A recent study in the UK shows that their public sector has the highest percentage of women lawyers at 64 percent, followed by corporate in-house at 59 percent. However, only 31 percent of them are in senior roles. These numbers are reflective of women's representation in the legal industry in a developed country, while studies show that India & China have the least women representation in the legal industry when compared globally. Amidst this negative gesture, Sonal Chauhan, Director of Legal & Privacy at Near Intelligence stands as an inspirational, passionate, & successful lawyer.

Near grew from a start-up to an emerging business, by acquiring two companies & has immense growth potential. In the last two years, it experienced diverse challenges as it is set to go public at a projected value of one billion dollar. While these are significant milestones that represent Near’s growth, Sonal’s role has also advanced. In 2014, her role was inclined towards drawing & negotiating commercial contracts, but today it has evolved into taking care of all the legal aspects of the company & additionally responsible for taking the company public.

Sonal’s story below shows grit & perseverance as she continues to make her mark in a rather unequally represented industry.

Take Us Through Your Early Educational Journey.

The earliest memories I hold of my father are watching him resolve disputes between two parties. He did this with care & concern for both parties. Reflecting on these moments, what stood out for me was his ability to remain open to different & diverse viewpoints, and try to maintain a good balance while settling matters. Such meetings led to peaceful resolutions. This has been a guiding principle for me in finding my way to Law through Government Law College, Mumbai. And then, subsequently, King’s College London.

While my roots are from Rohat, Rajasthan, I was born in Ajmer and grew up around the traditional mindset and values where women members are homemakers. And yet, I stood out with my enthusiasm for sports, which left me with a taste of equality at an early age.

Yes, I was also fortunate to have my parent’s encouragement and access to few of the best schools and colleges like Mayo College Girls’ School, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Government Law College, Mumbai, and Kings College London.

How Did You Foray Into The Field Of Law?

I was not always clear that I wanted to be a lawyer. What led me to the law was taking one step at a time, for example, in my teens my focus was still on playing basketball & getting a bachelor’s degree. Graduation in Political Science from Xavier’s exposed me to law which built my interest in this subject.

Along with these mediation principles, inclusion perspectives, and the capacity to hold two or more possibilities with a goal of win-wins intuitively guided me to further pursue law at Government Law College. I was steadfastly reassured and solidly grounded in my decision once I interned with Sr. Advocate Rafiq Dada and Kanga & Co.

"The darkest Hour is just Before dawn"

Yes, my privilege has been strong educational background, exposure to different perspectives, & opportunities, yet, I believe that my true advantage has been my resolute belief in my capabilities and not allowing failures to impact my attitude towards possibilities.

Throw Some Light On Your Professional Experiences.

I have been working for the last 12 years and it’s been a fun roller coaster ride. Would you believe if I said I was going to quit looking for jobs and moveW back home? After my LLM at King’s College London, I was all set for the job market when the world experienced the biggest recession in 2008-2009.

I moved back to Mumbai and spent the next six sleepless months trying to secure a job and failed. I made the hard decision to move to Rajasthan & start my own practice. But as luck would have it, I received an offer from Advani Law– one of the leading law firms in dispute resolution.

As part of Advani Law, and other law firms thereafter, I started to explore the world of litigation. In the meantime, my partner and I decided to move to Bangalore in 2012. Here, I started my journey of working as a Legal Consultant supporting corporates through Lex Connect Consulting. I was starting my career all over again, one that opened my eyes to the range of opportunities available for lawyers in the corporate sector.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed wearing two hats – a legal one and theother being business In the last 10 years, I have worked for both small businesses & leading MNCs like Adobe. Later, I wanted to challenge myself and moved to Near Intelligence.

Tell Us About The Behind-The-Scenes Of Starting Your Career In This Niche.

The journey might seem exciting and easy to many but it came with its own challenges. My family’s background & mindset made it difficult for them to acknowledge law as a career fit for a woman. To their knowledge, a lawyer is someone wearing a black coat, sitting under a tree with a typewriter struggling to make a living.

It took time and I had to work hard to questionthese limiting beliefs for my family, well-wishers, & myself to break free. Only when I accepted that these were holding me back, was I able to share with my family a perspective that gave them a wider view of opportunities that are waiting in this career path. I am glad my career is helping in a small way to put a spotlight on more dimensions that a career in law holds for women. Today, my parents and well-wishers acknowledge corporate law as a flourishing career. I find them encouraging other young women & their families to this perception too.

Sonal Chauhan, Director- Legal & Privacy, Near Intelligence

At Near, Sonal oversees the entire legal function & manages everything that has a direct or indirect reference to legal from day-to-day commercial contracts, compliance, & privacy to mergers & acquisitions.