A Legal Practitioner Continuing Her Parents’ Legacy
Hailing from a middle-class Indian family where her father was the family’s sole breadwinner, Rashmi has had her fair share of financial struggles. Still, her parents always ensured that she and her siblings got the best possible education they could afford. Rashmi grew up seeing her parents help every person who knocked on their door with all sorts of help-seeking advice, job references, a place to stay, etc. This became “why” Rashmi opted for the legal profession to continue her parents’ legacy to help others.
Rashmi says that her parents supported her immensely, especially in matters of education. So, they happily agreed to her choice of profession, but being a first-generation lawyer was challenging for her. With little funds for education, she worked at internships while studying full-time to earn money and gain some legal experience. “Getting your first job/internship with no experience in any field is hard, but I continued applying and was finally accepted by one of the big law firms in India.” She shares that her continuous training helped her land her first job with Ogilvy & Mather (a leading advertising firm in India).
When she started earning an income, she quickly made plans for her family, such as family trips, gatherings, etc. However, these plans never materialised because she prioritised her ambitions and strived to achieve her next goal. With the passing away of her parents, she quickly realised that they were no longer there to share her successes. Now, Rashmi prioritises her family and believes that work can wait because there will is always be more to achieve professionally!
Rashmi shares that improvements in today’s organisational culture are evident as companies allow paid period leaves for females. Organisations value their female workers, and these are huge steps which should be opted up by more and more companies, even if there isn’t a government norm or regulation. There have been some challenging barriers, such as the gender pay gap and gender inequality, that she and other female leaders often have to overcome.
Rashmi’s parents have been her biggest role model. Having seen them face hardships, she now makes most of the decisions to make her parents proud. When asked about her whereabouts on a random Saturday morning, she said, “If I am in Singapore, you will find me at an NGO working as a volunteer to help people in our community. When I am in India, you will find me at my family farmhouse on a Saturday morning, playing and working out with my dogs.
A detail-oriented person, Rashmi’s strengths have helped her professionally when reviewing documents. But, often, she goes beyond and tries to imitate perfection in work which she thinks is not good as she starts to stress and doubt her work. “I am slowly learning that no piece of work could be perfect and learning to let go and trust my judgement.”
Driven by her passion for contributing to society by educating people and protecting the environment. She sponsors the education expenses for 2-3 children whose parents cannot afford their child’s education. “To improve others’ lives, I have to do better in life myself first. This drives me to work hard and improve myself, making me more responsible towards them and society.” She also shares that she has been appreciated for her work several times and won school awards for her creativity. The most recent one has been the Lex-Falcon Global awards for her contribution to the legal industry with great knowledge, innovation, futuristic spirit, and approach.
Rashmi strongly believes that things and events happen for a reason and that everything turns out well in the end. With this mindset, she adds, “ I learned to see positivity in every situation. It is not easy to get to this mindset, but it helped me get where I am today.” Lastly, she shares with the readers that life is happening so fast that many people can’t cope and go into depression. On top of it, peer pressure and increasing competition act as fuel to the fire. People assume the other person has figured out his life completely, which is untrue as everyone is trying to figure out their lives. She compels people not to stress about their life or career and urges them to keep the fire within them burning enough to accomplish the things they want. “Just work hard, stay positive and take up the opportunities life throws; you never know what might turn gold. Last but not least, love yourself first before you love others.”