Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP. Focused on transactional law, community economic development, and educational equity.
Yale Law School graduate ('26), former President of the Yale Graduate & Professional Student Senate, Hurst Horizon Scholar, and Chae Leadership Fellow. Based in Los Angeles with roots in California's Inland Empire.
Advising corporate, financial, and emerging market leaders on complex transactions, governance, and regulatory strategy as an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles.
Championing educational equity, pipeline mentorship, and institutional reform—combining legislative advocacy experience in Connecticut with longstanding dedication to expanding higher education access.
Committed to returning to Southern California and the Inland Empire to catalyze local investment, affordable housing development, and equitable economic opportunity.
Saman was raised in San Bernardino, California, in a single-parent, low-income immigrant household.
Growing up during the 2008 financial crisis and watching the City of San Bernardino navigate municipal bankruptcy in 2012, Sam witnessed early on the tangible impact of resource disparity, capital access, and municipal policy on working families. That formative background instilled an abiding determination to understand how legal systems, capital allocation, and public policy can be leveraged to build resilient, flourishing communities.
At UCLA, Sam majored in Public Affairs at the Luskin School of Public Affairs, graduating as a Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service Scholar and leading the Bruin Ambassadors Program to broaden higher education access for low-income students across Los Angeles.
Following college, Sam deepened his cross-sector experience as a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs in Southern California, advising on small-business financing and affordable housing development before matriculating at Yale Law School. Today, he practices transactional law at Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles.
“I am leaving with massive debt — of gratitude. To the family, friends, educators, and community who made this possible: thank you is not enough. I commit to paying it forward through my practice of law and the ways I show up for the people around me... bringing everything I have learned home to the community I love.”
— Saman Haddad (Yale Law School Graduation Reflection)
Recipient of Yale Law School's landmark need-based full-tuition scholarship, fostering professional autonomy and community-focused public service.
Selected fellow in the Tsai Leadership Program at Yale Law School, integrating business, strategy, and legal training.
Dedicated to bridging the gap between national policy discourse and the economic realities of Southern California's Inland Empire.
New Haven, Connecticut
Luskin School of Public Affairs • Los Angeles, California
Advising corporate, financial, and institutional clients across complex transactional matters, regulatory strategy, and corporate governance at a premier global law firm.
Gained substantive legal experience across complex transactional matters, regulatory strategy, and commercial litigation at one of the nation's preeminent law firms.
Completed intensive 9-month leadership incubator across Southern California’s public, private, and civic sectors. Conducted field engagements in small-business financing, municipal policy, and affordable housing development.
Selected first-generation legal fellow receiving rigorous mentorship on law firm economics, commercial litigation, firm formation, and building sustainable careers in the legal profession.
Advised social-impact startups and community entities through both the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Clinic and the Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development.
Elected to lead the representative body for 8,750+ graduate and professional students across Yale University's 14 schools.
Codified the Senate's inaugural legislative policy platform to systematically champion student priorities across campus, city, and state levels.
Co-led institutional oversight for the major multi-million-dollar renovation of 204 York Street, home to GPSS headquarters and Gryphon's Pub.
Partnered with undergraduate leadership to champion Connecticut state legislation banning legacy preference admissions (Senate Bill 203).
Prioritized safeguarding international and non-citizen students, defending academic inquiry, and bolstering basic needs security across graduate programs.
Co-authored by Saman Haddad and Birikti Kahsai. Making the ethical and institutional case for eliminating legacy admissions preferences (Senate Bill 203) to ensure higher education opportunities remain genuinely meritocratic and accessible to low-income and first-generation applicants.
Read Op-Ed →National op-ed analyzing the historical roots and empirical data of legacy admissions. Discusses how institutional ties entrench generational wealth advantages and articulates why students of color and future alumni must lead the effort to dismantle hereditary preference.
Read Commentary →Testifying before the Connecticut General Assembly's Higher Education Committee at the State Capitol on Senate Bill 203. Reading a resolution on behalf of the Graduate & Professional Student Senate urging the state legislature to eliminate barriers for first-generation students.
Read Coverage →In-depth student profile on how need-based aid alters the life trajectory of first-generation law students, enabling clinical immersion, public interest devotion, and plans to catalyze community economic development in California's Inland Empire.
Read Profile →Whether discussing transactional law, community economic development in Southern California, venture formation, or educational access, feel free to reach out.