Shams Hirji

Shams H. Hirji is a relentless litigator and strategic advisor for businesses and entrepreneurs. Shams has successfully briefed and argued numerous appeals in state and federal court. He has played leading roles on trial teams in bet-the-company disputes. And he has counseled businesses and individuals on day-to-day legal issues so they can avoid litigation entirely or set themselves up for success if litigation becomes necessary. Before joining ABKF, Shams worked as a trial lawyer at a Manhattan litigation boutique, an appellate lawyer in one of the world’s largest law firms, and a Deputy Solicitor General in the Office of the Ohio Solicitor General. Earlier in his career, Shams served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable John B. Nalbandian of the Sixth Circuit and to the Honorable Douglas R. Cole of the Southern District of Ohio.

Entrepreneurship is in Shams’s blood. He is the son of immigrants from East Africa who built a successful small-business franchise that now spans multiple states. In everything he does, Shams applies the lessons he learned from his father and grandfather about business, resilience, and service to others.

Shams earned his law degree from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California. He lives in West Chester, Ohio, with his wife and best friend, Kimberly, and their daughter, Hazel, who loves to smile.

Shams is licensed to practice law in Ohio, California, and New York.