Shirin Ebadi studied law in her home country of Iran. In 1975, she became the first woman to preside over a legislative court in Teheran. However, she was dismissed from her position shortly after the Iranian revolution in 1979. It was only in 1993 that she was allowed to practice law again. In 2000, Dr. Ebadi was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and was prohibited from practicing law for five years. Her attorney's license was not revoked because the appellate court did not accept this verdict and the sentence was changed to a monetary fine. However, she still served twenty-five days of the prison sentence in solitary confinement. Meanwhile, Shirin Ebadi is working as a lawyer again.

Ebadi has established three non-governmental organizations in Iran. The first two were the "Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child" in 1994 and the Defenders of Human Rights Center in 2001. In 2004, she founded the Center for the Mine Cleanup Project. Its goal is to help the victims of mines and educate people living in mine-ridden areas of the world. She calls for better protection of women and children and campaigns globally for human rights. Despite repeated threats and major obstacles being put in the way of her work, Ebadi continues to legally represent victims of political prosecution. She has been defending political prisoners and victims of human rights violations since she obtained her license. Much of her work is pro bono.

Shirin Ebadi has written a number of academic books and articles, has lectured at universities worldwide and has received several honorary doctorates from European and US universities. Dr. Ebadi is the recipient of France's ""Légion d''Honneur"" and several other international human rights awards. In 1996, Ebadi received an award from Human Rights Watch. In 2001, she was awarded the Rafto Prize from the Norwegian Rafto Foundation for Human Rights. In 2003, she became the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Together with the organization "Reporters Without Borders", Ebadi received the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award in 2009.