Prior to beginning his legal career, Ahad Syed attended the prestigious University of Illinois College of Law. Academically, Ahad earned the highest grade in two classes, one of which was a legal clinic where he directly represented clients under supervision of a licensed attorney. While in law school, Ahad served as a judicial extern for Judge Donald G. Wilkerson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. While other students typically picked one, Ahad was selected for leadership on both a journal and moot court. Ahad was Articles Editors for the University of Illinois Journal of Law, Technology & Policy (JLTP) and represented the law school at the 23rd Wilhelm C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court pre-moot in Budapest, Hungary and moot court in Vienna, Austria. In addition to several other honors, Ahad earned an Honors Distinction in Legal Research, and the H.H. Harris Foundation Hough Award for “excellence in law.”