Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month-July 2020

Amar Bhatti of UB Enterprises

Amar Bhatti is Vice President of Strategy, Operations, and Legal Counsel at UB Enterprises, a retail and hospitality investment & management company located in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a native of Las Vegas and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in Hospitality Management. Subsequently, Amar received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a Doctoroff Business Leadership Fellow. He became a licensed attorney in the State of Nevada in 2019.

Since beginning his legal career, Amar has regularly volunteered with the Landlord/Tenant Ask-A-Lawyer program and the Small Business Legal Advice Project. He provides free consultations to pro se litigants and small businesses in need of legal advice.

When we asked Amar why he does pro bono work, he said “As the son of immigrants who struggled to settle in a new country and now call Las Vegas home, I observed first-hand the invaluable support they received from the legal community to secure a new life and start their business. As an attorney, I now have the moral and professional obligation to continue that legacy for others. Additionally, for young attorneys, it’s often easy to feel powerless in affecting systemic challenges or finding a direct impact in your work. However, I have found that pro bono legal aid not only makes an immediate impact on the clients you help, but it can also serve as a foundation for addressing systemic challenges such as those uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

When we asked Amar to share a story of a memorable pro bono experience he said, “It’s hard to pinpoint a single client. What inspires me are the shared stories and experiences of the small business owners I’ve had the privilege of helping in the Small Business Legal Advice Project. Nevada’s small businesses are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Small Business Legal Advice Project serves a crucial role in supporting them. To help support my clients and the growing number of adversely affected small businesses, I began compiling resources and legal materials for the Small Business Legal Advice Project that future pro bono attorneys can build upon.”

For his commitment to pro bono, we honor Amar Bhatti as our July Volunteer of the Month.