Advocating for Others

Patrick Baghdaserians is dedicated to family law

By Kamala Kirk

From a young age, Patrick Baghdaserians was interested in advocacy, whether it was standing up for himself or his peers. Born in postwar Iran, he and his family fled to the United States in the 1980s in pursuit of a better life. His parents’ community involvement and strong work ethic had a big impact on Baghdaserians when he was growing up and influenced him throughout his life to give back and help others. “I was originally a biomedical student at Loyola Marymount University, but I realized soon thereafter within my first year of undergraduate study that what I was interested in was really on the side of advocacy, from various political issues to standing up for human rights,” Baghdaserians says. “I switched my major to political science, which ultimately led to my career in law. It has always been my desire to be an advocate, to help others and to stand up for what I believe in.” While attending LMU, Baghdaserians met Daniel Leonetti, who later become his partner at Baghdaserians Law Group. After graduating from LMU, Baghdaserians attended Southwestern Law School, where he had the distinct honor of working as a full-time legal intern for renowned federal judge the Honorable Robert M. Takasugi. While serving the federal court, Baghdaserians was involved in and witnessed many federal trials and hearings. “Judge Takasugi, who passed away in 2009, was a federal judge for more than 30 years and stationed in Downtown Los Angeles at the federal courthouse on Spring Street,” Baghdaserians says. “He was the first Japanese American to ever be appointed to the federal bench by a U.S. president. As a first-generation

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American, he had a lot of things to overcome in his life and his background was similar to mine. To this day, when anyone asks me who my favorite teacher was when I was growing up, I always say Judge Takasugi. I learned so much from him, not only about how to handle the legal process but also about humanity, because I observed him delve into those issues on a daily basis. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my career.” After graduating from Southwestern in 2007, Baghdaserians went into family law. In 2019, he founded Baghdaserians Law Group, which has offices in Pasadena and Beverly Hills. “Family law is such a melting pot, which is what really drew me to it,” Baghdaserians says. “It provides the opportunity to be a litigator, a mediator and to go to court. Being able to go to court and advocate for others is something I’ve always wanted to do in my life, and it turns out I’m really good at it. When it comes to family law, we’re not dealing with large corporations. We’re dealing with human beings and children, and I get to make a positive impact on people’s lives every day.” In 2014, Baghdaserians became a state bar-certified specialist in family law, making him one of the youngest family law specialists in California. “It usually takes most people 10 to 15 years to become a state-certified specialist, but I achieved it in less than 6 years,” Baghdaserians says. “It’s an extremely difficult process because you not only have to pass the examination, but you have to complete a certain number of trials and you have to negotiate a certain number of cases to resolution as a first- year lawyer. It was a combination of my academic and boots-on-the-ground experience that have led to my success as a family law litigator.”

Baghdaserians Law Group helps clients in all areas of family lawrelated matters, including child and spousal support, domestic violence and divorce, among others. In addition to Baghdaserians and Leonetti, their team consists of top attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants who work hard to help their clients achieve success.

“I’m extremely aggressive and passionate about my clients, and I hate to lose,” Baghdaserians says. “I handle cases up and down the coast, and we have some of the brightest minds and best family law judges working in LA County. It’s very important when hiring a lawyer that they have experience and understanding of various judicial officers. Our firm specializes in all types of family law cases, we’re not scared of litigating, and we don’t let our clients throw their money away. We also have a very supportive collegiate atmosphere and positive work environment. We don’t tolerate negativity, bullying or aiming. What we have is the perfect combination of individuals who share one common goal, which is to make sure that our clients get the best representation they possibly can.”

Being involved and giving back to the community is also extremely important to Baghdaserians and his firm. He supports the Armenian Educational Foundation and provided funding to help the organization complete the renovation of the No. 4 Artik School in Armenia.

In the last few years, he has served as president of the alumni board of directors at Southwestern Law School and as a board of trustee member that runs the entire law school.

“In my role as president of the board, I was able to establish a legal program called the Domestic Violence Advocacy Initiative that helps raise funds to provide financial stipends for lawyers to work pro bono and help victims of domestic violence,” Baghdaserians says. “We also partner with various legal aid organizations such as LevittQuinn Family Law Center.”

A longtime resident of the La Cañada area where he grew up and now lives with his family, Baghdaserians chose to open his law practice in Pasadena for several reasons.

“I love Pasadena because it has both an Old World and East Coast vibe to it,” says Baghdaserians, who graduated from St. Francis High School.

“It’s at the forefront of academia and is home to a wonderful arts, culture and sports scene that contribute to a very high-quality of life. My wife and I are patrons of the arts, and we love spending time at various museums and cultural institutions like The Huntington Library. Pasadena also has a fantastic police department that does a great job to ensure we’re all safe and we don’t have a lot of the problems that other parts of LA are dealing with.”

Having worked for almost two decades as an attorney, Baghdaserians looks forward to continuing to serve his clients and the community for many years to come.

“I love advocacy, going to court and protecting my clients,” Baghdaserians says. “I love advocating on behalf of people who can’t advocate for themselves. That’s the real role of a lawyer — whether you’re in family law, personal injury law or criminal law, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, we are advocates. Advocacy is what drew me to a career in the legal industry. It drew me to family law. It’s the reason I love what I do.”

Baghdaserians Law Group 790 E. Colorado Boulevard, Suite 360, Pasadena 626-460-9525 baglawgroup.com

Brandy peach panna cotta is invigorating

By Emily Chavez

Panna cotta is a hot summer staple dessert that is decadent, refreshing and easy to make ahead — especially on sweltering July days.

These can be made in the morning using just the stovetop so the kitchen doesn’t heat up from the oven. But, in the afternoon, they can be enjoyed for an invigorating, creamy afternoon dessert.

And let’s not overlook the “wow factor” of the panna cotta’s perfect layers and individual portions, which are sure to impress your family and guests. A soft base is topped with a brandy and peach layer that creates not only distinctive layers visually but also a contrast of flavors that play off each other with the warming vanilla and brandy, refreshing peach, and cool and velvety texture.

BRANDY PEACH PANNA COTTA ACTIVE TIME: 1 HOUR | TOTAL TIME: 3 HOURS YIELDS 4 SERVINGS. INGREDIENTS

1 VANILLA BEAN POD, SCRAPED 3/4 CUP WHOLE MILK 1 1/4 CUP HEAVY CREAM 1 PACKAGE UNFLAVORED GELATIN 1 TABLESPOON BROWN SUGAR 3 TABLESPOONS GRANULATED SUGAR

3 FIRM WHITE PEACHES, CORED AND SLICED 1 CUP WATER 1/2 CUP HONEY 1/4 OF A LEMON, JUICED 1 CUP BRANDY A COUPLE PINCHES OF SALT

INSTRUCTIONS

BLOOM THE GELATIN BY SPRINKLING IT OVER THE MILK AND SETTING IT ASIDE. DO NOT STIR.

BRING HEAVY CREAM, BOTH SUGARS AND A PINCH OF SALT TO A SIMMER. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO BOIL. ONCE SIMMERING, REMOVE FROM HEAT AND WHISK IN THE GELATIN, THE MILK MIXTURE AND THE VANILLA BEAN SEEDS.

LET THIS PANNA COTTA MIXTURE COOL FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE DIVIDING EVENLY INTO 4 RAMEKINS OR SIMILAR-SIZED GLASSES AND CHILL IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS TO SET.

WHILE THE PANNA COTTA IS FIRMING UP, PLACE THE PEACHES, WATER, HONEY, LEMON JUICE, BRANDY AND A PINCH OF SALT IN A SMALL PAN. BRING TO A SIMMER AND COOK ON LOW HEAT UNTIL THE PEACHES ARE TENDER, ABOUT 30 MINUTES. STIR OCCASIONALLY SO NOTHING BURNS OR STICKS TO THE BOTTOM. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND LET COOL FOR AT LEAST 15 MINUTES.

CHECK THAT THE PANNA COTTA IS FIRM BY LIGHTLY TOUCHING THE TOP OR JIGGLING EACH DISH.

ONCE THE PANNA COTTA IS FIRM, FAN OUT THE PEACHES ON TOP AND LADLE THE REMAINING POACHING LIQUID OVER THE TOP.

SERVE IMMEDIATELY OR CHILL UP TO 24 HOURS.