September 18, 2019
Ani Papirian pictured at the AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Center in Pasadena, CA
An attorney at law, Ani Papirian graduated from AGBU Alex Manougian in Montreal, Canada in 1984. After moving to the United States, Papirian earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1995 and her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in 1998. During law school, Papirian worked as a clerk for Judge Dickran Tevrizian, Judge Letteau, and U.S. Attorney’s Office Tax Division. After 20 years in the litigation field representing individuals and businesses, she is currently a minor’s counsel and works on assignment by the various family law judges in Los Angeles County. She has also graciously signed on to volunteer as the AGBU MHS Mock Trial Program coach for 2019.
What is your title and responsibilities for your current position? Currently I own Papirian Law Office, a sole proprietorship in Los Angeles County, and work as a minor’s counsel on assignment by the various family law judges in Los Angeles representing minors in contested family law matters.
How did you first become involved with AGBU and how did that experience shape your perspective and influence your goals? I received my elementary education at an AGBU school taught by experts in the field where there was respect for discipline and achievement. All the teachers there were very well qualified and expected students to put in their best efforts on a daily basis without question. That experience taught me to strive for excellence and put in the necessary effort to obtain desired results.
How has AGBU impacted your career? AGBU provided a stable foundation for my education. I haven’t seen any comparable education anywhere else, especially in the Armenian community. My school spared no expenses to ensure we had excellent teachers. We were taught three languages in depth. It was an amazing experience.
What prompted you to become involved with the AGBU MHS Mock Trial Program? I have coached Mock Trial at Armenian Sister’s Academy and Saint Francis High School since 2009 consecutively. As for the current Mock Trial program at MHS, I was asked to coach the Mock Trial team at MHS for the 2019/2020 year by the Armenian Bar Association and so I agreed.
As a Mock Trial coach, which part of the job do you enjoy most? The most enjoyable part of being a Mock Trial coach is seeing the progress of the students and witnessing their accomplishments in an arena that most adults cannot master. The smiles on their faces at the end of a competition is an amazing sight to behold. They realize they are powerful and can accomplish great things, many of the students have come back and expressed their decision to continue and become attorneys. Others have found their voice and inner strength to become advocates for themselves.
What would be your words of wisdom and advice to the next generation of lawyers? In my opinion, a word of advice to the next generation of lawyers would be not to forget their roots and give back to the next generation by mentoring them in a meaningful fashion and giving their time, which is a very difficult prospect but well worth it.