One To Watch: Adrian Karimi
Adrian Karimi grew up throughout Southern California. “I moved around a lot as a kid, mainly for financial reasons. My mother and I immigrated to the states when I was young. It was tough, and I felt like an outsider sometimes. My mom tried her best to put me in good neighborhoods, with good schools, even though we didn’t fit the demographic profile because we were, you know, immigrants. My mom was a single mom who was struggling to make ends meet. I went to schools with more affluent kids, and I was the one in hand-me-down or older fashion clothes, while everyone else had their new shoes and clothes for the school year,” Adrian said.
“When I was eight years old, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. A lot of that had to do with witnessing what my mom went through. People would try to take advantage of my mom’s inability to understand English well or our social circumstances. It bothered me growing up that, in a sense, the “big people” were taking advantage of the “little people.” No one seemed to hold them accountable. So I wanted to be a lawyer and be the one standing up for the little guy. At my law firm that is what I do; I go against big companies and fight for my clients and the individuals that I represent,” he said.
After high school, Adrian attended UCLA and earned his Bachelor’s degree in History.
While in college, Adrian was in the band, “Translate the Name.” We had a couple of albums and appeared on MTV, and we even toured in the US. It was cool, a fun time,” he said.
After graduating from UNLV, he moved to Las Vegas and attended William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV.
“When I was in law school, I got an externship which is like an internship for the Honorable Justice Pickering of the Nevada Supreme Court, and also for the Honorable Judge Abbi Silver of the Eighth Judicial District Court, Dept. XV in Clark County, Nevada,” he said.
He also worked as a law clerk in private practice.
“After graduation, I got my first job working for a judge, and then I went into private practice, which is where I still am today. I like being able to make a difference for people. They’re looking for someone to help them right the wrong and seek justice for what they’ve gone through. I am able to assist them through their situation, get them their justice, and I’m able to help them; there is nothing more gratifying than that,” he said.
Adrian has been practicing law for about seven years now and explains what sets his law firm apart from the rest in Las Vegas;
“Our law firm doesn’t do big billboards, we exclusively work based on our reputation, and a lot of people come to us based on recommendations and references; we thrive on word of mouth. We take pride in our litigation and going to trial. We’ve been very successful going to trial,” he said.
That success leads to the firm taking on more clients and cases, which has Adrian and his team looking to expand their offices into Northern Nevada, California, and Arizona in 2021.
When Adrian is not in the courtroom, he spends his time giving back to the Las Vegas community.
“I support animal shelters, and I volunteer with Three Square Food Bank. I also support the VGK Foundation, which is a Golden Knights charity arm. I’ve donated heavily to that. I’m a big Golden Knights fan. I stay active with my alma mater UCLA and Boyd Law, and I represent many clients in need pro bono on various legal issues,” he said.
Adrian is also in a soccer league, enjoys attending music venues, sports games, and hiking with his dog, Sadie.
