'Don't be afraid to break the mould': Jyoti Haikerwal wins prestigious '30 under 30' lawyer award

Melbourne lawyer, Jyoti Haikerwal, has won the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Award 2023 in the health, medical and personal injury category. She speaks with SBS Hindi about her inclination towards science and how she wasn't even sure that she wanted to be a lawyer.

Jyoti Haikerwal bags a Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Award in the health, medical and personal injury category. Credit: Supplied

Key Points

• Jyoti Haikerwal is a winner of the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards in 2022 and 2023.
• She is co-chair of the Victorian Women Lawyers Community.
• As a volunteer at the Australian Birth Trauma Association, she has a keen interest in helping women through physical, emotional and financial challenges.

The Lawyer's Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards identify outstanding young achievers across Australia in the legal profession.

Ms Haikerwal, who is of Indian background, currently works with Melbourne-based personal injury law practice Brave Legal.

In 2022, she won the '30 Under 30' award in the insurance category.

She has also appeared on the list of 'Ones to Watch' in medical negligence and litigation by Best Lawyers in Australia.

The 27-year-old spoke to SBS Hindi shortly after receiving her latest award at a black-tie gala event held at The Star in Sydney on Friday 2 June.

Winning awards is a great way to stop and reflect on the work that we do and the people that we have been able to help, but its also a way to celebrate our teams.

Jyoti Haikerwal

She said the recognition is not only a reflection of her own hard work, but also that of her colleagues.

Ms Haikerwal said she is proud to honour her hard-working parents while also enjoying the life that they built for her.

Ms Haikerwal's parents moved to Australia over three decades ago and both continue to work in the field of science and medicine.

"My family is very science/medical focussed both on my mum and dad's side. When growing up, though, it was never pushed on us to do anything, we were always told to get the best education and then make a decision from there," she explained.

Ms Haikerwal wasn't always sure she wanted to be a lawyer.

Initially, she thought she would follow in her family's footsteps and take up medicine.

Then she was accepted to the Australian National University in Canberra to study law.

Jyoti Haikerwal fuses a passion for law with a deep insight into medicine. Credit: Image supplied by Jyoti Haikerwal

"I moved to Canberra and I still had in the back of my mind that maybe medicine is for me, maybe science is for me, so I combined my degree in law with medical science and loved it," Ms Haikerwal said.

She decided that a double degree in medicine and law would give her plenty of choices.

In her fourth year, she gained some work experience and started working in a personal injury firm as a clerk for a lawyer who worked in medical negligence.

That's when she began to sharpen her vocational focus.

Ms Haikerwal said she enjoys applying law to complex medical situations. This often requires in-depth knowledge of anatomy, surgical techniques, infection control, nursing care and emergency medicine.

"Finding a niche really helped me, and in law school, you are very much led down the commercial law path and to stray away from that, as I did, can be very scary, at first instance.

"But I think following your passion and what you enjoy doing every day is very important," she shared.

Jyoti Haikerwal with her award at the Star, Sydney. Credit: Supplied

Seeking to drive diversity, inclusion and social mobility in the industry, Ms Haikerwal has been an active volunteer both within the legal field and in her community.

She is a co-chair of the Victorian Women Lawyers Community whose purpose is to drive conversations about gender equality in the legal profession.

"I have always from the get-go had mentors who are strong female lawyers who have trailblazed the way, making it a bit easier for me, but there are still challenges about gender pay gaps and gender equity and there is still a lot of work to be done in that space."

Ms Haikerwal also volunteers as a risk officer for the Australian Birth Trauma Association, and enjoys pursuing opportunities outside of her practice.

She continues to be inspired by both her grandmothers, who she said have always been very community-minded.

"When I was growing up I always saw them volunteer and contribute and I saw how much joy it gave them and also the impact that they had on their community."

She said that, as a female lawyer, she feels an obligation to give back to the community and help the next generation grow.

The best advice she has for young people wishing to take up law as a career is "don't be afraid to break the mould" as commercial law may not be for you.

If you do want to do something, or you don’t get into it the first time, that’s OK as there will always be another pathway for you.

Jyoti Haikerwal

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