Shadan Kapri – Biography

Shadan Kapri is a journalist, attorney, and Fulbright Scholar focused on social  justice and issues impacting women and children.  She reports on topics from human trafficking to education and politics.  She also writes about international problems concerning minorities and refugees.

She was a contributing writer for a print newspaper in Washington state.  She reported on social issues and people in the community.  Some articles are archived at www.onbrightside.com.  She has also been a reporter for the Medill News Service.  A sample of those articles can be found here.

Prior to becoming a journalist, Ms. Kapri practiced law as a prosecutor in Washington State.  She worked on cases in the trial court and appellate level ranging from domestic violence to drinking and driving, assault, child abuse and neglect, kidnapping, reckless endangerment, and first-degree murder.  This site includes a small selection of those cases.

She was directly involved in prosecuting high-profile murder cases including The State of Washington v. Craig Cosby case that received national attention after a retired pastor shot his wife 10 times at close range.  Twelve jurors found him guilty of first-degree murder with firearm and domestic violence aggravating factors.  He was sentenced to over 30 years in prison.  Ms. Kapri worked on various other homicide cases including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted-murder, and homicide-by-controlled-substance.

She also worked in the Family Law Division of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.  In the trial court level, she advocated on behalf of children in paternity establishment, contempt-of-court, and modifications of court orders in the best interest of the child.

Prior to becoming a prosecutor, she clerked at the Washington State Court of Appeals (Division III).  As a Senior Research Attorney for the Chief Judge, she assisted in drafting over a hundred judicial opinions.  Theses included criminal and civil legal matters ranging from first-degree murder to medical malpractice and negligent issues.  Her role was to analyze various legal issues and recommend to the panel of judges whether to affirm or reverse the rulings of the lower trial courts.  She also assisted in revising the Court’s policy regarding domestic violence and created a directory of services for victims of abuse.

After graduating from law school, she was accepted into the U.S. Fulbright Program.  She completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Canada by analyzing the U.S. – Canadian role in combating human trafficking.  During the fellowship, she gave speeches, wrote published articles, and worked with law enforcement officials and attorneys to understand the unique challenges facing victims of trafficking and how the current laws were undermining their efforts.

Her analyses and conclusions were published in the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: Special Fulbright Edition (2006) and later used in support of new legislation to protect victims of trafficking.  Specifically, Canada’s Bill S-223, Victims of Human Trafficking Protection Act; Bill S-218, An Act to Amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (in order to provide assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking); and Bill C-49, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Trafficking in Persons).

She became interested in human trafficking and criminal justice after volunteering for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and Washington, D.C.  In Geneva, she was one of the editors and contributors to the publication Propose New Ways and Means to Strengthen the United Nation’s Capability for Collective Action.  This was distributed to every Member Nation by the U.N.

In 2007, she was a recipient of the Daily Point of Light Award [Recipient 3446].   The Daily Point of Light was established by a former U.S. President to honor individuals and groups creating meaningful change in communities through public service and volunteerism.