professional bio
Dr. Elham Amiri brings a rare combination of medical training, pharmaceutical litigation experience, and hands-on workers’ compensation defense insight. She understands the clinical basis of injuries, how applicants’ attorneys inflate claims, and the importance of balancing an aggressive defense with cost-effective resolution.
Medical Training and Clinical Expertise
Dr. Amiri completed medical school and psychiatric residency training (including a neurology rotation) in Iran before passing the USMLE and earning ECFMG certification. She pursued further psychiatric research alongside clinical work in rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes, gaining valuable background in internal medicine and geriatrics. This foundation gives her a distinct advantage in evaluating complex psychiatric, head trauma, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) claims, enabling her to scrutinize records, evaluate diagnoses, and pinpoint preexisting conditions and age-related comorbidities with precision.
Legal and Litigation Experience
After graduating from Chapman University Fowler School of Law, Dr. Amiri applied her medical background to high-stakes pharmaceutical and mass tort litigation, including matters involving Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis. Having reviewed more than 70,000 medical records, she developed a sharp ability to interpret subtle clinical findings and evaluate critical evidence to support litigation strategy.
Workers’ Compensation Defense Advantage
Dr. Amiri collaborates closely with her husband, a respected QME focusing on complex neuroscience claims, centering their practice on high-value workers’ compensation disputes involving psychological injuries and head trauma. She actively reviews voluminous medical records, evaluates clinical findings, and drafts comprehensive rebuttals to opposing AME/QME opinions. Her analysis focuses closely on medication regimens, diagnostic testing, DSM-based criteria, and future medical care recommendations.
Familiar with depositions, physician cross-examinations, and settlement negotiations, Dr. Amiri understands how applicant counsel build cases and frame medical narratives. Her ability to independently assess complex evidence and detect overlooked clinical inconsistencies helps defense firms control expert costs while executing stronger defense strategies.
Languages and Personal Interests
Fluent in Persian (Farsi), proficient in French, and conversational in Spanish and Arabic, Dr. Amiri easily communicates with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Outside the office, she enjoys classic cinema, hiking, entertaining friends and family, and spending time with her dog, Nico. A devoted dancer and musician, she trained for seven years in ballet, belly dancing, and Persian dance, and continues to sing in choirs.
Education & Memberships
2022 Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Orange, CA
Juris Doctor
2006 Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)(Psychiatry)
2022 State Bar of California
