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LOS ANGELES, CA — Indian American attorney Firdaus Dordi, a former public defender and co-founder of the Dordi, Williams, Cohen law firm, has been appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown to the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Dordi is the nation’s first Zoroastrian judge, according to the South Asian Bar Association. He is the fifth South Asian state court judge in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I’m very thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in this capacity, serving the public to promote fairness,” says Dordi, 46.
“As an immigrant, I have always felt very fortunate in what my family and I have been given by this country. This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community,” he said, adding that he has focused his career on assisting people who would otherwise not have access to the legal system.
On January 18, Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s Los Angeles chapter will honor Dordi with their annual award for pro bono work.
Dordi served as a public defender for more than 14 years in the Central District of California before establishing his firm in 2014. As a public defender, he would frequently reach out to AAAJ when his clients needed “wrap-around” services.
The organization now reaches out to Dordi primarily for human trafficking cases, in which a victim is often caught up in being part of the criminal activity in the trafficking scheme. “He will always work through the tricky criminal issues with me,” said Hoq.
Dordi earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has not yet begun to serve, and has not yet been assigned to a court.