Zyreena Choudhry
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Zyreena is a staff attorney at the FVAP Washington office. She previously worked as a fellow, heavily assisting with FVAP’s expansion to Washington. Zyreena attended Seattle University School of Law where she was the Vice President of the Middle Eastern South Asian Law Student Association, Events Coordinator for the International Law Society, and Social Chair for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board. Originally from Southern California, Zyreena moved to Washington for her undergraduate at the University of Washington where she found her passion for helping families navigate the legal system. She worked at the International Rescue Committee providing guidance on family immigration related matters for refugees. During law school, she continued to work in family immigration at a boutique law firm and start-up company. In her final year, she was a student attorney at the Gender Violence Immigration Clinic, working with survivors of domestic violence to obtain VAWA protection. Here, she gained a background in trauma-informed lawyering and community lawyering.
Zyreena studied abroad and worked in South Korea as an English and Debate instructor. She can speak conversational Korean and is an avid fan of Korean dramas. In her free time, she likes to explore new food spots, hike, and watch movies.
October 2023
FVAP is pleased to share that Zyreena Choudhry, Staff Attorney in Washington, has been appointed to serve on the Domestic and Sexual Violence Committee of the Gender and Justice Commission. The committee oversees the Commission’s work on the court system response to gender based violence. Learn more about the commission’s role here.
FVAP in Court Today: Other Side Challenging Order Dismissing Lawsuit Against Survivor
FVAP is representing a survivor where the other side is challenging an order dismissing his lawsuit against the survivor. The other side filed a lawsuit against the survivor for defamation and other alleged civil wrongs after she reported her assault to the police. The trial court correctly dismissed the lawsuit since California has a law that protects survivors from being sued because they report the assault to the police.
This case is important to uphold a survivor’s right to make a good-faith report to the police without fear of retaliation. Our co-counsel at Jones Day will be arguing on our client’s behalf today.
FVAP in Court: Helping Survivor Reunite with Her Child After 6 Years
Today we are representing a survivor who we believe was pressured into allowing temporary guardianship for her baby. Six years later she still has not been reunited with her child. After years of delays the trial court gave permanent guardianship to the child’s grandparents and would not give an explanation for this decision.
FVAP believes the trial court used the wrong criteria and stale evidence to make its order and should have explained decision.
FVAP asked state and national organizations to write a friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief on the impact of trauma, the ability of survivors to heal, and the failure of courts to take these issues into account appropriately when making their decisions. Our co-counsel at Mayer Brown will be arguing on our client’s behalf at approximately 4pm this afternoon.
Court Agrees: Maintain Survivor’s Restraining Order
On August 5, the Court of Appeal issued its opinion in our case of Ashby v. Ashby, where we represented a survivor of domestic violence in defending against her abuser appealing the five-year renewal of her restraining order. In the opinion, the Court of Appeal agreed with us that our client’s five-year restraining order renewal should stay in place.
Legal Chat with FVAP: Litigation Abuse Stories and Strategies
We’re teaming up with California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV) to host bimonthly Legal Chats with FVAP! These are statewide calls open to all CPEDV members. This month’s call is today, August 4 at 11am. The topic is Litigation Abuse: Stories and Strategies. Interested in learning more about calls like this one and how you can attend? Reach out to us at staff@fvaplaw.org.