Omar Habbas J.D. ’85 came to Santa Clara Law after hearing his brother, Sam Habbas B.A. ’80, rave about his own experience at SCU—the Jesuit values, the dedicated professors, the small student-to-teacher ratio, the supportive relationships, and the school’s great reputation. Habbas says that when he arrived as a student, he found it all to be even better than his brother described, and he feels blessed to have had the opportunity to be educated at Santa Clara University.
As a law student, Habbas was eyeing a legal career in corporate international business. And then he walked into Torts with Santa Clara Law Professor Alan Scheflin. “He was absolutely brilliant,” Habbas recalls. “He would hold your feet to the fire. He was fair…but you had better be prepared.” Torts quickly became one of Habbas’ favorite classes, and that course was a turning point, leading Habbas to dedicate his life to this area of the law. In 1988, he founded the Habbas Law firm, a large and very successful firm that specializes in personal injury law. As the firm’s founding partner, Habbas has grown the operations from the original San Jose location to multiple locations throughout Northern California. He has represented personal injury clients for the past 36 years, and his firm has successfully secured over half a billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for injured individuals in San Jose, the Bay Area, and throughout California.
“For me, torts wasn’t just theoretical–it was real,” says Habbas. “You dealt with real people and real events that impacted people’s lives tremendously. This was something that really touched my heart, because I felt that I could have a close connection with my clients and make a difference in their lives,” he says.
Habbas has six family members who have attended SCU, including his brother Sam, Sam’s daughter, Sarah Maeding ’16, his nephew, Adel Habbas B.A. ’97, and his own three children, Tarik R. Habbas B.A. ’13, J.D. ’16, Alexandria S. Bluth B.A. ’14, and Nicholas Habbas B.A. ’22. “It is sort of a family institution for us,” he says with a laugh. “Each one has appreciated the experience, the knowledge, the friendships, and all of the Jesuit values and principles,” he says. “I am very proud and blessed, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Habbas says about having his children attend SCU. “I knew the type of education that they would get would be extremely valuable to them and make a difference for their entire lives, which it has.”
Habbas says that for him, the most meaningful part of his career is that it has enabled him to give back to support the causes he cares about, and SCU is high on that list. “The ability to give back—I really owe that to Santa Clara University School of Law,” he says, adding that he is deeply grateful for “what was given to me in terms of an education, the values, the relationships, and whatever level of success I have achieved in my law firm.”
Habbas’ enthusiasm and generous support for Santa Clara Law has taken many forms over the past 24 years, including significant support for the capital campaign for Howard S. and Alida S. Charney Hall of Law as well as major investments in student scholarships and career programming.
“Scholarships have a direct impact on the student,” he says, adding that increasing Santa Clara Law’s scholarship funds helps the school “retain good students that really need scholarships and might have their choice of moving on to other institutions but will remain at Santa Clara if they receive that support from the school and from alumni.”
Habbas was also the signature sponsor of the recent Sports Law Conference at Santa Clara Law and a key supporter in launching Santa Clara Law’s brand new Sports Law Program. “I felt that this extremely valuable and unique program would be beneficial for students—especially in Silicon Valley with all of our sports teams—and I was sold on it immediately,” says Habbas.
“Santa Clara Law is so fortunate to have Omar Habbas as such a generous and passionate supporter of the school and our goals,” says Dean Kaufman. “His investment in our institution has greatly benefited numerous students and will continue to do so for years to come.”
Habbas encourages all Santa Clara Law alumni to help support this school that he loves so much. “I think that one of the most valuable gifts that anyone can receive in life is an education,” says Habbas. “We [alumni] have to take a moment and really think about the value of that education—obtaining our law degree and how it has impacted and shaped our lives. I urge alumni to reach out to the University and do whatever they can—everything helps.”