Ritu Sethi in Asiana Magazine - Laying Down the Law
LAYING DOWN THE LAW
Introducing Asiana’s new legal columnist Ritu Sethi
You’ve been running your own law practice for 15 years. Very impressive since your business partner suddenly passed away and left you to pay off the firm’s debts...
I hadn’t even turned 30 when it happened. When you’re backed up against a wall, you somehow find the strength and the energy to succeed. The early years were difficult. When I qualified as a solicitor in 1990, I was made a partner on the day of my qualification and given partnership within two years of that. The first partner was no longer in touch with being a lawyer, and my second partner died of a heart attack. I was left having to start a new practice and raise my children at the same time!
What drew you to criminal law?
Ever since I was young I’ve always fought for the underdog in any situation. I went to study for my law degree and ended up having this passion for criminal law, including psychology and criminology and the prison systems. I always thought there must be another side to these people – you can’t just be a branded a criminal.
What’s the speciality of your firm – The Sethi Partnership Solicitors?
We’re a general firm–- we do all high street work, so we work with immigration issues, property issues and part of that practice is working with people without money. For instance, we don’t charge women in surrounding areas who have been domestically abused, and offer free legal advice.
How do you juggle your career and home life?
Pressures have mounted but I’ve had a very supportive husband. We work very much alongside each other, supporting each other in business and at home. He is a fantastic father, and luckily for me, a brilliant cook!
I’m also lucky because I have a fantastic team of around 30 members in the office – 75% of them have been with me since the day I opened up Sethi Partnership.
It must be depressing visiting courts and police stations day in and day out…
I look at it as an opportunity to help someone in a predicament, someone who doesn’t have access to all the resources open to them. I have to do my best for them – there has to be a voice for these people. That’s my job.
Is it a tougher being an Asian woman?
Challenges are what you make of them. I haven’t come across any prejudice. I think it’s about how you are and how you deal with and view other people. In our practice we have about six different religions, in all ages and sizes. If you can help people, they’ll judge you for your ability, not how you look.
More and more Asian women are getting into legal professions…
When I first started about 20 years ago, I was at a crown court in Watford and realised I was the only Asian in the entire room. And I remember once being locked in a cell with a client, then forgotten about, only to be told by the prison officer: ‘This is not a woman’s job, you’re an occupational hazard to what we’re doing, you should be doing work in the office.’ Those words stayed with me throughout. Now I go to the likes of Ealing magistrates, or Uxbridge, where 50% of lawyers are Asian women, and the judiciary is becoming more and more balanced. Now I wish this chap who called us an ‘occupational hazard’ could come and view these courts and eat his words!
How hard is it for a female to run a successful law firm?
It’s just as hard as it for a man, but to be honest, I don’t think it’s that hard. You’ve just got to know what it takes, like raising children. You struggle, you’re not sure of the right way to do it, but then precision very much comes as part of the experience.
How do you defend a racist?
There have been many cases where I have been on duty and had to go to the police station and represent someone charged with GBH against a Muslim or an Indian guy. Being a lawyer you have to be impartial and free yourself away from race and colour so you have to take the person for who they are and what they’ve done.
Lawyers are there not to judge the person on their crime – we’re there to see why the crime was committed.
What’s the worst criminal case you’ve come across so far?
I’ve defended at least one murder case each year, but the worst one was five years ago when a guy begun work as a domestic worker in West London for a lady who ended up abusing him sexually and mentally, to the extent where he ended up killing her. But he didn’t know how to dispose of the body so he severed it apart – her head was found in the river, arms in a dump yard, torso in a dustbin. That wasn’t an easy case to defend…
The numerous achievement awards must be a pleasant reminder that you’re doing the right thing…
There is a difference between achievement and success. Achievement is a knowledge of working hard; success is being praised by others, which is also nice but it’s not as important as achievement itself. I think once you have achieved something success comes naturally. So these awards are nice to receive, but not the reason I do my job. I’m very happy to say the awards I’ve won were not just for what I do with my legal work but also for being a mother and fitness instructor and beauty therapist.
You are also a noted public speaker…
When I spoke at the Mayor’s conference of Women’s Day to 2000 women, a lot of those women had never worked – they are at home with their children and just don’t have enough confidence. My message is: when the dream is big enough the odds don’t matter. Unless you have a dream you’re never going to fulfil it.
At the end of my speech I had a few women who were so inspired, they came to take my autograph. It’s all about reminding women they have the power.
Tell us about your live TV series Chai with Ritu. You’ve been called the Asian Oprah!
This series was all about tackling issues to do with the third generation; things like drugs on the street, stop-and-search rules, domestic abuse and how Asian women are more reluctant to report it than non-Asian women. It’s really targeted to our stories and our differences.
What are the positives and negatives of your career?
We are given an opportunity to help the public, and yes it is very well-paid career. But if you let it, you can drain yourself because you’re taking on other peoples’ worries and problems. In the early years, a lot of people do take their work home, but you have to distinguish between your work and personal life. I do say to the younger generation, keep the two separate. You can’t help others unless you have a clear vision for yourself.
Extract taken from Asiana Magazine Winter 2009 (Pages 258 - 259)
