In South Asian culture, divorce is heavily discouraged and rarely talked about openly. Naturally, the taboo around it sparked my curiosity. I’ve been exploring this area of law exclusively since my first year of law school. Family law often overlaps with other fields and that’s part of what keeps it exciting.

I had the compelling opportunity to aid in drafting briefs at the appellate level as well as a 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss at the district court level. Coming into family law, these are not opportunities I anticipated I would encounter, and they’ve fueled my passion for this work.

Dubois Levias Law Group stood out to me as a firm that not only empowers clients—but creates an empowering environment for its team. Being part of a women-owned and led firm is uplifting. Here, we prioritize the client experience and build trust and engagement with our clients. The high-stakes nature of family law requires a trusted legal professional to ensure clients are protected during legal proceedings that involve the most intimate moments of their lives.

As a woman of color in the legal field, it makes all the difference to be able to dip into my personal experiences to understand and be sensitive to the individual needs of my clients. This is especially relevant in the context of family law, where cultural competency can be crucial to understanding the dynamics of diverse family structures. Attorneys can and should play a vital role in mitigating unnecessary conflict.

I double majored in English and political science at the University of Washington and continued on to get my law degree at the University of Washington School of Law.

Before becoming a lawyer, I worked in education. I returned to the Kent School District—where I went to school growing up—and worked as a substitute teacher. I’ve always enjoyed working with kids and helping them learn. I enjoy it so much that I continued as a substitute teacher throughout law school on my days off. On nights and weekends, I worked on an online platform with students in China to help them develop their English skills.

I was born in Pakistan and my family moved to the States before I turned one. I speak Urdu, Punjabi, and Hindi. Washington has been my home for nearly 25 years. I love everything about this state: the rain, the coffee, the diverse cuisine, the hikes, waterfalls, mountains—even the chaos of the city occasionally.

In my free time, I volunteer at a local dog rescue in Tacoma, where I take the pups out for adventures, socialize them, snap lots of pictures, and of course, end the day with pup cups. I’m a huge foodie and love trying different cuisines. I also enjoy hiking around the Pacific Northwest and staying active. After a day outdoors, I like to cuddle up with my mini Australian Shepard, Aero, and watch true crime documentaries.