Shirin Afsous
Shirin Afsous is a senior associate attorney at Livesay & Myers, P.C., practicing exclusively family law. She is experienced in handling every type of family law matter in Virginia, including separation, divorce, custody and support cases. Ms. Afsous works in the firm’s offices in Fairfax and Arlington, and represents clients in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria and all across Northern Virginia.
Originally from Fairfax, Ms. Afsous earned her law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, where she graduated cum laude with a Trial and Appellate Concentration, with distinction. Before law school, Ms. Afsous graduated cum laude from the University of Mary Washington.
Ms. Afsous is known for her commitment to her clients, and is an aggressive and zealous advocate for their interests both inside and outside the courtroom. Her satisfied clients have written some truly exceptional and heartfelt reviews expressing their thanks for her work (see Client Reviews below).
Ms. Afsous was included in the 2021 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for her work in Family Law. She was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2019–2020. Ms. Afsous currently holds a perfect 10.0 rating from both Avvo and Justia.
Ms. Afsous is fluent in both English and Farsi.
Shirin Afsous resides with her husband in Northern Virginia.
Client Reviews
Bar Admissions
- Virginia, 2016
- District of Columbia Bar, 2017
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2017
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 2018
Honors and Awards
- Included in the 2021 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for her work in Family Law
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2019–2020
- Clients’ Choice Award, Avvo, 2020
- Top 10 Family Law Attorneys Under 40 in Virginia, National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, 2018
- Top Contributor Award, Avvo, 2018
Professional Associations
- Virginia State Bar
- Arlington County Bar Association
- Fairfax Bar Association
- Virginia Women Attorneys Association
- Iranian-American Bar Association, D.C. Chapter (Board Member)
- Young Lawyers Conference of the Virginia State Bar (Events Editor for Docket Call)
- University of Mary Washington Legal Affinity Group (Membership Chair)
Legal Writing
- Passports for Minor Children Where Parents Share Joint Custody
- Enforcing Islamic Marital Agreements in Virginia Courts
- Proving Hate: The Difficulties of Successfully Prosecuting Bias-Motivated Crimes, 22 SUFFOLK J. TRIAL & APP. ADV 273 (2017)
- Convicted as a Kid, Deported as an Adult: Conviction Under State Youth Offender Act Predicates Aspiring American’s Deportation, 19 SUFFOLK J. TRIAL & APP. ADV. 467 (2014)
- View all blog articles by Shirin Afsous
Professional Experience
- Livesay & Myers, P.C., Senior Associate Attorney, 2020–Present
- Livesay & Myers, P.C., Associate Attorney, 2017–2020
- Honorable José M. López, Superior Court of District of Columbia, Washington D.C., Judicial Law Clerk, 2015–2017
Education
- Suffolk University Law School, J.D., graduated cum laude, Trial and Appellate Concentration, with distinction. Honors and Activities: Dean’s List; Dean’s Public Citizenship Award; Pro Bono Honors Award; Moot Court Honor Board; Suffolk Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, Comment Editor; Third Year Trial Competition Finalist; Third Year Appellate Advocacy Competition Quarter Finalist; Second Year Trial Competition Semi-Finalist; Second Year Appellate Competition Quarter Finalist; Research Assistant to Professor Sarah Boonin on issue of Social Security survivor benefits and the ten-year marriage duration rule (Ten Years Too Long—Reforming Social Security’s Marriage Duration Requirement in Cases of Domestic Violence, 39 Harv. J.L. & Gender 369).
- University of Mary Washington, B.A., cum laude
Community Involvement
- Ms. Afsous served as an attorney volunteer in the Color of Justice Program in both 2018 and 2019. This annual event seeks to encourage diversity in the law while providing 7th to 12th grade students a glimpse into the American legal system. The program is made possible through a collaboration of various bar associations in the Northern Virginia legal community, and through the support of attorney volunteers like Ms. Afsous.
