THE PEOPLE'S LAWYER

MATRIMONIAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER NISHIKI BHAVNANI AGARWAL HAS BEEN FIGHTING TO LEND A VOICE TO THE VOICELESS FOR MANY YEARS NOW. SHE SPEAKS TO TINA THAKRAR ABOUT SETTING UP HER LEGAL PRACTICE IN MUMBAI WITH THE SINGLE MINDED GOAL OF ALLEVIATING WORLD SUFFERING

- TINA THAKRAR

The law is reason free from passion ~ Aristotle

I’ll admit I first heard this quote when Holland Taylor throws it out to a packed class of Harvard University law students in the 2001 hit, Legally Blonde. It stuck with me, and I assumed that practising law was all about being commanding, straightforward and contractual. But in fact, it isn’t. Much like Reese Witherspoon declares in the closing scene, passion is very much a core aspect of law, and Mumbai-based matrimonial and human rights lawyer Nishiki Bhavnani Agarwal agrees.

It’s not often that you meet someone whose primary motive in life is to end suffering, fight human rights injustices, and just simply feel fulfilled and content after a hard day’s work. So speaking with Nishiki is not only refreshing, it’s enlightening. The 33year-old set up her own legal practice in 2017, and has had an insightful career journey that she’s followed through with the simple goal of helping people navigate the labyrinths of Indian law and the complexities of their personal lives, to live with dignity, freedom and happiness.