About Zain
Zain Shirazi is the founder of Zain Shirazi Law PLLC, a public interest law firm dedicated to advancing justice for employees and marginalized communities. The child of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Zain grew up in Southern California as a first-generation American. After the attacks of 9/11, he watched his family face discrimination firsthand—his father struggled to find steady work, Zain’s brother was singled out at school, and Zain himself was discriminated against in a workplace. Those experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to civil rights and became the foundation of his legal career.
Zain earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, where he specialized in Critical Race Studies and served as an Articles Editor on the UCLA Law Review. He began his career at Jenner & Block LLP, where he led pro bono matters, including an asylum case for a transgender woman from Mexico. Zain then served as a clerk for the Honorable Virginia A. Phillips in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He went on to spend six years as an Assistant Public Defender in Maryland, trying 15 jury trials and over 100 bench trials—including cases carrying potential life sentences. He is also a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College, a renowned trial-skills program for experienced criminal defense attorneys.
From 2021 to 2025, Zain served as Senior Counsel to the Vice Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), advising on complex employment policy issues at the national level, including workplace discrimination, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), and the emerging impact of artificial intelligence on civil rights. In January 2025, Zain was terminated by the incoming Trump Administration—an experience chronicled in the New Yorker article, We Are Considering You as Being Terminated. His time at the EEOC deepened his expertise in employment law and reinforced his belief that workers deserve fierce, knowledgeable advocacy. Zain then spent a year as Of Counsel at the plaintiff-side law firm, Zimmerman Reed LLP, where he fought against business wrongdoing through complex plaintiff-side class actions and whistle-blower cases.
Today, Zain brings that same fight to his own practice. Whether representing employees facing discrimination, retaliation, or wage theft, or defending individuals in criminal matters, he is guided by a simple philosophy: the client comes first. He believes in explaining the law in plain language, laying out every option, and empowering clients to make their own decisions. He never pressures a client to settle for less or go to trial against their wishes. His record—built across courtrooms, federal agencies, and high-stakes litigation—means the other side has to take him seriously.
Zain is licensed to practice in Minnesota, California, and Maryland. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. When he’s not practicing law, Zain enjoys spending time with his family and friends, hiking around Minnesota with his dog, reading a good book, rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers, and shooting hoops with his nephew.