Tell us about your community growing up. Looking back, how did they shape who you are now?

I grew up in Punjab, India and saw a lot of contradictions around me. Poor slums were right next to wealthy mansions; girls were kept home from school to be married off early but our Prime Minister was a woman and my mother was a high-level government officer; there was a lot of need, but also exemplary generosity. It taught me to not just be grateful for the amazing opportunities I was given – including my family’s move to Maryland for my father’s job when I was sixteen – but to honor them by working hard and trying to succeed.

Describe your journey to law school. What motivated you to apply?

My family encouraged me to be a lawyer because my grandfather was a lawyer, and lawyers were held in great esteem in India because they led the fight for independence from the British. Ultimately, however, I went to law school because of what the law represented – the power of words to solve even the most intractable problems we face, from dividing custody of children to addressing discrimination.

What was your law school experience like?

Law school was academically challenging but also satisfying in so many ways, from developing lifelong friendships to living independently. There was also a large contingent of international students, plus we were living and learning in the heart of New York City, so law school was a transformative experience. What sticks out for me, though, is that I left law school feeling empowered by how much I got to learn. I had never heard of a “tort,” thought about “efficient” breaches, or been exposed to constitutional rights beyond the criminal arena. Studying for the Bar Exam was stressful but much more rewarding because everything from law school classes came together and I felt slightly less nervous about starting out in practice.

Did you know about appellate work in law school? If not, when and how did it first get on your radar and why were you drawn to it?

I feel very naïve, but I had no experience with appellate work in law school and no idea that lawyers could specialize in appellate work. Of course I knew about appellate courts and practitioners, but it never occurred to me that it was a practice area as opposed to something smart litigators – or law school professors – did when the opportunity presented itself. It was only after six or seven years of practice as a litigator, when some writs were filed in my cases, that I learned about appellate practice. By then, I enjoyed written and oral advocacy much more than taking depositions or preparing cases for trial, and my clients and colleagues also valued my research and writing more than any of my other contributions. I was immediately drawn to making the transition to appellate work because my interests and strengths appeared to intersect for the first time in the law.

Tell us about one of your appellate cases that you found particularly meaningful.

I represented a young man from Guatemala in a pro bono appeal to the Ninth Circuit from the denial of his asylum application. The record was voluminous and I had never encountered immigration law after my clerkship. My client was young and anxious about being deported, which would fore him to leave his wife and son – he had fled to the United States as a minor but his case took so long through the immigration system that he was old enough to marry and have children, but he would not be able to apply for citizenship based on his marriage without first exiting the U.S. The odds were heavily against us, but I was able to get my opposing counsel from the Department of Justice to settle the case after reviewing my Opening Brief and finding it raised “meritorious” arguments. The government decided to consider my client’s asylum application under the correct standards; my client was relieved; and my faith in due process was reconfirmed.

How often do you encounter other Asians and/or Pacific Islanders in the appellate field? Why do you think that representation is important?

I don’t encounter other Asian appellate lawyers very frequently, but several of the trial lawyers who refer me their appeals are Asian-American, and I have also appeared before Asian judges. Representation is critical because different experiences and perspectives brought to bear on debate and discussion shape the law and lead to better decisions. Moreover, trust in the judicial system is strengthened when the public sees that lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals look like them. An Indian-American magistrate judge once presided over a criminal proceeding in which the defense counsel, also Indian-American, was smiling even though his Indian-American client received the maximum recommended sentence; at sidebar, defense counsel confided he was pleased to appear before an Indian-American judge who had given the proceedings dignity by pronouncing his and his client’s names properly and following the law in imposing the recommended sentence.

What advice would you give to a law student of color who aspires to be where you are now?

Merit may not be the only thing required to succeed, but it is an absolute first step. So, take every opportunity to learn the law and become competent in the skills required of an appellate lawyer – research, analysis, writing, and oral advocacy. Then find the organizations of appellate lawyers to join, contribute to, and lead so you develop a reputation for competence and hard work. And finally, find mentors who can help you advance your craft and connect you to the right opportunities within appellate law.

What’s one thing law schools and/or the appellate bar can do to ensure our highest courts are representative of all our communities?

Continue to foster affinity bars where successful senior attorneys can mentor junior minority attorneys and guide them to the opportunities that are otherwise either actually open only to non-minorities or perceived to be closed to everyone.