Shahad Atiya with her family

Shahad Atiya-Wayne State University Law School –juris doctor degree

Shahad Atiya, 28, an Iraqi immigrant, has accomplished some noteworthy feats since moving to metro Detroit with her family in 2000. 

She’s since obtained her undergraduate from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in political science. She moved to India for a  summer to do human rights work. She also served a stint as a law clerk under a special counsel appointed by Attorney General Bill Schuette for the Flint Water Crisis. 

But Atiya says none of those projects hold a candle to graduating from Wayne State Law School with a juris doctor degree.

“My parents have always stressed education,” she said. “My mom said it’s the one thing no one can take away from you. It’s even more evident by the fact that they both went back to school when they came here as adults. I didn’t know what that meant until I completed law school. I’ve gone my whole life with people saying they are proud of me and I’d smile and say thank you. But finally, last week, I was proud of myself.”

While at law school, Atiya participated in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition, where her team of Wayne State students advanced to international rounds and came in 31st place out of 600 teams representing more than 90 countries. Atiya herself was recognized as the 66th best oralist in the competition.

Atiya said working under Todd Flood of Flood Law, the legal team hired by Schuette to investigate the Flint Water Crisis, hit close to home for her. 

She said she is proud to be the only Muslim and Arab woman on the special counsel, but wishes there was more diversity in the field. She encourages Arab American women to pursue a career in law, adding that she’s already noticing that the tides have changed.

“The profession of law is not as diverse as it should be,” Atiya said. “I feel that as an Arab American, especially as a female immigrant from Iraq, I take great pride in the fact that the top students in my class happened to be females. Many of them are first generation Americans.”

Atiya is now studying for her bar exam and is aiming to be a criminal defense attorney, stating that she wants to serve the community by assisting Arab Americans and immigrants who don’t utilize their rights. 

“In our community it’s a taboo to say you had a run-in with the law,” Atiya said. “Because of the connotation of getting in trouble, people from our community turn to lawyers who don’t serve their needs. I think I understand those needs because I come from an immigrant background. It’s more important to get you the right legal help than to cover it up. This issue is even more important for immigrants, because there is a lot more at stake. They can get kicked out of the country for getting in trouble. They should know they have legal recourse options and I think I can address those needs.”