College, getting his degree in business in 1965. That was the first year the school became part of the State College system, changing its name to California State University at Los Angeles. Though his father wanted him to become a doctor, Nassif had set his sights on a law degree in high school after reading a book about the famous trial lawyer Clarence Darrow. He, in fact, graduated from California Western School of Law in 1968. The Labor Lawyer By the time Nassif began his law career in Los Angeles, he was married to Zinetta. “We were living in L.A. with all the freeways, and it didn’t seem like a great place to raise kids.” The Nassifs did have some familiarity with the Imperial Valley as he had college classmates who lived there. “We thought we would give the small town a try. What I remember is that there were locusts everywhere. They were on the grass; they were on the roof. A thick layer of locusts. That was tough getting used to.” But relief came to the pest problem and Nassif remembers the Imperial Valley as
“a wonderful place to raise a family.” Both of his children were born there, and the family lived there for more than a decade. At first, Nassif hung out his own shingle, handling whatever cases came through the door. During this period,
he interacted with local growers both socially and professionally. It was at the beginning of the ‘70s that the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association was looking for a lawyer to handle some labor law cases. Nassif was recommended for the position by his local farmer friends. “When they interviewed me, I told them I know nothing about labor law and I know nothing about agriculture. But I told them I hate to lose. If they hired me, nobody would work harder.” He did get the contract and represented the association and Imperial Valley farmers throughout the 1970s. He practiced a lot of labor law with Western Growers member and fellow attorney Ron Barsamian. In fact, he recommended Mike Saqui to Ron and they eventually became partners. Saqui noted that Nassif was a “badass” lawyer in his day. Nassif remembers that he was the first attorney to lose a case in front of the newly-minted Agricultural Labor Relations Board in the mid-1970s. He said it was a sham case with a pre-ordained decision in which he had no chance of prevailing. But the loss did lead to a partnership
Nassif and his sisters
Tom, words cannot express the appreciation and gratitude that we owe you for all the very important work that Western Growers has done on behalf of our industry thanks to your exceptional leadership. The DiMare Company
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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2019
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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