SAAD AHMAD

Saad Ahmad is a highly respected immigration lawyer in Northern California with over 21 years of experience, who handles complex immigration related matters. He has successfully litigated many important immigration cases in various federal courts around the country.

Mr. Ahmad’s practice focuses on deportation defense and federal court litigation, with a special emphasis on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. In Estrada-Espinoza v. Mukasey, 546 F.3d 1147(9th Cir. 2008) (en banc), Mr. Ahmad successfully argued that a California statutory rape statute is not an aggravated felony ground of removal under the Immigration & Nationality Act. In Cardenas-Delgado v. Holder, 720 F.3d 1111 (9th Cir. 2013), he successfully argued that aliens whose aggravated felony convictions resulted from a jury trial prior to the enactment of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act (“IIRIRA”) were not precluded from obtaining relief from removal under former Immigration & Nationality Act § 212(c), because the presumption against retroactive application of statutes does not require a showing of detrimental reliance.

Mr. Ahmad’s litigation efforts have also contributed to developing the U.S. Refugee and Asylum Law. In Henriquez-Rivas v. Holder, 707 F.3d 1081 (9th Cir. 2013) (en banc), he successfully argued that government witnesses who testified against criminal gangs in Central America were members of a cognizable social group for purposes of obtaining Asylum in the United States. In Cordoba v. Holder, 726 F.3d 1106 (9th Cir. 2013), Mr. Ahmad overturned on appeal the denial of Asylum to a Mexican landowner who had been kidnapped and brutally tortured by Los Zetas, a drug cartel in Mexico.

Mr. Ahmad graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island in 2000. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from North Carolina Central University in 1995. Mr. Ahmad regularly hosts MCLE presentations on immigration law to criminal and immigration attorneys.

WAHIDA NOORZAD

Wahida Noorzad is an experienced professional attorney that has comprehensive experience in family and divorce, Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy, and immigration law. She has proven success in legal counseling, litigating domestic violence cases, and prosecuting other cases for clients and employers (including select Pro Bono Legal Services). Time and time again, she had proven capable of interpreting and applying complex regulations and procedures related to child welfare and protective services. She also has over 7 years of significant business management and staff supervisory experience as she successfully operated and managed a small firm. She is a resourceful individual with strong organizational, trial, and communication skills, and is an articulate communicator, with excellent relationship building and coordination skills.

Ms. Noorzad graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with Honors and a Bachelor’s Degree and received her Juris Doctor from the Golden Gate School of Law. She is admitted into the Northern and Eastern District Courts of California.

Bar License #200622

SHARON DIAZ


Sharon Diaz is a Legal Assistant to lawyer Saad Ahmad. Sharon grew up in the Cambrian Area and graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in International Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Studies in 2006. Prior to joining the firm, she was a successful entrepreneur in the insurance industry for over 10 years.  She prides herself in her passionate and heartfelt drive to serve the clients’ best interests. She is dedicated, knowledgeable, and committed to her job.  Sharon is known for integrity, diplomacy and sincerity in all her dealings. In her tenure in the business, she first and foremost strives to be someone in whom the clientele and colleagues can put their faith and trust. Every case, she believes, is always about the client. She follows the belief that, “You are the driver, I am the passenger who’s there to guide, educate, and provide the best service possible.”
Key to Sharon’s success has also been the result of her patient demeanor and dedicated work ethic. She knows how to listen, is generous in offering information, and more importantly, knows when to stop talking. Her main intention is to understand the client’s needs and build a relationship that will last over the course of time. When dealing with important immigration cases,
Sharon is assertive and effective. While she is a strong communicator and advocate for the firm clients, she is just as much a compassionate, friendly, humorous partner who eases a process that can often be quite stressful.