About Syma
Syma Ahmad Siddiqui is the founder and owner of SSI Counsel LLC, which provides fractional general counsel and broad legal services to mission-driven clients. Syma brings over 20 years of experience spanning global law firms, the federal government, and a leading research university and academic medical center. She has devoted her career to using the law to advance a larger purpose—protecting worker rights, building enduring organizations, stewarding resources responsibly, and advancing lasting impact in communities—and she will apply this dedication to serving your organization.
Syma advises on corporate governance, employment and benefits, regulatory and nonprofit compliance, development (grants and gifts), higher education matters, and investigations. Most recently, Syma served as Associate General Counsel at The Johns Hopkins University, where she was a trusted strategic partner to senior executive leadership and trustees across a global institution with ten academic divisions. While her title was legal, her role was equally strategic and operational: she helped design governance systems, build institutional infrastructure, and guide high-stakes initiatives from concept to execution, routinely partnering with stakeholders across the institution.
Among her most meaningful work at Johns Hopkins was advising on complex philanthropic initiatives—including private foundation–funded programs, a cross-sector community safety fund, and a transformative investment in pediatric cancer research. Syma ensured that capital was deployed responsibly, donor intent was honored, and governance frameworks were built for long-term sustainability. Syma was also lead counsel overseeing the university's retirement plans in compliance with ERISA’s fiduciary duty requirements and Department of Labor regulations.
Prior to Johns Hopkins University, Syma served as a trial and regulatory attorney in the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Solicitor. Her litigation practice included litigating complex and precedent-setting enforcement actions involving ERISA and the Affordable Care Act. She also worked with agency clients to draft proposed rules. Syma received multiple Secretary's Exceptional Achievement Awards. Earlier in her career, she practiced commercial litigation at Baker & McKenzie LLP and corporate finance at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, both in California.
Syma's commitment to mission extends beyond her professional roles. She is an active member and frequent contributor to the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). She is a Board Member of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services and a former Board Member of the In-House Benefits Counsel Network.
Syma received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service where she earned her BSFS and a Certificate in Arab Studies. Syma is admitted to the bars of Maryland, California, and Massachusetts.