Nushin Milani, 33 years old,
Defense Attorney
Nushin Milani
“I think the definition of meaningful can be very personal. What is meaningful for one person does not have to be meaningful for another. What I find meaningful is if I can be helpful and somehow make a contribution to society or work towards a more just society. I just try to do my best as a private person and in my work as a lawyer as well.”
When I was a child I thought of going into nursing to help people in Africa. Later I thought of becoming a teacher. In the end I became a defense attorney.
In my last year of law school I thought about what it could be like working as a defense lawyer. I was already working for a law firm as a secretary one day a week while studying, so once I graduated I applied at a law firm and got accepted.
After the first day, when I went home I felt so happy and now after seven years working in this area I still love it!
Three years ago my sister who was also a defense attorney asked me to join her and another lawyer in their firm. In the meantime my sister became a judge, so now I and another defense attorney share a practice focusing on primarily criminal and some family law.
What I like about the work itself is that it is very practical and you get to work directly with people. I feel I can help my clients by giving them advice, protecting their rights and by trying to get the best result for them.
I really try in every case to achieve the best for my client which doesn’t mean that they are not sentenced. Sometimes they have committed the crime and they are sentenced. I try to consider the whole person and communicate this to the judge to help them get the most appropriate punishment possible.
I think the definition of meaningful can be very personal. What is meaningful for one person does not have to be meaningful for another. What I find meaningful is if I can be helpful and somehow make a contribution to society or work towards a more just society. I just try to do my best as a private person and in my work as a lawyer as well.