Education and Community Service
Nadia Shahram has been a distinguished Mediator and practicing Attorney in Western New York since 2001. She is a member of the Erie County Bar Association and the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation.
A proud member of the Buffalo community for about four decades, she obtained her undergraduate degree from the School Of Management at the University Of Buffalo in 1988 and her JD from the UB School of Law in 1997.
Since 2011, Ms. Shahram serves on the board of the Family Justice Center of Erie County, and is the founder and Executive Director of the Coalition for the Advancement of Moslem Women. She is the architect behind the ‘Declaration of Equalities for Moslem Women’ which is on permanent exhibit at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and at the University at Buffalo School of Law, its place of origin and where Ms. Shahram taught ‘The Effects of Religion and Culture on Family Law’.
Since 2010, she has collaborated and served in an advisory capacity to numerous cultural, civic, humanitarian, and educational organizations, including Journey’s End Refugee Services, Buffalo Public Schools, Erie County Court, The International Institute, The Massachusetts Avenue Project and the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
Ms. Shahram has been the recipient of a number of honors in recognition of her philanthropic work and dedication to the community. These include, Business First Women of Influence, Buffalo Law Journal Legal Elite, Buffalo Leadership Diversity Award, Spirit of Women, and many others. Her Raising Hope initiative raised over one hundred thousand dollars to endow and support Domestic Violence services offered through The Family Justice Center.
Currently, Ms. Shahram is devoted to helping displaced refugee families through a number grass-roots initiatives including, cultural and educational programing, pro-bono legal services and representation, partnerships with local businesses such as City Mattress to distribute beds to needy families, and various programs promoting economic empowerment in the local immigrant community. Ms. Shahram and the Coalition for the Advancement of Moslem Women realize that education is a golden key to the door of economic success, yet many young Moslem women may not have the financial means to continue their studies beyond high school. Every spring her committee reviews hundreds of applications and rewards two young ladies partial scholarships as an investment in their future as active, productive and confident community leaders.
As an avid writer, Ms. Shahram makes regular contributions to the Buffalo News and The Erie County Bar Bulletin. Her Novel “Marriage on the Street Corners of Tehran” came from years of legal research into the injustice and exploitation of women in Iran. Ms. Shahram is one of five local individuals featured for their human rights work in an exhibit at the newly opened Niagara Falls Underground Heritage Center.
Nadia lives in Amherst, New York and dedicates her relentless drive and energy in her philanthropic pursuits to her two wonderful daughters and her beloved mother, who taught Nadia that every soul is worthy of dignity and independence; inspiring Nadia to offer her gifts in the service of others.
