SADHANA RAI: FINDING HER CALLING
A champion of pro bono lawyering, she receives the Joseph Grimberg Outstanding Young Advocate Award.
BY ASHUTOSH RAVIKRISHNAN
The hush of of the State Courts Towers is broken by a booming voice.
“Welcome, this is the Pro Bono SG office,” announces Ms Sadhana Rai, beckoning us into a nondescript door. There is great pride in her voice as she painstakingly explains the many awards and trinkets that line the office walls. It’s clear that this is more than just a paycheck to Sadhana.
All of the nine lawyers who work from this site and its satellite office in Hougang share that view. Together, they help thousands of needy Singaporeans and foreigners access the most basic of rights, legal representation.
As Pro Bono SG’s Head of Representation, Sadhana works behind the scenes to make this a reality, ensuring that applicants who are granted aid receive timely and appropriate legal assistance from lawyers. These lawyers are both volunteers and from the in-house team, which means that Sadhana continues to appear in Court on behalf of her clients.
ADVICE AND LESSONS
The role is a natural step for Sadhana, who was once herself an associate in the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme. Getting there meant walking away from one of the most coveted litigation teams in the country led by Mr Davinder Singh SC at Drew & Napier.
She’s effusive in her praise for Davinder, whom she still calls Mr Singh.
“It was a dream come true: to watch him at work, learn from him, and by extension, those who came before like Mr Joseph Grimberg SC. Mr Singh was my first teacher in practice, and left an indelible mark on me, shaping me into the lawyer that I am today.”
Even as an associate, she worked closely with Davinder directly and other senior members of the team, feverishly studying the way they approached case theory, legal analysis, and cross examination.
Two years on, she felt that she was accomplishing exactly what she set out to do when she joined the team. She was in the deep end, and she was learning to swim.
So why not continue?
“I was torn,” she admits. While she loved the law, it was getting harder to ignore the niggling voice inside that kept asking how she could make more of an impact.
“To receive a legal education is a privilege that is not afforded to many, and I was acutely aware of that. I wondered constantly how I could give back and make the most of this blessing.”
The answer came from her mentor, Mr Abraham Vergis SC, a great supporter of the pro bono movement in Singapore.
When Sadhana said she wanted to quit the law to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary (she was only half joking), he said, “How about you go join Pro Bono SG and make good use of your talent instead.”
With that, the wheel of fate was set in motion, and the elephants would have to wait.
That talent has made a difference to thousands. One memorable case involved a drug trafficker who was given an acquittal, years after his family had simply given up on him. His acquittal impacted Sadhana deeply.
“When he heard that he had been acquitted, he fell to the ground to thank God. This meant his family’s faith in him was restored. He could go home. It changed his life. If I hadn’t already realized it by then, it deeply impressed upon me that lawyers are healers too, both in and outside of the courtroom.”
Such stories are commonplace in the pro bono world. While they are touching, they don’t detract from the reality that lawyers in community organisations sometimes face a steep pay cut when switching from private practice.
Sadhana is comfortable talking about this, as she understands how fellow members feel. “I was there once and I still sometimes wonder why such an important service to the community does not command higher salaries, especially for young lawyers who are only just starting out in their lives.:
“But my two cents is that the feeling does go away. Even today, I look at my batchmates and see them buying really nice things and enjoying the money they’ve earned. Of course, at Pro Bono SG, you don’t get those kinds of fat paychecks but a few years ago, I found myself wondering, ‘How much can you realistically spend every month?’”
“There’s a point where money does become enough, and other things come to the fore. Like waking up every morning, and feeling excited about work because it aligns with your purpose and calling. It is amazing, the things you can do when you find your community of like-minded people who are working towards the same goal.”
BUILDING HER ARMY
Sadhana is vocal about wanting to grow the pro bono pool, going so far as telling the judging panel of the Joseph Grimberg Outstanding Young Advocate Award that she envisioned building an “empire” of pro bono lawyers. “There are so many cases and not enough people, so I did mean it, although my language may have been a little dramatic,” she laughs.
Nevertheless, it did convince the judges of her conviction and this week, she received the award from SAL President, The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon at SAL’s 35th anniversary dinner.
She hopes the award will raise visibility for the good work that Pro Bono SG does and how instrumental lawyers are. “We can do something very few can: advocate for others. Helping someone feel heard, even if the judgment doesn’t go your way, is a very powerful feeling.”
Her final pitch to members relates to the opportunities that even junior lawyers get at community organisations. “At Pro Bono SG, we are happy to have even first- and second-year associates co-lead a case. The seniors, and sometimes even the judges will mentor you when you take on a pro bono case. This is the advocacy opportunity you went through law school for. You don’t really see that anywhere else.”
SAL and Drew & Napier instituted the Joseph Grimberg Outstanding Young Advocate Award in 2018 to honour the memory of Mr Joseph Grimberg SC (1933 — 2017), a highly-regarded former Judicial Commissioner and Senior Counsel. It recognises young lawyers who demonstrate the same professional excellence and high ethical standards that he embodied.
