About Jihad Smaili

Jihad M. Smaili, Esq., is a principal and partner of the firm Smaili & Associates, P.C., in Santa Ana. Mr. Smaili graduated from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (magna cum laude, law review editor), where he received numerous academic awards, and was immediately admitted to the practice of law in September of 2008 in Ohio and was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio in its Corrections Litigation Section in Columbus, Ohio. After serving in that position for a few years, Mr. Smaili was appointed as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the General Felony Unit for Cuyahoga County (Cleveland). Throughout his years of public service, Mr. Smaili tried numerous state and federal bench and jury trials to verdict. After the terrorist attacks on our Country in September, 2001, Mr. Smaili resigned his public position and commenced representing plaintiffs subjected to hate crimes, discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace and in government, defended those accused of politically-motivated crimes and immigration removal proceedings. In 2006, Mr. Smaili moved to California after he accepted an in-house counsel position in the healthcare industry. In 2009, Mr. Smaili commenced representing clients in the areas of employee and employer rights, criminal defense, immigration, civil rights, medical malpractice (plaintiff and defense), and personal injury. Mr. Smaili is admitted to the California and Ohio Bars, 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (argued); United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (trials); United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (trials); All immigration courts (master calendar hearings and individual hearings); United States District Court for the Southern District of California; United States District Court for the Central District of California; United States District Court for the Eastern District of California; Executive Office for Immigration Review Pro Bono Program; Member, A