Day Pitney Partner Namita Shah Recognized With SABA North America 2022 Cornerstone Award

Namita Shah was selected as the recipient of the Cornerstone Award in recognition of her contributions to the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) and the South Asian legal community by SABA North America for 2022. Shah, partner and chair of the Private Equity and Finance group at Day Pitney LLP, accepted her award at the annual SABA North America Conference held July 14-17 in San Francisco. She was nominated by SABA of Connecticut (SABAC).

The Cornerstone Award is among SABA's highest honors. Past recipients have included Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Vijay Bondada, Chief Litigation Officer at Duke Energy; Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase; Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; Inderpreet Sawhney, Group General Counsel of Infosys; and Gurbir Grewal, Attorney General for the State of New Jersey.

"I'm grateful to have worked so closely with SABAC over the years and humbled by the national recognition they have awarded me. It is vital to my personal and professional development to continue to strengthen, grow the South Asian American legal community and work with all affinity bar organizations to raise awareness of social issues impacting our communities," stated Shah.

The SABA North America Cornerstone Award is given to an individual who is a "cornerstone" of SABA North America. The candidate must exemplify the objectives of the organization through their legal work or their involvement with SABA North America, SABA Foundation, or local SABA chapters. The candidate should exemplify high achievement in one of more of the following: promoting the professional development of the South Asian legal community through networking, education, advocacy and mentoring; ensuring the civil liberties of the South Asian community; serving the legal interests of the South Asian community and the community at large; or encouraging greater participation by the South Asian community in the legal profession or the government.

Shah practices in the area of public and private finance. She is the first South Asian woman to serve as the primary attorney in Day Pitney's roles as Lead Bond Counsel and Lead Disclosure Counsel for the State of Connecticut. Shah is actively involved in all aspects of public finance, including bond authorizations, disclosure, tax issues and issuance. She has acted as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, borrower's counsel, underwriter's counsel and trustee's counsel on general obligation and conduit financings throughout the region.

Shah is a two-time past president (2018-2020) and a former Board Director of SABAC. She currently continues to guide and mentor SABAC leadership and membership through her continuing service on the SABAC Advisory Council and the SABAC Endowed Fund Scholarship Committee. Shah played a critical role in the launch of the SABAC Endowed Fund Scholarship, created in collaboration with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Shah was listed as a "Woman Worth Watching," by Profiles of Diversity Journal and a "Woman of Power," by the Urban League of Southern Connecticut. Shah received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston University School of Law and her B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Connecticut.

To learn more about SABA and the award, visit sabanorthamerica.com