Dean Haider Ala Hamoudi, University of Cincinnati College of Law. Dean Hamoudi is the principal academic and executive officer of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. In this role, he oversees all operations of the college, working closely with the Dean’s Leadership Team to advance the strategic priorities of the college. In addition, Dean Hamoudi is the Editor-in-Chief of the Arab Law Quarterly and is currently focused on revitalizing and restoring the scholarly reputation of Quarterly as the most highly regarded and widely distributed law journal addressing matters of Arab law in the English language.

Dean Hamoudi’s scholarship focuses on Middle Eastern and Islamic law. As concerns Islamic law, and specifically Islamic finance, his approach has been to focus on the manner in which modern legal actors, with their own preexisting political, social, economic and ideological dispositions, interpret and apply Islamic law as part of the positive law of contemporary states. His scholarship on the law of the Middle East focusses on the law as it operates in the field rather than as it exists in texts and commentaries. He received his B.Sc. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a JD from Columbia Law School, and a JSD from Columbia Law School.

Shahed Al-asadi, Esq., Abercrombie & Fitch. Ms. Al-Asadi is senior legal counsel-retail operations at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. She has served in several roles at Abercrombie, including assistant legal counsel, associate legal counsel, and legal counsel. Prior to joining the company, she worked for Themis Bar Grader, providing substantive feedback for JD candidates taking the bar. Al-asadi’s previous work experience also included working as a staff assistant for Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s Office. She received her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and her JD from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Roula Allouch, Esq., Bricker Graydon LLP.   Ms. Allouch is a trial attorney with experience handling a range of litigation matters including in the areas of employment, commercial disputes, civil rights, personal injury, and appeals. She is an active member of the legal community and the community at large.  She served as chair of the National Board of Directors of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest civil rights and advocacy group for the American Muslim community, for eight years and now serves as an inaugural co-chair on its Enmeritus Board. In addition, she is chair of the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights and serves on the leadership council for the Association’s Section for Civil Rights and Social Justice. Allouch earned her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Kentucky and her JD from the University of Kentucky College of Law.  She is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts in Kentucky and Ohio and before the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

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