Farhad Sethna to receive Bishop William Cosgrove Justice Award

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Indian American attorney Farhad Sethna, has been selected by the Catholic Commission of Summit County as the 2018 recipient of the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Justice Award.

Sethna is a 1990 graduate of the University of Akron, and he has received this honor because he has demonstrated a strong commitment to social justice in harmony with biblical values and sought to educate, raise awareness, and find solutions for problems with vulnerable populations, according to a university press release.

“Your work with immigrants and standing up for their rights is exactly the type of efforts the award seeks to recognize,” wrote Diane Zbasnik, director of the Diocesan Social Action Office at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, in a letter to Sethna congratulating him on the award.

As an Indian American, Sethna is keenly aware of the desire for a better life and opportunities that propelled him to emigrate to the United States in 1986 as a student from India, and with a full scholarship from the University of Akron, he was able to earn his law degree and M.B.A.

He then worked with a law firm for five years before starting his own law practice, the press release added.

In addition, he is an adjunct faculty member at the School of Law.

According to the press release, Sethna’s firm deals in all areas of immigration law and he is a committed defender of human rights and due process.

Sethna helps clients fleeing persecution file for asylum in the U.S. and defends clients who face deportation under immigration law as he pieces together waivers to enable families who are separated in different nations to be reunited in the United States, the press release added.

Sethna will be presented with the award at the 40th Annual Bishop Cosgrove Justice Dinner and Silent Auction on December 7.