I recently caught up with Sunu to learn what it takes to succeed as a public interest lawyer. Leaning back in her chair in her window-side office, Sunu quipped, “Success is learning to be at peace with yourself.” Having navigated the field of law both as an associate at a union-side labor law firm, and now litigating employment discrimination claims on behalf of the federal agency, Sunu asserts that it is important for students and attorneys alike to have integrity behind their career decisions. Often times, straddled with spiraling law school debt and family expectations, a young attorney may be captivated by six-figure offers from corporate law firms. Equally daunting, an idealist law student enters law school in hopes of using his degree to implement social change, only to find that the non-profit sector barely pays the bills. Whatever choice one makes, Sunu reminds me, it is a decision based on lifestyle. No regrets.

Being of South Indian heritage, I also questioned how her ethnic identity shaped her worldview and choices she made in her legal career. For starters, she noted her parents recognized and nurtured her passion for social justice issues. However, in true South Asian fashion, her father encouraged her to pursue a career by which she could not only work to create change in society, but also she could also “pay the bills.” It was her father’s gentle nudging that led her to pursue law school in the first place. Law school fueled the passion to change the status quo.

Now as Senior Trial Attorney for the EEOC, Sunu has the ability to go further in exploring her ethnic identity. Employment discrimination affects the South Asian community significantly though is rarely brought forth. Sunu is most proud of a case involving a sexual harassment claim brought by a young Pakistani woman against a named harasser and owner from India from the same community (US Dream & Dollar Stores). She notes, “Through this settlement, EEOC obtained policy changes and training throughout forty stores owned by individuals from the same community. Several newspapers in the South Asian press covered this case highlighting EEOC’s commitment to South Asians and informing them of their rights.” Sunu was also at the forefront of cutting-edge issues after 9/11, including litigating Plaza Hotel that resulted in a $525,000 settlement on behalf of twelve South Asian and Arab men who suffered post-9/11 backlash discrimination, after being called “Obama” and “Bin Laden” on a regular basis.

Sunu effortlessly weaves her South Asian roots and passion for civil rights activism into her work ethic. One of the ways she finds work/life balance is taking time to mentor a young child through the Hour Children Program, an organization that provides a wide array of supportive services that transform the lives of women and their families involved in the criminal justice system. Sunu is also actively cultivating her social justice poetry talent by writing in anthologies and performing at poetry events. She will take her skills one step further this year, when she pursues her MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) Degree in Creative Writing/Poetry in Fall 2010.

As a jasmine plant silently grows behind Sunu’s desk, I am reminded that it is possible to find professional success without forgetting one’s passions and roots. One of the keys to this kind of balance, in Sunu’s words, is to start by being at peace with oneself.

– Roli Khare is a government attorney practicing family law in New York City. She can be reached at rolikhare@gmail.com.

Many years ago, as a college undergrad balancing very serious sounding courses like “conflict resolution in a post communist global community,” I took intro to acting. It was immediately addictive. I felt freedom in being able to express myself onstage. There was a tension release in being able to put away oneself for a few hours, and don the garb of another persona. Stepping into a character, and away from who you are, is a liberating feeling. Who hasn’t wondered what their life would be like if they could behave different, say something differently, behave without repercussions? For me, becoming another character felt this way. On stage, I wasn’t myself, I was Lady Macbeth, I was a Bosnian war crime victim, I was a newly arrived Indian immigrant, I was able to explore a range of emotion that I could never tap into in real life. I joined Arth Arts for the duration of my college life, and felt incredibly alive whenever rehearsing, or brainstorming with my troupe mates. But adulthood was calling, and as I transitioned into the “responsible” work of being a diligent law student, I put away my creativity, and stifled my passion for acting.

The famed Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib once said “ishq hai woh aatish ghalib, jo bhujaye na bhuje”, intense passion is a flame, which despite trying, cannot be extinguished. So it was with me and the pull of the stage. Eventually, returning to New York as an adult, I felt a certain spark missing, but could never put my finger on it. And that’s when I met Parwaz Playhouse.

Parwaz Playhouse is the first Pakistani Acting Troupe in New York City. We held our inaugural show “Glass” over Thanksgiving weekend of 2009 to nearly sold out audiences. Recently, on a balmy Friday afternoon in April, I traded my navy blue skirt suit and pearls for costume, and took the stage with my troupe mates to participate in the Downtown Urban Arts Festival, relishing in the honor of having our first piece “Glass” accepted for performance. And this time, we were completely sold out.

I still battle with the common misconceptions people hold of actors and actresses in the Desi community, they are narcissistic, they aren’t respectable, and they don’t come from good families. I don’t see myself as any of these things. In fact I don’t see anyone I’ve ever shared the stage with as any of these things. Once we step off the stage, we are completely normal. Some of us are full time actors, with the courage to strike out full time in search of fulfilling our passions, but many are like me, unwilling, or fearful to sacrifice stability for the thrill of devoting ourselves full time to the craft.

It strikes me as interesting, that my legal career garners more appreciation from the community, than something that is truly unique, the capability to captivate and entertain others. In my estimation, I am nothing but a textbook reader, lucky enough to have studied and made it through a few educational hoops and ended up on the other side of what is deemed a conventional career. What I admire, is the sheer veracity with which people are able to dedicate themselves wholly to the pursuit of one passion. Balancing a professional career replete with deadlines and important sounding jargon, with an acting career is a herculean task at times.

So how does balance work? Like all things in life, it’s about how high on your list of priorities you rank something. Your dedication to a cause, project or person, will outshine the limitations of your schedule, and the confines of a 24 hour day, every time. My weekends, especially before show time, are exclusively dedicated to Parwaz, meaning rehearsing in 8 hour blocks. Even though its very serious rehearsal time, it feels like an extended hang out with friends rather than working. There are of course times when work and acting butt heads. Deadlines and clients seldom care that you have to be somewhere else for a curtain call or to rehearse, and in times like those, unfortunately the craft takes second seat, but only for the time being.

Recently, someone remarked “I didn’t realize you were an actress, I thought you were a lawyer” and I smiled with the thought, that while groups like Parwaz Playhouse are making inroads in the theater community, we have a ways to go until our own Desi community realizes, we are not captive by stereotypes. We can be anything, and whoever we want to be, onstage, or off.

– Kiran Ali, Guest Columnist for NEEM Magazine

(1) Social Media Complaint – It is Never Really Anonymous

Emory University dealt with this issue in 2008, and in April Formspring.com became a popular social media space for online gossip.  More often than not, posting an anonymous comment in an online burn book is not actually anonymous.  There are several ways to ascertain who posted the comment:  (1) if it was done through a work-owned server, it can be tracked; (2) if it was done through your phone, it can be easily tracked and it lessens the possible deniability option; and (3) if the social media or forum site wants to cooperate with a “the man,” they can easily turn over your identity.  In essence, it is never really anonymous.

(2) Workplace Issues from Social Media Gossip – Getting Fired

If someone finds out you posted gossip (true or untrue) about them on a social media website, they can complain and potentially lead to getting YOU fired.   A social media lawyer would tell you: workplace gossip should stay within the workplace (we realize it is impossible to eradicate it completely). Posting gossip about your co-worker can create a “hostile” work environment, and people have won lawsuits on less.  So if you would not make a poster of your comment and hang it in a conference room at work, then you probably should not be posting it online.

(3) Social Media Gossip – Getting Someone Else Fired

If someone is fired from their job based on gossip you posted on a social media or forum website, they may have a claim against you.  For example, if you incorrectly publish on asocial networking site or any other online space that your co-worker is sleeping with his boss, causing said co-worker to lose his job – he may have a claim against you.  And those few hours of laughs you had at his expense with your friends while posting gossip online – those few hours are now the bane of your existence when his lawyer contacts you with a lawsuit.

Take a lesson from Mean Girls (the movie), gossip is never a good idea:  especially once you put it in writing.

– Sheheryar Sardar, Esq., Sardar Law Firm LLC

1) Wear glasses.

From the sexy librarian to our  intellectual heroes, Jean-Paul Sartre, Noam Chomsky, Elton John. They all wear glasses.  Hint.

2) Massage your temples.

You’ve seen Clark Kent do it.  And everyone thinks he’s smart.  So before you ask or answer a question, massage  your temples for the dramatic flair.  Everyone will pause and pay more attention to what you have to say.  And even for people that aren’t listening to what you are saying… it gives the impression that, wow – that person must be thinking/working very hard.  A huge plus at the office!

3) Sit with one leg crossed over the other.

Sitting with one leg crossed over the other is one of the intelligent community’s worst kept secrets. Anyone who has ever attended a family party can recall seeing at least one of their uncles sitting this way.

4) Begin conversations with a famous quote.

Ever notice how much smarter someone sounds just because they can pull a quote out of thin air.  Learn from these people.  It creates an instant “wow” factor and you are less likely to be questioned on even a dumb answer.  Now, don’t quote Kiss or Aerosmith.  Try quoting Ben Franklin or someone with a fancy name like François de la Rochefoucauld.

5) Coffee Love, Stop With the Red Bull.

Red bull at work is akin to college.  When you are at work, you can’t meet the Partner over a Redbull or another energy drink.  But – you can meet them over a cup of coffee.  So learn about coffee — not Starbucks — and local coffee shops.  Know what to recommend, know the tastes.  Love the tastes.

– Aram Jawad, NEEM Magazine Contributing Writer

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As soon as we heard:  where you are and when you there, our ears perked up and we thought, “Would I want someone that I don’t know – who is not even in my online friend circle – to know exactly where I am?”

So what are the potential risks in location-based social media?

(1) Your Boss Finds Out You Aren’t Grabbing that Cup of Coffee

The first thing we thought of was that users may be unwittingly giving away their information to everyone on these social media platforms.  Something as innocent as running out to get a cup of coffee, then Tweeting quickly about an Hermes scarf as you stand outside the Hermes store near Rockefeller could send a message to your boss that you are not where you are supposed to be.  In a world of digitally alert bosses, human resources, and co-workers, the last thing you want to do is appear to be somewhere you are not supposed to be.

Twitter & Facebook posts have gotten people fired.  Those aren’t protected classes underemployment law.

(2) Your Personal Safety is at Issue

Having spent some time working in crimes against women & children in the District Attorney’s office in Atlanta, we automatically thought of one glaring issue:  predators & minors.  With the explosion of MySpace in the digital sphere, there was a critical concern of safety issues with minors connecting with predators online.  With something as innocuous as an online post an a location-aware site, these same minors are exclaiming their location to those same predators.

(3) Everyone Knows if You are at Home or Not

There have already been burglaries that may be linked to online status postings:  ”Out of town for the week!”  on Twitter or “Won’t be home till 2am” on a public profile on Facebook.  While it’s true that most people don’t make a habit of running through social media posts to plan their next heist – it’s also not unheard of.  A location based social media platform would make it increasingly easy for these crimes to occur, because there will be an online database of all the empty homes in that location.  To tempting to resist?

We’re not saying that location based social media is a bad thing, but as with all things out there:  realize & assess the risks!

Follow SLF on twitter:  http://twitter.com/sardarlawfirm

Reprinted with permission from Sardar Law Firm and Social Media Legal.