Beena Ahmad ’10 (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the CUNY School of Law. She has been teaching at the Law School since Fall 2016, primarily teaching in the Lawyering Program. She served as Acting Director of the Day Lawyering Program from 2022 to 2023 and Interim Director of the Evening Lawyering Program from 2021-2022. She is a co-adviser for the CUNY Moot Court team. She has also worked with pre-law students in the Pipeline to Justice program and served as a Bar mentor.
Since 2015, Beena has been of-counsel to Sarah Kunstler, Esq. in the representation of individuals in federal criminal proceedings through the federal indigent bar. Beena has worked on cases in all stages of litigation from grand jury proceedings to sentencing submissions, post-conviction habeas and compassionate release applications, forfeiture challenges, and appeals before the Second Circuit. In 2015, Beena spent nine months as a visiting scholar with the Wits Justice Project at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she assisted journalists reporting on wrongful conviction cases.
Prior to her work in the criminal legal system, Beena was an associate with O’Dwyer & Bernstein, LLP, a labor law and personal injury firm. She worked on cases in federal and state court in the firm’s representation of unions and workers in collective bargaining disputes, workplace discrimination, and construction-related injuries. Beena has provided pro bono representation in cases protecting the First Amendment rights of activists. Through the New York City chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, she helped develop and present Know-Your-Rights training to the Muslim community in New York to defend against NYPD surveillance of these communities. Prior to law school, Beena worked as a legal assistant with Lansner & Kubitschek, LLP, where she provided support for cases that defended the rights of parents in Family Court and their civil rights in federal court. She also represented clients in administrative hearings for Social Security disability benefits. Additionally, she worked with Sanctuary for Families in administrative support roles.
Beena holds a J.D. from CUNY School of Law, an M.S. from Columbia University School of Journalism, and a B.A. from SUNY Buffalo. While at CUNY, she was a member of CUNY Moot Court, assistant Notes editor of CUNY Law Review and a Mississippi Project participant. She is an alumna of the Defenders Clinic and CLEAR.
Beena is currently involved with the NYC Books Through Bars collective.
