Alumni Spotlight: A Queen's Kindess
This is a feature also shared in the CWSL Fall 2024 Alumni Magazine. You can find a pdf of these pages here.
Yasmine Djawadian ’09 gives back to California Western School of Law (CWSL) with a new scholarship for first-generation law students.
“I owe CWSL my career and livelihood.” No small statement coming from Yasmine Djawadian ‘09, who, through her own determination and dedication to her clients has made a name for herself as one of San Diego’s leading legal entrepreneurs. Otherwise known as Queen Yasmine, founding partner at Queen Yasmine Injury Law, Yasmine has been named one of San Diego Business Journal’s Women of Influence and Leaders in the Law and one of San Diego Magazine’s Women Rising Stars. Her success is clearly her own and, still, Yasmine says, “California Western gave me so much in the form of education, confidence, and practical skills that I still apply in my line of work every single day. I feel an obligation to give back to a school that always had my back from day one.”
And from day one, Yasmine has lived up to her royal appellation. At CWSL, she served as an associate writer and editor on the California Western Law Review and the International Law Journal and was a Moot Court Honors Board member. “My entire experience at CWSL was positive,” says Yasmine, who was named to the dean’s list every trimester of her tenure. “I loved the grind, the drama at the beginning as a 1L, the (somewhat pathetic) tears in the library from my first research project, and all the amazing students I met who I am still friends with.” Looking back, Yasmine is particularly fond of the practical training and mentorship she received from professors—especially Professor Padilla—and from our alumni network.
Despite her success on campus, when Yasmine graduated in 2009 and passed the bar in 2010, she was confronted with a challenge that would define her career and ultimately make her the success that she is today. “Most firms weren’t interested in hiring new lawyers,” says Yasmine about the global recession that she graduated into, with high interest law school loans in tow. “The prospect was scary to say the least, but I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands and open my own firm.” Despite her fears, Yasmine had been prepared for the moment, able to dive into the deep end of legal practice and take on “all kinds of cases” at the beginning. She is quick to acknowledge the community that helped her—a broad social network throughout San Diego, who, fortunately, happened to need legal counsel. A royal who knows the value of hard work, Yasmine says, “It was up to me to grind and perfect the craft. My clientele grew and catapulted me into my passion, which is helping accident victims obtain the justice and compensation they deserve.” Less than 15 years into her career in personal injury representation, she has already recovered over $1 billion for her clients, and, most importantly, has given “voice and power to those that cannot fight for themselves.”
Yasmine’s passion for giving power to others brings her back to California Western. Alongside her firm, she has been a regular donor to the California Western Innocence and Justice Clinic, and this year she created the Queen Yasmine Academic Achievement Scholarship, which will support a 3L first-generation student who has demonstrated ambition through participation in journals, advocacy teams, or student organization leadership. Yasmine says that she is eager to support “law students who are serious about thriving in their careers, particularly first-generation lawyers.” Having faced adversity at a young age and throughout her career, Yasmine is committed to leveling the legal playing field for the ambitious students that CWSL serves:
“My objective with this scholarship is to reward students who, despite obstacles and a rough start, seek to achieve greatness through a positive mindset and hard work. That fighter mentality is what our next generation of lawyers needs.”
This year, among several accolades she received, Yasmine was named a member of CWSL’s Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. About her decision to deepen her commitment to the school, Yasmine says, “It was a realization that I am getting to an age where I would be well equipped to mentor law students.” And she is especially looking forward to helping students follow in her footsteps … by blazing their own trails: “I would love more students to have the confidence and vigor to start their own firms and to be pioneers in their own legal niches. We need more lawyers to be freethinking, independent, and creative advocates.”
In this way, Yasmine Djawadian and California Western continue to be aligned, looking to give voice to those seeking justice and to provide aspiring lawyers the opportunity to become bold advocates. “CWSL has given its students so much ammunition to thrive in their careers,” says Yasmine. “At the end of the day, we owe our alma mater our livelihoods. It only makes sense for us to give back and support the institution that has allowed us to thrive in our careers.”