Overview

Sara Ehsani-Nia advises employers in high-stakes employment litigation, including class, collective, and representative actions in state and federal courts throughout California. Her practice spans a range of industries, including technology, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, logistics, life sciences, and medical devices. She also counsels employers on the full spectrum of California and federal wage-and-hour, discrimination, leave, and privacy laws, helping to design compliant wage-and-hour policies, arbitration programs, and separation frameworks that reduce litigation exposure. Due to her dedication in her practice, Sara has been recognized as a California Super Lawyers Rising Star for six consecutive years (2022–27).

Prior Experience

Sara has litigated hundreds of individual, representative, and class actions, including wage-and-hour class and collective actions, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions, single-plaintiff discrimination and harassment claims, whistleblower retaliation cases, WARN Act matters, fair credit reporting disputes, and wrongful termination claims. Sara regularly manages cases from prelitigation demand through trial, with significant experience obtaining early dispositive rulings.

Personal Interests

In her free time, Sara enjoys visiting national parks. She is also an active member and two-term board member of the Iranian American Bar Association, where she contributes to programming and mentorship initiatives.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

California

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Languages

Farsi

Education

University of California, Davis School of Law
J.D. with Certificates in Immigration Law, Pro Bono, and Public Interest (2018)

University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences
B.A. in American History and Modern Middle East History (2013)

Leadership & Community

Pro Bono

  • Sara works as a volunteer attorney at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a leading international nonprofit organization that protects unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children, where she provides pro bono legal services in immigration and children’s rights matters. She also provides pro bono legal services at Public Counsel, a nonprofit public interest law organization, offering counsel to various nonprofits.

Professional Associations

  • Iranian American Bar Association — Board Member (2018; 2025)

Honors

  • California Super Lawyers — Rising Star, 2022-27
  • Faegre Drinker — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2023-25
  • UC Davis School of Law — Martin Luther King Award, 2018