Winner of the Legal Leaders Scholarship

Nariman Shehaiber

In her essay, Nariman shares how her journey has shaped her understanding of the immense impact legal counsel can have on people's lives. She highlights how her unique background and experiences have enabled her to connect with individuals from diverse walks of life. Congratulations, Nariman, and we wish you all the best with your career!

Read Nariman’s essay here:

I have experienced firsthand the way the justice system works and the impact of legal counsel. At nine years old I had to give a deposition about the man who hit me with his vehicle as I was crossing the street and attempted to flee the scene to evade accountability. At 18, I witnessed my sister fight for her legal rights and custody of children having been a victim of domestic violence. Now, as a professional working for one of the largest management consulting firms in the world, I have a front seat to legal counsel advising executives on every business matter as it relates to the company. Each of these experiences made me lean in closer to understand the profound impact a legal advisor can have on a human or organization’s most vulnerable moments.

I earned my way through every major checkpoint in my educational and professional experiences. I am a first-generation college graduate; I attended a Catholic university and became the first woman and Muslim to give a commencement speech for the school of business. When I decided to pursue a career in corporate America at Accenture, I faced the challenge of being underrepresented as a Muslim woman who wears the hijab. But at just 21 years old, I became part of a team advising Fortune 500 business executives on how to manage their organizations more effectively and execute large scale transformations to meet their multi billion-dollar revenue goals. My immediate work informed actions that would improve the way some of the biggest and most well-known companies in the world would operate. I built solid relationships and learned to manage people as a leader, becoming a go-to advisor for how to interact with all types of personalities. Through solving complex problems, I cultivated an extensive skill set and strategically positioned myself in situations that allowed me to learn and grow both personally and professionally. I earned multiple promotions in the first few years I spent with the firm, an accelerated growth path that is rarely achieved. I defied the misconceptions that were intended to hold me back from succeeding and paved a path for others who face similar roadblocks to thrive through spearheading diversity and inclusion initiatives globally.

My experiences taught me that I can hold onto the roots that nourished my success while simultaneously building branches that allowed me to reach and impact individuals from all walks of life. The deeper sense of empathy and perspective I have gained through my own struggles enable me to understand humans as individuals defined by a diverse range of histories that form their identities, which will make me a strong legal advocate. These principles guide me in both my personal and professional life, and I am committed to continuously cultivating them in my career as an attorney.