D. Sharmin Arefin focuses her practice in the areas of consumer protection defense, regulatory compliance, employment counseling and litigation, and child welfare and juvenile delinquency matters.
Sharmin has substantial litigation experience regarding claims arising under federal and state consumer protection statutes. She also has significant experience in the areas of automobile advertising and sales practices, mortgage related repurchase demands and litigation, contested foreclosures, and employment related investigations and litigation.
Sharmin served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey where she represented the state in both litigation and non-litigation matters, including mediation, on behalf of the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). She was the first Deputy Attorney General assigned to lead the Essex County Family Drug Court Pilot Program.
Sharmin then served as a Staff Attorney for the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection where she directed investigations and enforcement actions under the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act.
She practiced in the mortgage lending litigation and regulatory compliance fields with well-known, national, mortgage lending law firms.
Sharmin is a member of the Automotive Resource Network, serving as a committee chairperson in 2015. She currently serves the American Bar Association as a Committee Director and member of the Editorial Board for Business Law Today. She is an ABA Business Law Fellow for the 2019-2021 class, a member of the ABA’s Young Lawyers Division, Former Chair of the Diversity Task Force for the Business Law Section’s Consumer Financial Services Committee and the Consumer Financial Services Committee’s Committee Director of the Business Law Section Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Sharmin is also a member of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, the Neighborhood Networking Luncheon Leader of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, Gwinnett Chapter, and a member of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers Leadership Academy Class of 2020. She is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia, the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women, the Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention and Awareness Coalition, the Gwinnett County Bar Association, the Gwinnett County Bar Association’s Family Bar Section, the Gwinnett County Bar Association’s Juvenile Bar Section, and the Gwinnett County Bar Association’s Solo Practice Section, the Forsyth County Juvenile Bar Association, the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the South Asian Bar Association of Georgia.
Sharmin received her B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from Rutgers University and her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. She received her Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. She is admitted to practice law in Georgia, New Jersey, New York and the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Georgia Supreme Court, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia, the District of New Jersey and the Southern District of New York.
Sharmin resides in Duluth, Georgia with her husband and their two children. She is involved in her community and is the Assistant Director of the Peachtree Ridge Youth Athletic Association’s Football Board. Sharmin is also a Certified Optavia Health Coach and loves sharing her health journey.
Sharmin is a frequent speaker and author on topics relevant to business law and regulatory compliance. Her speaking engagements include:
» Raising Race-Conscious Children in Today’s America, June 2020;
» Cultural Diversity and Sensitivity, Forsyth County Accountability Courts, February 2020;
» Child Welfare, Reinstatement of Parental Rights, and Temporary Restraining Orders, Lee Arrendale State Prison, January 2020;
» Workplace Behavioral Issues: Appropriately Handling Thorny Situations, National Business Institute, November 2019;
» Diversity & Inclusion: How On Earth Did I Get Here? Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, Gwinnett Chapter, October 2019 and Georgia Association for Women Lawyers EDU March 2020;
» Business Law: Start to Finish – Employment Law 411; National Business Institute, December 2018;
» Serving the Underserved: Lessons in Marketing and Emerging Markets, ABA Consumer Financial Services Committee Winter Meeting, January 2017;
» Disclosures and Disclaimers, ABA Business Law Section, Consumer Financial Services Committee Beer and Basics, September 2015;
» FTC Priorities in 2015-2016, 2015 Automotive Annual Conference, Automotive Resource Network, August 2015;
» The Larger Participant Rule: Expanding the CFPB’s Coverage to the Auto Finance Market, Driving Automotive Excellence webinar March 2015;
» FTC/CFPB Actions in the Auto Industry, Driving Automotive Excellence webinar, May 2014;
» Deceptive Advertising, Georgia Independent Automobile Dealers Association (GIADA) Continuing Education Classes, February and March 2014, March, August and October 2015, and March 2016;
» Deceptive Advertising: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Dealership, Driving Automotive Excellence webinar, September 2013;
» Deceptive Advertising: The Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection’s ‘Hot Topics’ Regarding Automobile Dealerships, GIADA Annual Convention, July 2013;
» The Hiring Process, Employment Law Update in Georgia, May 2013; and
» Democracy, law enforcement, anti-corruption, and rule of law. U.S. State Department Speaker Exchange Program, August 2005.
Sharmin’s publications include:
» “Dealer Beware,” GIADA Newsletter, December 2014;
» “Avoiding Deceptive Auto Advertising” GIADA Newsletter, December 2013; and
» “Issues Affecting Buy Here Pay Here Dealers,” GIADA Independent Auto Dealer, November-December 2012.
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