Tiseme G. Zegeye

SAN FRANCISCO - Tiseme G. Zegeye practices civil rights law as a partner at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, where she represents plaintiffs in employment discrimination and women's health individual and class actions. She joined the firm in 2016 following work as a staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York and as a legal fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union Women's Rights Project.

She was born in the UK, the daughter of sociology and human geography professors. Her parents brought her to the U.S. when she was 15. "I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since high school," she said, "telling people's stories and making sure they're heard."

At the Center for Reproductive Rights, she challenged abortion restrictions throughout the country, especially in the South. "Then it was hard, and now it's hard to believe it's even worse as state legislatures get even more aggressive and restrictive," Zegeye said. "It's a scary time."

At Lieff Cabraser, she continued her abortion advocacy by helping draft an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in June, Medical Services LLC v. Russo, 18-1323, arguing on behalf of reproductive justice scholars that a restrictive Louisiana law unconstitutionally imposes significant burdens on a vulnerable group of marginalized women and Black women. The high court agreed in a 5-4 opinion in 2020.

Her current cases at Lieff Cabraser include her representation of victims of the tank-failure destruction of hundreds of frozen eggs and embryos at a fertility clinic in 2018. R.M. v. Pacific Fertility Center, CGC-18-565458 (S.F. Super. Ct., filed April 3, 2018).

Zegeye is plaintiffs' liaison counsel as well as representing individual plaintiffs. "We've managed to make some progress for our clients," she said. The case has settled on undisclosed terms against the clinic and several individual doctors. It is proceeding against the maker of the storage tank, Chart Industries Inc. "We are both negotiating with Chart and preparing for trial," Zegeye said.

"It's been so interesting litigating over both abortion rights and in this fertility clinic case," she said. "Abortion is being regulated out of existence, and with fertility clinics, it's the opposite--there's very little regulation, but there should be to rein in some success rate claims and to impose safety policies to prevent these disasters."

In a federal appeal, Zegeye successfully briefed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals arguments that led to reversal of a district court ruling and a resulting settlement that let non-citizens with Social Security numbers apply for online accounts. Chattopadhyay v. BBVA USA f/k/a Compass Bank, 21-15017 (9th Cir., op. filed Oct. 26, 2021).

"I went to law school thinking I'd always work for nonprofits," Zegeye said. "I'm happy to have found a firm where I can continue challenging injustices."