Her Forum Podcast

Our episode this week features none other than Zia Mody, one of India’s most renowned corporate lawyers. With the University of Cambridge and Harvard Law School as her alma maters, today Zia Mody is the managing partner at AZB & Partners. Listed by Forbes as India’s 10 Most Powerful Women, Zia Mody talks to our founder, Nehan on leadership and pursuing excellence. She tells us about corporate governance, skills to succeed as a lawyer, overcoming challenges,  leadership principles to abide by and what it takes to stay on top. 

Listen to this episode to tune in to a casual chat with Zia Mody, that explores milestones in her career and what drives her. 

This week, we're bringing back an exciting masterclass series with Meenal Maheshwari Shah, who  broke down the evolving privacy laws in India for us. Meenal is a transactions and privacy lawyer and is currently Lead Legal Counsel (Global Transactions, Contracts, and Privacy) with Essar.   We've concised our three-part masterclass with Meenal into one podcast - Meenal takes us through the meaning of data privacy, existing privacy laws, the status of privacy across the globe and the proposed Data Protection Bill. Meenal also gives us some practical insight on the challenges of implementing the right privacy culture and being compliant across jurisdictions.
Data privacy is increasingly a discussed topic - this masterclass will give you an easy and well-rounded understanding of laws and challenges in India. Let us know if you have any questions for Meenal or let us know your thoughts.

Our episode this week brings back our chat with Ankita Singhania, counsel at the Bombay High Court. Having completed her BCL at Oxford University, Ankita started her career from the chambers of Sr. Counsel Janak Dwarkadas and currently has her own chambers. Ankita talks to us about navigating a male-dominated Bar through her career and the difference in this disparity today, sexism, her decision to go independent, and the value of an Oxford education (with a super fun rapid-fire round to conclude!)   Tune in to listen to a casual and informative chat we recall with Ankita! Save this episode for a good listen and let us know what you think!

This week on the Her Forum Podcast, we recall our conversation with Smita Rajmohan on being a lawyer in Silicon Valley. 

Primarily as Product Counsel at Apple, Smita is also on the board of the UN Committee for Women (SF Chapter), Berkeley Law Alumni Association,, and South Asian Bar Association. She tells us what motivated her to practice tech law in the US, automation in the legal field, the future of data privacy given increased government intervention, and challenges to be faced in a post-covid world! 

Given the climate around data privacy, we think this might be an interesting listen. Save this episode and share it with your friends. Also let us know what you’d like to hear about next! 

Our podcast this week features Rez Gardi - an international lawyer and human rights activist. Currently a Harvard Satter Human Rights Fellow, Rez is working in Kurdistan, where she is prosecuting war crimes against ISIS. Rez has an LL.M from Harvard Law School and is the founder of Empower - an NGO addressing the under-representation of refugees in higher education. She was awarded the Young New Zealander of the Year in 2017 and the Outstanding Youth Delegate at the UN Youth Assembly in 2019. 

Rez tells us about her journey from being born in a refugee camp to graduating from Harvard, what prosecution of ISIS for war crimes involves, separating her work and personal life and emotions, what her NGO does for refugees, and her decision to take up war crime litigation. 

Rez’s journey is riveting and so real - save for a good listen, and share this with your friends or fraternity! Please let us know whether you’re enjoying our podcasts and if there’s anything else you’d like to see us do!

This week’s podcast episode combines our first ever three-part masterclass with Sandhya Surendran. Sandhya is a copyright lawyer and the founder of Lexic and the Senior Legal Counsel at Vice Media. She explains what copyright is and where it stands in the music industry today.

In conversation with Sandhya, we learn about performers’ rights, when you can or can’t use copyrighted works, and how streaming and online distribution works.

It’s so strange how most of us know what copyrights are and yet we wonder how an artist benefits from it. Let us know what you think and subscribe to the Her Forum Podcast for more.

For this week’s podcast episode, Ambika Hiranandani talks to us about being an environmental and animal rights lawyer and also activism for non-lawyers. Ambika is a legal and government affairs adviser to the Tata Trusts and Strategic Partnerships Head with the Good Food Institute. Ambika has been part of various PILs for animal rights, most significantly to ban Victorias or horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai. 

 In conversation with Ambika, we explore her passion for environmental and animal rights, implementation (or lack thereof) of animal rights laws, banning Victorias in Mumbai, climate change, and more!

Given the visible effects of climate change, tell us your thoughts on the status of environmental and animal rights laws in India, and subscribe to the Her Forum Podcast for more.

For this week’s podcast episode, Ambika Hiranandani talks to us about being an environmental and animal rights lawyer and also activism for non-lawyers. Ambika is a legal and government affairs adviser to the Tata Trusts and Strategic Partnerships Head with the Good Food Institute. Ambika has been part of various PILs for animal rights, most significantly to ban Victorias or horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai. 

 In conversation with Ambika, we explore her passion for environmental and animal rights, implementation (or lack thereof) of animal rights laws, banning Victorias in Mumbai, climate change, and more!

Given the visible effects of climate change, tell us your thoughts on the status of environmental and animal rights laws in India, and subscribe to the Her Forum Podcast for more.

This week we’re bringing back fun but an enriching conversation with Nandini Khaitan. Currently based in Calcutta, Nandini Khaitan is a practicing Disputes Resolution partner at Khaitan & Co. She completed her LL.M at Columbia Law School and has represented clients in various High Courts and the Supreme Court. Nandini tells us about making her decision to be a lawyer, what it means to be a woman in a male-dominated industry (and how to react to being told how to dress), career milestones, not taking oneself too seriously, and a rapid-fire finisher! 

Share your thoughts with us and don’t forget to subscribe to the Her Forum Podcast to listen to more conversations like these.

For our first podcast episode, we’re bringing back a riveting conversation we had with Sr. Adv. Geeta Luthra, a designated senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India. She completed her LL.M and M. Phil. from the University of Cambridge, UK, and her accolades include being awarded the Inlaks Scholarship. Listen to our podcast episode with Geeta Luthra telling us about her journey and inspiration, the importance of collaboration over competition, media trials, the decline in dissenting opinions of the courts, compartmentalizing work and family - and so much more! Please follow the Her Forum podcast for weekly updates.