Past Presidents

BERNADET BABASI, 2020-2021:

Ms. Babasi is an associate at the Viking Law Firm. In 2009, Ms. Babasi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from California State University, Northridge. She then went on to graduate with a Juris Doctor from Southern California Institute of Law. She was admitted to the California Bar in 2017. She is a member of the Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Bar Association, Iranian American Bar Association and Assyrian American Bar Association.

Ms. Babasi provides dedicated legal representation to clients throughout the State of California. She focuses her practice on personal injury law, family law and traffic citation.

AZADEH DADGOSTAR GILBERT, 2019-2020:

Azadeh Dadgostar Gilbert devotes her practice to protecting the rights and entitlements of those facing difficult and complex legal challenges in discrimination, harassment, and employer retaliation claims; wage and hour class actions; and serious personal injury and wrongful death cases.  Prior to her work at Dadgostar Law LLP, she served as a federal judicial extern to the late Hon. Earl H. Carroll at the U.S. District Court in Phoenix, Arizona, and then worked at a firm specializing in insurance defense litigation, providing her a unique perspective in advocating for her clients.  She received her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she spent two semesters studying and working in the United Kingdom through the school’s London program.  Ms. Gilbert has been named a prestigious Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2018 and obtained one of the Top 50 Settlements in California in 2016.

CHANTELLE AMELI, 2018-2019:

Chantelle Ameli, Esq. is a member of the State Bar of California and the United States District Court, Central District of California. She has decades of experience in the legal field. She grew up working with her father, Mark K. Ameli, at this firm and is now at the firm as an attorney specializing in sports, music, entertainment, business, sales, and personal injury matters.

 

MORY AHMADI - 2017-2018:

Morvarid “Mory” Ahmadi graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in Psychology in 2002. She received her J.D. in 2006 from Chapman University’s Dale E. Flower School of Law. While at Chapman, Ms. Ahmadi authored several articles in the Chapman Law Magazine and was a founding member of the Iranian Law Students’ Association. After working for the Law Offices of Nicole Newmen for several years, she formed the Law Offices of Mory Ahmadi in 2009. With offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, Ms. Ahmadi’s practice focuses on criminal defense and plaintiff’s side civil litigation. Ms. Ahmadi’s passions include: working closely with her clients facing criminal charges, in order to reduce their recidivism rate; ensuring her injured clients attain the highest possible recovery; and being of service to community at large. Ms. Ahmadi has served as past president of IABA-OC and is an active member of the Banyard Inns of Court.

HIRAD D. DADGOSTAR - 2016-2017:

Hirad Dadgostar represents individuals in personal injury actions, employees in class action cases involving labor code wage and hour violations, and small-to-medium sized businesses in a variety of transactional and litigation matters. Before entering private practice, Hirad had the privilege of serving as a two-term federal judicial law clerk to a Senior United States District Judge. After the second term of his federal judicial clerkship, Hirad joined the litigation practice of major international law firm Jones Day in their Los Angeles office, where he represented businesses in the banking and credit reporting industries as well as media, Internet, and Fortune 500 companies.

HAJIR ARDEBILI - 2015-2016:

Hajir Ardebili represents clients in business, entertainment, and intellectual property lawsuits. Whether defending an idea submission claim, protecting a client’s copyright or trademark, or handling a pro-bono matter, Mr. Ardebili cherishes his role as the client’s trusted advocate on the litigation battlefront. For Hajir, there is nothing more satisfying than successfully representing his clients in his profession’s ultimate arena: the courtroom at trial. In his view, to connect with jurors in a closing argument or in cross-examining a witness is the pinnacle of being a litigator. Reaching that pinnacle is what motivates him in his work every day.

ROSHI RAHNAMA - 2014-2015

MARK AMELI - 1996/ Acting 2013:

Mark K. Ameli, Esq. is a mediator and an arbitrator who has been a practicing attorney since 1980. His law firm specializes in handling cases in Business and corporate transactions and litigation, personal injuries as a result of defective products, vehicular collisions, slip and fall and industrial accidents. Mark’s mediation practice includes all cases relating to Business, Personal Injury, and Employment with special emphasis on cross cultural mediation. Mr. Ameli has involved as an attorney for a party, an arbitrator or a mediator in thousands of cases.

ABBAS HADJIAN -- 2012-13:

Abbas Hadjian, principal, Law Offices of Abbas Hadjian, Sherman Oaks, California (1988). Certified Family Law Specialist, State Bar of California (2010).

NIKKI MEHRPOU JACOBSON -- 2011-12:

For over 15 years, Nikki Mehrpoo Jacobson has been a dedicated immigration and workers’ compensation attorney and advocate. Ms. Jacobson is a distinguished Professor of Law at West Los Angeles College. For several years, she has been recognized by Los Angeles Magazine as one of its Super Lawyers Rising Stars.

VISHTA FARAHANI – 2008 / 2010

MITRA CHEGINI – 2009

KEN BEHZADI – 2007

PATRICK ASHOURI --2004/ 2006:

P. Patrick Ashouri was admitted to practice law in California in 1992. His firm practices Real Estate, Business, Family Law, Bankruptcy and litigation. His work has been published. He was a volunteer arbitrator and mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1994-1997 and has served as a volunteer judge-pro-tem since 1997. Mr. Ashouri has continuously served on IALA board since 2002 and was IALA’s president in 2004 and 2006. Mr. Ashouri also served as a trustee of Los Angeles County Bar Association from 2006-2013 and continues to serve on the Los Angeles County Bar Association Judicial Election Evaluation Committee. He was a speaker at the SBC Bar Leader’s Conference in 2005 and 2009.

MICHAEL KADE -- 2005:

Since 1999, Michael Payman Kade has represented 1000s of clients in matters of Criminal Defense (from attempted murder to DUI) & Civil Litigation (against banks, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers and other giants). Michael has filed and argued successfully before the Courts of Appeal. He has appeared on ABC & NBC and has written many articles.

CAMERON YADIDI – 2003

KAYHAN SHAKIB – 2002

Kayhan Shakib has been practicing law since 1987, owning and managing his own law firm. Presently, he focuses on his own real estate businesses.

STEVE SEPASSI -- 2001

As a senior partner with Sepassi & Tarighati, LLP, Steve Sepassi concentrates in the areas of insurance defense of general liability cases, plaintiff personal injury, and mediation.

RAFIK AYVAZI -- 2000:

Rafik Ayvazi concentrates his practice in Construction, Real Estate, Business, Construction Risk Management, Litigation Prevention, Litigation, Arbitration, Mediation, Wage and Hour defense, Consulting. Since 1984 Rafik has been a Licensed General Contractor, and a Licensed Real Estate Broker. Rafik also holds the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation.

JAMES K. SADIGH -- 1999:

James Sadigh is licensed to practice law in every court in California, is a member of the U.S. Tax Court, and is licensed to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Currently, James has narrowed his focus and deals mostly with personal injury, insurance claims and wrongful termination cases.

James has served as an attorney for the plaintiff as well as for the defense. He has extensive experience in arbitration and mediation and has served as a Judge Pro Tem.

ALALEH KAMRAN – 1998

ZOHREH MIZRAHI -- 1997:

Zohreh Mizrahi, a senior Partner with Manesh & Mizrahi, A Professional Law Corporation, with concentration on Immigration matters.

STEVE ZAND -- 1994-95:

Steve Zand is a Certified family Law Specialist and a full-time Professor of Law at University of West Los Angeles, College of Law.

He was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department, Police Commission, as the Chairperson of the Permit Review Panel in 2001, and served until 2006. He currently serves as a reserve Captain with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Recipient of the Justice Bernard Jefferson Award of Excellence. Commendations from the Governor, Board of Supervisors, Mayor of Los Angeles, and Speaker of the California State Assembly. He was selected as a Super Lawyer for 2014.

STEVE ZAND -- 1994-95:

Steve Zand is a Certified family Law Specialist and a full-time Professor of Law at University of West Los Angeles, College of Law.

He was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department, Police Commission, as the Chairperson of the Permit Review Panel in 2001, and served until 2006. He currently serves as a reserve Captain with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Recipient of the Justice Bernard Jefferson Award of Excellence. Commendations from the Governor, Board of Supervisors, Mayor of Los Angeles, and Speaker of the California State Assembly. He was selected as a Super Lawyer for 2014.

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