the founder and principal attorney for his law firm, Doshi Legal Group, PC.
He is also a Certified Public Accountant and previously worked as an Auditor with the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Judge Doshi, a resident of Queens County since 1982, when his mother and brother moved to New York, has a B.A. from Queens College, City University of New York, and a J.D. from New York Law School. He is also one of the co-founders of SAICBAQ.
Sagar Chadha, Esq.
Sagar Chadha is a Senior Partner and Chair of the Labor Law (Construction Accidents) Department at Liakas Law, P.C. located on Wall Street.
Prior to joining Liakas Law, Sagar worked as an attorney for a midtown Plaintiff’s firm, also focused on construction accidents. Sagar has previously worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County, NY from 2010-2015, and has also represented victims of asbestos exposure for Weitz & Luxenberg, successfully achieving results against large multinational companies.
With fourteen years of experience, Sagar has developed a reputation as an attorney who devotes himself completely to his clients and his casework. Today, he exclusively concentrates his practice on major New York construction accidents and their accompanying workers’ compensation matters. Sagar is a native of Bellerose, Queens, is fluent in four languages. He takes immense pride in assisting clients who speak Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi.
Sharon Khunkhun, Esq.
Sharon Khunkhun began her legal career as a Court Attorney to Judge Denis J. Butler in New York City. Thereafter, she joined the law firm, Rivkin Radler in their products liability and toxic torts division. After leaving Rivkin Radler, she worked for Berkman, Henoch, Peterson and Peddy in Garden City.
Sharon went into business for herself in 2010 when she opened a full-service immigration and nationality law firm and is now based in Manhattan where she focuses on employment-based visa petitions, including H-1B petitions and green cards.
Sharon was born and raised in London, UK, and emigrated with her family to the United States at the age of sixteen. After graduating from State University of New York at Stony Brook with a B.S., she graduated from St. John’s School of Law with J.D.
Sharon is one of the founding members of the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens.
Manmeet Singh, Esq.
Manmeet Singh earned his L.L.M. (Master in Law) from Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law in 2010.
He started his career as a Staff Attorney for UNITED SIKHS, a United Nations associated civil rights organization. Manmeet served as an attorney of record and co-counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union in the case of Iknoor Singh. Manmeet’s efforts in the case led to the enactment of a new “Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy” for Pike County, Mississippi which became applicable to all county employees. His efforts also resulted in a new policy for the Kalamazoo County Probate Court, Michigan permitting religious headwear and attire in courtrooms.
Manmeet is now in private practice, and is the Managing Director of Law Offices of Manmeet Singh, P.C. He is a General Practitioner and provides legal services in various areas of law.
Manmeet is one of the founding members of the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Bar Association of Queens.