Each year, San Diego Metro Magazine honors some of the best and brightest minds of San Diego County by naming them to their “40 Under 40” list. Distinguished TJSL Alumni Puja Sachdev 03' and Kimberly Simms 08' made the list this year and accepted their awards at the “San Diego Metro's 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon” on September 26, at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina.
Sachdev and Simms join other TJSL Alumni in the “40 Under 40” hall of fame with this recognition. Renee Galente 08' was named in 2012, and Eric Ganci 08' and Susan Riggs Tinsky 08' were named in 2011.
Sachdev of the Law Office of Puja A. Sachdev is receiving the “Best Lawyer” award. She is a solo practitioner, a certified specialist in family law by the California Board of Legal Specialization, and the only Certified Divorce Financial Analyst in the greater San Diego area. She graduated from the University of Nevada, earned an M.B.A. in financial and tax planning from San Diego State University, and worked as a Research Analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments before pursuing law school at TJSL. Sachdev serves as a staff writer for the Millionaire Girls Movement and is a member of the Lawyers Club of San Diego, the North American South Asia Bar Association and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She also has volunteered for the Lawyer Program, participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk and received other distinguished awards, including San Diego Daily Transcript's Top Young Attorney Award in 2012, Top Family Law Attorney in 2013 and San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program's Standout Award in 2012.
Simms, of the Law Office of Kimberly R. Simms, is a solo practitioner specializing in personal injury, criminal defense and medical marijuana law. She graduated from Florida State University before attending TJSL. During law school, she worked in several personal injury firms and interned with Protection & Advocacy,an organization dedicated to advancing the rights of Californians. Today, Simms is recognized as an expert in the emerging medical marijuana law field and teaches classes at the Legal Cannabis Institute. She serves as Vice President for the San Diego Young Democrats and is on the Executive Board of San Diego County Democratic Central Committee. Simms recently became the 2013 New Leaders Council Fellow for the San Diego Leadership Alliance. She is a member of the Young Professionals Council, a philanthropic organization supporting the San Diego LGTB Center, and has committed pro bono legal services as a volunteer attorney for the California Innocence Project.
“I was absolutely thrilled to be chosen as one of San Diego Metro's 40 under 40," said Simms. "It's a true honor to be recognized by the community which I serve and to know I am making a real impact in both my personal and professional life. It's especially exciting to be recognized for my work in the cutting edge legal field of medical marijuana. It's always a risk to do something new and different, but I love what I do each and every day. I'm also very excited to be expanding my practice to include another evolving legal field - Family Formation Law - working with families using various forms of assisted reproductive technologies to make sure their legal rights are fully protected."
