Arezou Bakhtjou

Arezou Bakhtjou is an Iranian-American criminal defense attorney, human rights activist, and legislative advocate. She is a speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the elimination of bias in the practice of law. Ms. Bakhtjou is currently a content attorney at CEB.

Ms. Bakhtjou practiced mainly indigent defense for 12 years in California. She is a zealous advocate, litigator, and has conducted several trials. Ms. Bakhtjou has obtained successful outcomes for her clients including through jury trials. She obtained her BS in Chemistry from Tehran, Iran and her law degree in Orange County, California. Ms. Bakhtjou is fluent in Farsi and is passionate about criminal justice, gender and racial equity, as well as diversity and inclusion.

In 2019, Ms. Bakhtjou was invited to testify before the American Bar Association Women in Criminal Justice Task Force (WCJ TF) and was awarded the WCJ TF Certificate of Appreciation. She has authored numerous articles including "60 Years After Gideon v. Wainwright, Reflecting on How California Pioneered the Idea of the Public Defender.” Ms. Bakhtjou has served two terms as the Governor for California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ), and has also served on CACJ Legislative Committee. She has also served two terms on the Alameda County Judicial Appointments Evaluation Committee. Ms. Bakhtjou is currently serving on San Francisco Justice and Equity for Transformation Council. She has been invited by bar associations to speak on Diversity, Inclusion, and Gender Bias in the Practice of Law.