Law Students

Esquisite Paths: Sunu P. Chandy

By Paula214

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I?ve known Sunu Chandy for several years now ? we have several friends in common and she?s been a panelist at different events I?ve planned.  I knew that she is a passionate and dynamic advocate for civil rights and that she has been involved in several high profile cases, but I was excited to learn much more about her.    

During our conversation, I learned that we have much in common, including a connection to Jamaica, a passion for writing and we are both driven by the personal connections we make in our work.  I hope you enjoy the interview and that Sunu?s story helps you to find your own Esquisite Path. 

Name: Sunu P. Chandy 
Employer/Title: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission/Senior Trial Attorney
Practice Area: Employment Discrimination /Civil Rights 
Favorite NY Restaurant: Abistro in Brooklyn
Favorite NY Spa: Bliss Spa/ Spa at Equinox Gym
Favorite Legal Themed Movie: North Country (a fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the U.S.)

Paula Edgar: What made you decide to become an attorney?   

Sunu Chandy: I became an attorney because I am a social justice activist.  I grew up in an immigrant family where my parents were very concerned about the children being able to make a living and do well.  I thought about going into women?s studies, a Ph.D. in women?s studies.  I also considered all kinds of non-profit work, non-profit management.  My father was kind of on this mission that if I became an attorney, I could be a social justice activist but also be able to earn a living.  So I think he thought that a law degree gave me more mobility in terms of options during law school to see what avenue I wanted to go into.   

Paula: What was your lowest point professionally and how did you recover from it?

Sunu: My first year out of law school was definitely the lowest point professionally, just because I didn?t know what I was doing.  I worked as an intern at a Labor Law Firm.  I was really excited when I was hired on.  There were six partners and two associates.   You go from being an intern to being an attorney, which is a whole different level that?s expected, when actually you?re the same person you were before you took the bar.  Thank God I had one other associate there who was excellent and really supportive and helpful.  She?d been out of law school several years.  

Being the junior associate attorney, I was always working with the attorney that was crazy, meaning whoever had the deadline.  The lowest point was basically realizing that there were so many things I didn?t know how to do.  After three years of law school and after the bar exam, you?re supposed to be feeling good.

I just often felt like I wanted more responsibility and like I felt very unsure.  There was a time when I had worked on a letter to the court.  The attorney signed it, but didn?t shepardize the case and something had been overturned.  I said, ?When I worked at the other firm, nothing went out of the office to the opposing counsel, to the court, to anyone without the final product being shepardized.  That was my practice there.?  I thought that?s how we were doing it here.  I didn?t do the final product.  I wasn?t given the final product to shepardize. 

I had my little defensive comments, but at the end of the day, I felt like I really messed up. I felt like I had made our firm look bad.  The bottom line is, I learned from it.  I was really embarrassed; I was really upset.  I try to remember that.  So much of practice you learn as you go.  You don?t want to forget how hard it was.  Then people coming up are going through that and you want to be compassionate.

Full post as published by Ms. JD on May 21, 2010 (boomark / email).