HUNTINGTON – “Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition,” a quote made by Abraham Lincoln, is a lesson Huntington attorney Abraham Saad has taken to heart throughout his 39-year journey through life.
While his desire to be recognized has lessened in the last few years, he said the passion of striving to be worthy is what has driven him to be one of the area’s most successful litigators. While it’s difficult to find a Huntington neighborhood that hasn’t been affected by his father, Julian, Saad said he always knew he wanted to take his own journey and be an attorney. “The joke is now people like to tell him, ‘Oh, I know your son,'” he said. “We are getting in that point in our careers where we are reversing roles, and we like to tease each other for that.” Saad grew up with three sisters, one of whom has died, and graduated in the first class of Huntington High School in 1997. He played soccer and a year of basketball for the school before traveling to Nashville for undergraduate school at Vanderbilt in 2001.

He was a classical studies major, mixing his love for history and the law through his studies and reading. He has taken great influence from Marcus Tullius Cicero, an ancient Roman politician and lawyer, as well as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
His love for history does not go unnoticed. His office is filled with presidential bobble heads, and quotes from U.S. presidents hang on the wall as inspiration.

After taking a year break, he graduated in 2005 from Capital University Law School in Columbus before returning to Huntington.
Out of college, Saad jointed a civil defense firm – Steptoe & Johnson in Huntington – before going out on his own.
Now Saad Dixon Law Offices, which is located across from Cabell County Courthouse, is headed by the husband and wife team of Saad and Sarah Dixon, along with attorney Adam Slone, who was brought on to the firm in 2015. With the three attorneys, the law office has license to practice throughout the Tri-State region.

Saad and Dixon teamed up professionally when they moved the office across the street from the Cabell County Courthouse in 2014, he said.
“Somebody once told me I’m the only person they ever met that hired their own boss,” he said. Also on the team is investigator Stephen Morrison, who Saad said is the best investigator in the area. Saad said he loves owning his own practice, stating there is no greater lesson than ones learned from your own experiences and mistakes.

While he is mostly known for his criminal defense cases, Saad said he does a lot of employment litigation as well. Criminal cases were just supposed to be a way for him to make money, but he soon found he enjoyed it too much to give it up. Saad has defended accused murderers, rapists and drug dealers, and is often asked how he manages to sleep at night. In turn, he said he believes everyone deserves to be awarded their constitutional rights, and it is his duty to see that through. “I think I have a responsibility to do my job and do it well,” he said. “The only thing that would keep me from sleeping is if I didn’t prepare properly. That is the only time I would be upset at myself.” For some of his clients, Saad is the only thing standing between an innocent person being sent away for life and being free. “I always have a little bit of nervousness to start, because I always have a life on the line,” he said. “If I lost a murder case and this person goes to jail for a long time, I feel that pressure.”

Saad takes the obligation so seriously, it is not recommended one cross his path on a trial week. He said he doesn’t sleep for days and creates a “war room” where he closes himself off from human contact and social media while he practices what he will say on a whiteboard.
One of the cases that affected him the most is the Douglas Neumeyer case in which a man was found guilty of sexually touching a 10-year-old girl nine years after the assault happened. Although the case is still in appeals, Neumeyer later admitted his guilt to the court after conviction. Saad said that case humbled him more than anything.

“I got really sick after that case, and it’s probably why I changed my health habits,” he said. “The stress of these types of cases takes a physical toll. After that case, I made some changes in my life to make sure I’m in the best physical shape. ” Cases like those of Rhamel Hatcher, who was charged with first-degree murder and convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a jury for the 2010 death of Jeremy Scott Cook, and the acquittal of Randall Pennington in a sexual assault case, stick with him the most, he said. While some would criticize the American jury system, Saad said he finds nothing more thrilling than standing before one. “I think that juries understand their responsibilities, and I have found they take it super seriously,” he said. “If I can celebrate when they find in my favor, I’m certainly not going to criticize them for finding against me.”

A major influence of Saad’s path to becoming an attorney was Huntington civil rights attorney Herb Henderson, who he shadowed around the age of 18.
“One of the things he said to me – and it always stuck in my mind – was when you get to be an advocate for the law, at some point what you’re doing is being a part of history,” he said. “Whether it’s just a tiny part of history, you are doing things the constitution guarantees and you get to advocate for that and be part of that history.”

He also takes a lot of influence from Johnnie Cochran, who is best known for leading O.J. Simpson’s murder trial. He said Cochran taught him to find a quote to open a trial with that would hit home for every juror, no matter the age. Saad opens his trial arguments with the Ronald Regan quote of “Trust, but verify.” The Saad-Dixon family is completed by two boys, 3-year-old Julian and 1-year-old George, who Saad said are his greatest accomplishments.
He works for his boys and hopes one day they can follow in his footsteps, even if they don’t choose his career path. “If someone doesn’t like me, that doesn’t bother me. But I hope one day people will tell them, ‘When you were in the courtroom with him you knew you were up for a battle,'” he said. “I would love for them to choose the law, but whatever they do, I want them to have the same mentality, preparation and work ethic. I guess you could say ethical standards, as well.” A business owner, dad, husband and attorney, Saad said he believes he has now learned how to juggle his life.
“It’s something I didn’t do well when I first started practicing, but what I think having children changed is that you learn the art of time management,” he said. “I think I accomplish more in a shorter amount of time now as a dad. I do find I can get a whole bunch more done. You just have to manage what you do during the day.” As a night owl, Saad said he accomplishes a lot as the world sleeps. As he develops his craft, Saad said sometimes he and Dixon think about growing the office, but for now, they are enjoying the time they can spend with family.

Follow reporter Courtney Hessler at Facebook.com/CHesslerHD and via Twitter @HesslerHD.