Surya A. Iyer

Surya A. Iyer is an associate attorney at Shaw Bransford & Roth. Mr. Iyer recently joined the law firm after completing a clerkship for the Honorable Steven M. Weller in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Prior to his clerkship, Mr. Iyer served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Iyer looks forward to transitioning his practice into federal employment law and will be providing representation to employees and federal agencies involved in a variety of issues, including civil and administrative litigation, government investigations, public employee disciplinary actions, and security clearance proceedings.

About Mr. Iyer

Mr. Iyer joined Shaw Bransford & Roth in June 2024. Mr. Iyer brings years of litigation experience to the firm, both as a prosecutor and as a judicial law clerk. His experience ranges from conducting criminal investigations, grand jury presentations, briefing and arguing dispositive motions, trying cases, and drafting judicial opinions. Before joining the firm, Mr. Iyer served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Steven M. Wellner at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia where he advised and drafted decisions on the criminal and domestic relations dockets. Mr. Iyer began his career as an Assistant District Attorney at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he investigated and prosecuted a variety of criminal offenses including serious sexual assaults, violent weapons offenses, and investigations concerning human trafficking.

Mr. Iyer graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School. While in law school, Mr. Iyer participated in D.C. Law Students in Court, now known as Rising for Justice, where he represented indigent clients accused of misdemeanor offenses

in D.C. Superior Court, as well as individuals facing removal bond proceedings. Additionally, Mr. Iyer interned in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and assisted with civil defensive litigation under Federal employment discrimination laws and the Federal Tort Claims Act. Mr. Iyer also interned with the Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement, where he participated in asset management investigations and assisted Commission attorneys in preparing for administrative hearings and dispositive briefings. Also while in law school, Mr. Iyer served as an intern in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, in the Human Trafficking Unit, and as a legal intern for the Honorable Paul L. Friedman in the District Court for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Iyer earned B.A.s in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan.


Areas of Practice

  • Federal Personnel and Employment Law

  • Private Sector Employers

  • Federal Agency (GSA Schedule) Legal Services

  • Security Clearances

  • FOIA and Privacy Act

  • Association Law

Bar & Court Admissions

  • New York

  • District of Columbia

Education

  • B.A., University of Michigan

  • J.D., George Washington University Law School, with honors