Shazzie Naseem Receives Richard S. Arnold Award for Distinguished Service at Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference
Partner Shazzie Naseem received the Richard S. Arnold Award for Distinguished Service at the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Kansas City, MO, on July 31, 2025. This award is presented to individuals who embody the qualities demonstrated by Judge Arnold, including professional excellence, leadership within the legal community, dedication to volunteer legal services, peer recognition, and mentorship to less-experienced lawyers and students.
Before joining Berkowitz Oliver in 2006, Shazzie served for six years on active duty as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. As a Navy JAG officer, he tried courts-martial to verdict, represented hundreds of service members in investigations and administrative proceedings, and provided critical legal support to reservists preparing for deployment in the aftermath of 9/11. He also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California, where he prosecuted violations of federal and state law.
In addition to his private practice, Shazzie is committed to public service and the protection of the right to counsel in the federal justice system. Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Shazzie to serve on the Federal Criminal Rules Advisory Committee in 2024 for a three-year term. He has also served as a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel Attorney in both the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas. In the Western District, he was selected by Chief Judge Beth Phillips to lead the panel as the Panel Attorney District Representative (PADR) and was elected by his peers across the circuit to serve as the Eighth Circuit’s representative to the Defender Services Advisory Group (DSAG), a national body responsible for shaping policy and supporting the federal defense function.
In 2024, Shazzie was appointed as the national co-chair of DSAG and served as the CJA Panel Representative on the Defender Services Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. That committee, chaired by Judge Cathy Seibel (S.D.N.Y.) and composed of federal judges appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts, exercises national oversight of the defense function in federal courts.