Criminal Defense Attorney
bright and intelligent star in our community, Alaleh Kamran Shoa is a criminal defense attorney working in California. For an accomplished person who has traveled the world and is very curious, Alaleh has her work cut out for her in this exciting and often dangerous field.
Tell us a little about your childhood and your educational background.
Alaleh Kamran: I grew up in Tehran and attended Lycee Razi until the beginning of 8th grade. My memories of Tehran are snowy white winters skiing in Shemshak, cutting school in the afternoons with my school buddies and going over to Park Saee with my skateboard… or going over to the Ice Palace when we should have been in class.
I remember hanging out at the Music Store of EXIR department store listening to “Top of the Pops” or “Demis Roussos” or “Joe Dassin” and “Jean Michelle Jarre”. I remember hanging out at Abdo’s bowling, racing the miniature racecars, or roller-skating…
Then we had the revolution, and to make a long story short, my family and I eventually moved to Clovis, the suburbs of Fresno, Ca. (Fresno is California’s armpit… Clovis is the armpit of the Armpit!!) I finished High School in Fresno and attended Cal State University Fresno, and then Cal State University Northridge. I graduated college before my 21st birthday… I then back-packed Europe and eventually went to law school. That’s when I had to finally grow up.
SR: When did you become interested in law and what prompted your interest?
AK: I became interested in the Law on November 6, 1978. That’s the day the British Embassy was set on Fire by the demonstrators in Tehran… that’s the day thousands took to the streets… that’s the day when I, as a 12 year old was watching the news and listening to the radio, and could not understand why people had to burn things and shout in the streets to have their voices heard… That’s the day someone told me that: “ we need better laws and people who write better laws and people who properly implement these laws”. That’s when I decided I wanted to become an attorney.
SR: Tell us about your clients and what its like to be in this area of law.
AK: I am a criminal defense attorney. But really, I am a defender of the Constitution. I make sure that tainted evidence is not admitted into Court. I make sure that the laws are not abrogated in the name of efficiency of the justice system. I represent little guys charged w/ Driving under the Influence, or Petty Theft or regular bar fights, to Murder and Rape charges, Major Drug Smugglers, Money Laundering and tax Evasion charges… I represent the Topless bar dancer who was popped on Prostitution charges, to the Wall Street Businessman who got caught up in financial crimes… I deal with DNA science, with Gun Shot Residue science, with fingerprint and voiceprint identification … It’s fabulously exciting!
SR: What’s it like working in this field. Do you find it dangerous?
AK: It could be dangerous…It’s exciting, it’s new, it’s challenging… my clients are real, with real life problems and real life dilemnas… We deal with life and death issues, with 3 strike laws, with life sentences, … I deal with lives gone to waste and situations that require passion, equity, justice, perseverance, faith, and a damn good fight…
SR: What is the scariest or unbelievable situation you have been in?
AK: I can think of so many crazy and wild situations… some of which are classified because of the political slant that they have. However, I can share a story about a firm that I was working for at the beginning of my career, and it turns out that my boss not only was not an attorney, but was a federal probationer who was posing as an attorney… and he was arrested, again, when he tried to bribe some federal official in Arkansas!! Talk about unreal… We, (the attorneys working at the firm) had to go to the Feds for protection… and get the FBI and IRS to back us up because we didn’t know if someone was gonna kill us or not!!
SR: Desert Island. Three things. What will you take?
AK: (is this a life sentence that you are sending me on this deserted island, or am I coming back at some point? Is this an island like the Maldives? Or are you sending me to the freaking Antarctica? For purposes of your question, I will assume you are sending me to the Maldives, for a limited amount of time.
1) My laptop with a hand crank and satellite connection (like the one created by Nicholas Negroponte for the One LapTop per Child Project). My laptop would be complete with all my music and all the books that I’ve been wanting to read but have not had the time.
2) A gun… to shoot myself if I get too lonely and this is a life sentence on Antarctica
3) An Amnesiac… to forget the past, so that I won’t miss anyone… and therefore, would be able to enjoy the moment!!
Quikfacts:
Favorite Color: depending on my mood, and boy… do I have moods!!!
Favorite City: Sevilla, Spain during the Feria
Favorite Dish: BBQ Ribs w/ Side of Ceasar Salad and Corn Bread
Favorite Drink: Silver El Patron Tequilla Straight up.
Languages: Farsi, French, Spanish and English
Currently Reading: “Women who Run with the Wolves”
Tell us a little about your childhood and your educational background.
Alaleh Kamran: I grew up in Tehran and attended Lycee Razi until the beginning of 8th grade. My memories of Tehran are snowy white winters skiing in Shemshak, cutting school in the afternoons with my school buddies and going over to Park Saee with my skateboard… or going over to the Ice Palace when we should have been in class.
I remember hanging out at the Music Store of EXIR department store listening to “Top of the Pops” or “Demis Roussos” or “Joe Dassin” and “Jean Michelle Jarre”. I remember hanging out at Abdo’s bowling, racing the miniature racecars, or roller-skating…
Then we had the revolution, and to make a long story short, my family and I eventually moved to Clovis, the suburbs of Fresno, Ca. (Fresno is California’s armpit… Clovis is the armpit of the Armpit!!) I finished High School in Fresno and attended Cal State University Fresno, and then Cal State University Northridge. I graduated college before my 21st birthday… I then back-packed Europe and eventually went to law school. That’s when I had to finally grow up.
SR: When did you become interested in law and what prompted your interest?
AK: I became interested in the Law on November 6, 1978. That’s the day the British Embassy was set on Fire by the demonstrators in Tehran… that’s the day thousands took to the streets… that’s the day when I, as a 12 year old was watching the news and listening to the radio, and could not understand why people had to burn things and shout in the streets to have their voices heard… That’s the day someone told me that: “ we need better laws and people who write better laws and people who properly implement these laws”. That’s when I decided I wanted to become an attorney.
SR: Tell us about your clients and what its like to be in this area of law.
AK: I am a criminal defense attorney. But really, I am a defender of the Constitution. I make sure that tainted evidence is not admitted into Court. I make sure that the laws are not abrogated in the name of efficiency of the justice system. I represent little guys charged w/ Driving under the Influence, or Petty Theft or regular bar fights, to Murder and Rape charges, Major Drug Smugglers, Money Laundering and tax Evasion charges… I represent the Topless bar dancer who was popped on Prostitution charges, to the Wall Street Businessman who got caught up in financial crimes… I deal with DNA science, with Gun Shot Residue science, with fingerprint and voiceprint identification … It’s fabulously exciting!
SR: What’s it like working in this field. Do you find it dangerous?
AK: It could be dangerous…It’s exciting, it’s new, it’s challenging… my clients are real, with real life problems and real life dilemnas… We deal with life and death issues, with 3 strike laws, with life sentences, … I deal with lives gone to waste and situations that require passion, equity, justice, perseverance, faith, and a damn good fight…
SR: What is the scariest or unbelievable situation you have been in?
AK: I can think of so many crazy and wild situations… some of which are classified because of the political slant that they have. However, I can share a story about a firm that I was working for at the beginning of my career, and it turns out that my boss not only was not an attorney, but was a federal probationer who was posing as an attorney… and he was arrested, again, when he tried to bribe some federal official in Arkansas!! Talk about unreal… We, (the attorneys working at the firm) had to go to the Feds for protection… and get the FBI and IRS to back us up because we didn’t know if someone was gonna kill us or not!!
SR: Desert Island. Three things. What will you take?
AK: (is this a life sentence that you are sending me on this deserted island, or am I coming back at some point? Is this an island like the Maldives? Or are you sending me to the freaking Antarctica? For purposes of your question, I will assume you are sending me to the Maldives, for a limited amount of time.
1) My laptop with a hand crank and satellite connection (like the one created by Nicholas Negroponte for the One LapTop per Child Project). My laptop would be complete with all my music and all the books that I’ve been wanting to read but have not had the time.
2) A gun… to shoot myself if I get too lonely and this is a life sentence on Antarctica
3) An Amnesiac… to forget the past, so that I won’t miss anyone… and therefore, would be able to enjoy the moment!!
Quikfacts:
Favorite Color: depending on my mood, and boy… do I have moods!!!
Favorite City: Sevilla, Spain during the Feria
Favorite Dish: BBQ Ribs w/ Side of Ceasar Salad and Corn Bread
Favorite Drink: Silver El Patron Tequilla Straight up.
Languages: Farsi, French, Spanish and English
Currently Reading: “Women who Run with the Wolves”
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