Roya Samarghandi, LLM

Roya Samarghandi grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Miami University. Thereafter, she received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law, graduating cum laude. She also holds a Masters of Law (LLM) Degree in International Human Rights from the University of Nottingham School of Law (U.K.), receiving merit honors.

Roya is the founder of Carmel Law, LLC, which she launched in 2015 to meet the needs of low and moderate-income clients through the implementation of transparent and predictable pricing and the leveraging of technology. Her practice is focused on civil rights, criminal defense, and family law, including divorce, child custody, adoptions, and Department of Children and Family Services administrative appeals. Further, she is a court-appointed Guardian ad litem and Child Representative, where she advocates for the best interests of minor children in contested custody matters.

Roya is a proud alumna of the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP), an eighteen-month incubator program dedicated to establishing innovative and socially conscious law firms. She is currently an elected member of the JEP’s Advisory Board. Additionally, she presently serves as the Chairwoman of the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services’ Junior Board. She also volunteers with CVLS, First Defense Legal Aid, the National Lawyers Guild – Chicago Chapter, and PAWS Chicago. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, and the Women's Criminal Defense Bar Association.