Sonia is a paralegal with Vasseghi Budd PLLC and has over ten years of experience in the legal field. Prior to joining the firm, Sonia worked for the U.S. Department of State, and several prominent and national law firms. In these positions, she specialized in litigation and has extensive experience assisting attorneys with all stages of the litigation process. This experience includes serving as an integral member of trial teams across the country.

Sonia has worked on a variety of cases including civil, criminal, and complex commercial matters. Her pro bono work included family, immigration and civil rights cases. She was nominated for the 2012 and 2013 Colorado Bar Association and Rocky Mountain Paralegal Association’s Pro Bono Paralegal of the Year Awards. Sonia also served as Legal Volunteer Coordinator for Denver’s Project Homeless Connect and as a member of her firm’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee.

Sonia holds a Paralegal Certificate from an ABA-approved paralegal program and a Master’s degree in international studies. She is also proficient in Spanish.

Jimmy focuses his practice on civil litigation, investigations, and strategic counseling. Jimmy joined Vasseghi Budd Law as counsel after working in the Office of the General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security and at several large law firms. Jimmy brings a wealth of litigation and counseling experience to our firm, having litigated cases in federal and state court and before administrative bodies, and having advised nonprofits, small and large companies, and a major government agency. Jimmy’s experience has taught him that good lawyering is fundamentally about problem-solving, and that often the best litigation strategies are those that avoid litigation entirely.

After graduating from Stanford Law School, Jimmy clerked for the Honorable Beverly B. Martin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Jimmy is active in the Fairfax County community, having served on several county boards and commissions and is the immediate past chair of the Fairfax County Police Civilian Review Panel.

Erin focuses her practice on employment law and civil litigation. Erin joined Vasseghi Budd as an associate after clerking for the Firm while awaiting her bar results.

Erin graduated from the University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law where she focused her studies on business, employment, and disability/special education law. Her passion for disability and employment law brought her to the Civil Rights of Persons with Disabilities Clinic, where she provided legal assistance and advice to clients with disabilities in conjunction with the National Association of the Deaf and supervised other clinic students. While she was in law school, she was able to gain experience through various clerkships, such as working for a mid-sized law firm and a sole employment law practitioner in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Although Erin is a recent graduate, she is no stranger to the law, because she comes from a family of attorneys. Her first negotiation occurred at the age of two when she said, “lets negotiate a Hershey kiss for breakfast,” rather than eat her oatmeal and she began assisting her mother with document production at age five.

Since joining the firm, Sai has worked on various matters involving all aspects of employment litigation, including cases involving discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, disability and/or LGBTQ+ status, retaliation, and wage and hour violations. In her previous position, Sai completed a judicial clerkship at the New Jersey Superior Court, Burlington Vicinage for the Honorable Sander D. Friedman.

Sai graduated from Rutgers Law School in 2021. She served as Senior Editor of the Rutgers Race and Law Review. While in law school, Sai completed an externship at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Federal Sector Hearings Unit, where she clerked for the Honorable Iris Santiago-Flores, A.J. In her third year, she represented indigent clients who sought disability benefits as a clinical law student in the Civil Justice Clinic.

Prior to joining law school, Sai worked at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, where she facilitated and expedited the processing of international business travel visas to over twenty countries for large U.S. corporations.

Sai is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and is expecting her Washington D.C. bar admission by May 2023.

Gabrielle Graves is a law clerk with Vasseghi Budd PLLC. Gabrielle is in her final year as a law student at George Mason University.

Prior to starting law school, Gabrielle spent several years working as a project manager at a D.C.-based financial consulting firm. In her previous career, Gabrielle was exposed to transactional work on a wide variety of matters at the intersection of tax, business, and employment law. Gabrielle has helped countless D.C.-area small businesses with registration, organization, and ongoing compliance, and enjoyed cultivating close working relationships with clients in the process. Gabrielle’s experience resolving tax controversy matters required tenacity and a strong eye for detail, both strengths that she brings to the table at Vasseghi Budd.

While in school, Gabrielle has had the opportunity to explore employment law in both the public and private sectors through various internships. Gabrielle serves as the Managing Editor for the George Mason Civil Rights Law Journal and is looking forward to the upcoming publication of her student article. She is also involved with the American Constitution Society, both as a national member and as her student chapter’s Vice President of Administration.

Candace Forte is a law clerk with Vasseghi Budd PLLC. Candace is a second-year law student with an extensive career in human resources. 

Prior to starting law school at Marquette University Law School, Candace had a career in human resources and has experience managing human resources functions for small and mid-sized companies. She has drafted personnel policies, conducted workplace investigations, represented organizations in unemployment hearings, and negotiated settlements for wage & hour claims. Candace is skilled in conducting compensation studies as well as modernizing job classification systems. Candace can ensure that organizations are compliant with all federal, state, and local employment laws. 

Candace has a special skill of resolving workplace issues while recognizing and satisfying the needs and interests of employers and employees. She provides effective recommendations to employers while ensuring that employees rights and interests are protected.