Nakkisa Akhavan

Founder and Principle Attorney

Nakkisa is an experienced employment attorney and founder of the firm, with over a decade of service at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the Los Angeles District Office. There, she held several leadership roles, including Assistant Regional Attorney, and litigated complex employment cases across California and the Pacific region. Her work has focused on discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and equal pay, with a strong emphasis on protecting vulnerable workers.

Before the EEOC, Nakkisa represented employees in plaintiff-side employment law firms. She has handled impactful cases involving agricultural, construction, hospitality, and service workers facing workplace injustice.

Her work has been recognized with numerous awards for excellence in civil rights enforcement and advocacy.

Contact

Education & Credentials

2008

University of California, Berkeley

Nakkisa earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

2012

UCLA School of Law

She earned her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she completed the Critical Race Studies specialization.

Bar and Court Admissions

State of California Courts
United States District Courts, Central District of California, Southern District of California, Northern District of California, and Eastern District of California
United State Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Awards

EEOC Los Angeles District, Champion of Civil Rights Award for tireless efforts and unwavering courage in the pursuit of equality and justice during her tenure with the US EEOC (2025)

EEOC Los Angeles District, Gold Award for Leadership for extraordinary leadership as the Assistant Regional Attorney in leading and inspiring others to advance the core mission of the agency (2025)

EEOC Los Angeles District, Gold Award for Excellence for extraordinary achievement and remarkable contributions in vindicating the rights of vulnerable workers and advancing the civil rights mission of the EEOC (2025)

City of Lancaster commandment from mayor for exceptional achievement in securing a $2,200,000 settlement in EEOC v. Radiant Services Corp. (2024)

City of Lancaster commandment from mayor for exceptional achievement in securing a $2,000,000 settlement in EEOC v. Sunshine Raisin (2024)

EEOC Circle of Excellence Award (2023, Agencywide)

EEOC LADO Gold Award for extraordinary achievement and remarkable contributions that impacted the mission & core organizational values of the EEOC (2022)

EEOC Los Angeles District, Individual Award for excellence in civil rights litigation in fiscal year 2019, impacting the mission of EEOC's core organizational values (2019)

EEOC Los Angeles District, Individual Award for excellence in civil rights litigation in fiscal year 2018, impacting the mission of EEOC's core organizational values (2018)

EEOC Los Angeles District, Group Award for excellence in service to support the national law firm model and support of systemic litigation (2017)

American Bar Association, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, 2026 Mid-Winter Meeting. “Navigating Complex Accommodation Requests” panelist.
American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Section 2024 Conference, “Advanced Discovery Issues in Employment Litigation” panelist
American Bar Association, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, 2024 Mid-Winter Meeting. “Pay Transparency: Navigating the Road to Legal Compliance and Fair Pay” panelist.
American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section 2023 Conference, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and PUMP ACT panel, panelist.
University of Hawaii, Domestic Violence Awareness Month “Accommodations for Pregnancy and Domestic Violence” panelist. October 2023
American Bar Association, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, 2023 Mid-Winter Meeting. “Gab with the Government” informal panel, panelist and “How Far has COVID Opened the Barn Door? The Pandemic’s Impact on Leave and Remote Work as Reasonable Accommodations” panelist.
California Lawyers’ Association, Legal Perspectives, “Civil Rights Legacy: Addressing Workplace Discrimination in Vulnerable Communities Through the Pandemic and Beyond,” co-author. March/June 2022 Editions.
U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, Annual District Court Conference, COVID-19 Challenges to Employment Law and Litigation, speaker July 2021
American Bar Association, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, 2026 Mid-Winter Meeting. “Gab with the Government” informal panel, panelist.

publications & Speaking engagements

Professional memberships

American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
- Employment Rights and Responsibilities Section, Trial and Appellate Advocacy Public Co-Chair (2023-present), Membership Committee co-chair (2025-present)
- Labor & Employment Section Annual Conference, DHR Track Co-Chair (2025-present)
California Lawyers Association, Labor & Employment Section, member
California Employment Lawyers Association, member

get in touch

12100 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 800

Los Angeles, California 90025

213-880-4379

nakkisa@akhlawpc.com

Intake Form

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