Shereef Akeel (born April 27, 1965, in

Walnut, California Walnut is a city in the eastern part of Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 28,430. The greater Walnut Valley is located between the steep San Jose Hills to the nort ...

) is an American lawyer notable for pursuing

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

cases.

Early life and education

Shereef Akeel was born on April 27, 1965, in

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. When Akeel was ten years old his family relocated to

Sterling Heights, Michigan Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Sterling Heights is located roughly north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 134,346, placing Sterl ...

, where he spent the remainder of his childhood. Akeel obtained his accounting degree from

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1987, an M.B.A. from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in 1992 and a J.D. from

Michigan State University College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a Public university, public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College o ...

in 1996.

Career

Akeel worked as a

Certified Public Accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Stat ...

through the 1990s, but eventually turned to the legal profession. After obtaining his J.D. degree, he became an associate at the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

of Melamed, Dailey, and Akeel in 1996, becoming a full partner in 2000. Reflecting his business background, his original specialties were

property insurance Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance, or bo ...

contract law A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more Party (law), parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, Service (economics), services, money, or pr ...

, and personal injury law, and did not become involved in

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

law until 2001. However, his focus changed after the

attacks of September 11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. By his account, a

Yemeni American Yemeni Americans are Americans of Yemeni ancestry. According to an estimate in 2020, more than 90,000 Yemenis live in the United States. History Although it is unknown when Yemenis first arrived, it is believed that Yemenis were immigrating t ...

man approached him on September 12, alleging that his employer had summarily fired him, saying "Get out of here. Go tell your leader we don't want you." Since then, Akeel has been representing people in

Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...

who alleged discrimination and specializes in employment and civil rights law. These efforts made national news when he filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of former detainees of

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib ( or ; ) is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghra ...

as well as other detention centers. In March 2004, Akeel was asked to represent a former detainee of Abu Ghraib prison who claimed he had been abused and tortured by American soldiers and civilians hired by the U.S. Army. After reports of abuse began to surface, the US government asked Army major General Antonio Taguba to spearhead a full investigation. In addition to abuse reports, the investigation concluded that two agencies hired by the US government participated and or encouraged the abuses at the Prison. In June 2007, Akeel brought a class action lawsuit against CACI International Inc. and Titan Corp. These two agencies were hired by the U.S. Army to provide translation and interrogation services. Besides his direct legal work, Akeel has been active in civil liberties advocacy, serving on the board of the

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Pontiac, and its largest city is Troy. As of the ...

chapter of the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

since 2004. Akeel had been named as a "Lawyer of the year" for 2004, and "Michigan Super lawyer" for 11 consecutive years from 2006 to 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akeel, Shereef 1965 births Living people People from Walnut, California Muslims from California Michigan lawyers People from Sterling Heights, Michigan American people of Egyptian descent Wayne State University alumni Michigan State University College of Law alumni Ross School of Business alumni Muslims from Michigan