We are thrilled to announce the addition of a new associate to our team, Arwa Jabir Zakir Kakavand.
With nearly a decade of experience working at nonprofit organizations in Paris, France; New Jersey; and San Diego and San Francisco, California, Arwa brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our firm.
Arwa has spent the last eight years advocating for the human rights of noncitizens through litigation, resource development and training, and policy advocacy. She has an extensive knowledge of immigration law and procedure and has significant experience in providing high-quality representation in challenging cases before the Asylum Office, Immigration Courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Arwa began her law career as a women and migrant’s rights fellow at the International Federation for Human Rights in Paris, France. She has worked on a range of issues, from drafting position papers to the United Nations, to serving as of counsel to African community-based organizations before international and regional courts.
Upon returning to the United States, Arwa worked as an associate at a class action settlement firm in New York, predominantly supervising attorneys on the Deepwater Horizon Court Supervised Settlement.
After moving to San Diego, Arwa spent seven years as the director of the litigation program at Casa Cornelia Law Center. In this role, she supervised the legal and support staff, provided mentorship and training to pro bono attorneys, and maintained a caseload of complex litigation cases.
Most recently, Arwa worked at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) at UC Law San Francisco, focusing on CGRS’s training and technical assistance programs.
Arwa received her J.D. degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2009 and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint John’s University in 2005. She is a member of the State Bars of California, New York, and New Jersey and is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Arwa is the Vice President of the South Asian Bar Association of San Diego and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Federal Bar Association, and Lawyers Club.
We are excited to have Arwa on board and look forward to the perspective, experience, and creativity she brings to our team. Please join us in welcoming Arwa to Altman Immigration Law, PC.