Kurdish-Speaking Attorneys

Xelef L. Botan

Playa Del Rey, CA

XELEF L. BOTAN is an associate at SSJ and licensed to represent clients throughout California. His practice areas include civil litigation, business litigation, employment law, serious personal injury and wrongful death matters, administrative law, alcohol law, and land use. He is particularly interested in the rapidly evolving fields of privacy, artificial intelligence, technology, and telecommunications law, driven by the increasing intersection of these areas with everyday life and business operations. Mr. Botan earned his B.A. in International Relations from Brown University where he became the first student from Turkey to receive a full scholarship. After earning his undergraduate degree, he spent five years in various roles at a multinational technology and home goods company, ultimately serving as Key Account Manager for corporate sales. Mr. Botan went on to earn his M.A. at the University of Chicago on a full scholarship, where his thesis focused on the constitution-building process and political formation of Syrian Kurds in Rojava. He then earned his J.D. at the University of Colorado Law School as a LILAC Fellow, once again receiving a full scholarship. At Colorado, he was a student attorney for their Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law and Policy Clinic representing institutional clients before state and federal level regulatory agencies. During his summers in law school, Mr. Botan also gained hands-on experience through internships with software company Twilio and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Moreover, he also externed at the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office in the Consumer Protection Division.

Rigien Jackson practices transactional law, real estate law, business law, and estate planning (wills, trusts, and probate), with additional experience in commercial and corporate transactions, oil and gas supply chain management, and contract law. She is fluent in English, Kurdish, German, and Arabic.

Zhina Kimiachi

Zhina Kimiachi joined Edwards Duthie Shamash in September 2023 as a Paralegal in the Criminal Department. She obtained her Law LLB from the University of Surrey in 2022 and completed her Master of Laws in Legal Practice (LLM) and the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the University of Law in 2023. She is an Accredited Police Station Representative and has previous experience as a Criminal Paralegal at Bark & Co Solicitors and an internship at Clifford Chance. She is fluent in both Persian and Kurdish.

Mariam Zaadane

Mariam Zaadane joined the firm in June 2025 as a Paralegal in the Media and Employment Department. She studied her undergraduate degree at King’s College London and is now studying her Masters in Law. She has previous experience supporting cases in Criminal Defence (white-collar crime), Family Law, and Property Law. She is fluent in both Persian and Kurdish.