I wrote this book for the person I was when I arrived — the one who needed a guide but could not find one, who had all the qualifications but none of the local knowledge, who was competent at everything except at being new.— Dr Mehdi Soodi, Doncaster, Victoria
The Journey
From a departure lounge to the Supreme Court
Dr Mehdi Soodi arrived in Australia in 2002 with a Bachelor of Engineering, a family of four, and no professional network, no Australian qualification, and no clear idea of how a person without local credentials might build a professional life here. What he did have was the conviction, common to so many who make this country their home, that the door to a new profession is open to those prepared to do the work of walking through it.
He found his answers. He became a NAATI-accredited Persian–English translator in 2003. He worked for two decades as an engineer while earning a Master's degree and a PhD in Materials Science. He studied and became a Registered Migration Agent, completed a Juris Doctor, and in 2023 was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria — going on to earn his unrestricted practising certificate and build his own legal practice.
Arrives in Australia with a Bachelor of Engineering and a family of four
NAATI-accredited Persian (Farsi) to English translator — founds his translation practice
Master of Engineering (Monash) and PhD in Materials Science (Swinburne) while working two decades as an engineer
Founds Falcon Visas, a specialist migration law practice
Juris Doctor (Monash) — admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Principal of Ahura Lawyers, Falcon Visas and his NAATI translation practice — Doncaster, Victoria
Three Practices, One Purpose
Serving the whole migrant experience
The breadth of Dr Soodi's professional life is deliberate. The family that needs a migration lawyer also needs a conveyancer. The individual navigating a visa condition also needs a will. The person who cannot yet read their tenancy agreement in English needs a translator before they need a lawyer. He built three practices because he understood, from his own experience, that the needs of migrants are integrated and holistic.
Ahura Lawyers
Commercial, corporate, employment, IP & trademark, family law, estate planning and litigation.
Falcon Visas
Specialist migration law — all visa subclasses, appeals, cancellations and compliance.
NAATI Translations
Accredited Persian to English translation for individuals, legal professionals and institutions.
Qualifications & Registrations
The credentials behind the counsel
- AcademicDoctor of Philosophy (PhD), Materials Science — Swinburne University
- AcademicMaster of Engineering, Materials Engineering — Monash University
- AcademicJuris Doctor of Law — Monash University
- AcademicGraduate Diploma, Australian Immigration Law — Victoria University
- LegalSolicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria
- LegalUnrestricted Practising Certificate — Law Institute of Victoria
- TranslationNAATI Accredited Translator — Persian (Farsi) to English
Family & Home
A small proof of the argument
Dr Soodi lives in Forest Hill, Victoria, with his wife Saeideh. Their three daughters tell the story the books argue for: Eva, a practising lawyer who completed her Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne; Amy, completing her Juris Doctor while working in access-to-justice; and Hannah, a graduate psychology student at Monash. They arrived in Australia with everything they were. Australia gave them everything it is.
What was built between those two gifts is not a story of assimilation. It is a story of expansion.
Speak with Dr Soodi's Team