There are a lot of children all over North America with dreams of becoming a lawyer when they grow up. There used to be a time when that dream was more accessible to some than others, but trailblazers like Malliha Wilson have broken through glass ceilings, creating paths for others to follow so they, too, can achieve their dreams.
Ms. Wilson is the founder and senior counsel of Nava Wilson LLP, but she had to work hard to get where she is today. In fact, when she first began attending college at McGill University, Malliha had no plans to earn her law degree. However, she felt called to stand up for the rights of others and follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, who’s considered the father of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. Malliha has built an impressive career in her time as an attorney, and we’ve put together this short article of lessons you can learn from her life and career.
You have to have a love for education to practice law.
One thing that you will learn if you look closely at the life and career of Malliha Wilson is that education played a monumental role in shaping her career. As mentioned in the opening, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a lawyer, but she knew she needed higher education to achieve her goals in life. After excelling at McGill University, Ms. Wilson went on to earn her law degree from the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Malliha is a great example of how a lifelong love for learning will serve you well as a litigator.
Lawyers stand up for the rights of the disenfranchised.
Watching S.J.V. Chelvanayakam fight for the rights of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka and even helping him make signs for his rallies left an indelible mark on Malliha, and it’s what influenced her to become a lawyer herself. She went into the legal field to fight for the rights of people who can’t fight or speak for themselves and became the first visible minority to serve in the Supreme Court as Ontario’s assistant deputy attorney general. Since the start of her legal career, Malliha Wilson has been a staunch proponent of human rights.
Lawyers often make great entrepreneurs.
Another thing you can learn about law from studying the career of Malliha Wilson is that lawyers often make great entrepreneurs. At one time, Malliha served as a special legal advisor to the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario, and she also practiced real estate law. With her legal work in the corporate world, she was ready for the business side of things when she founded Nava Wilson LLP, and she’s a great example for lawyers who would like to run their own practice someday.
There’s a lot to learn about law from studying the career of Malliha. One thing you can learn from her is that you must have a love for education to succeed at earning your law degree. Lawyers like Malliha protect the rights of underserved communities, and she’s a great example of why we need human rights and labour law practitioners from all backgrounds. She’s also a great example of how the legal field is abounding with career opportunities for young lawyers, including attorneys who want to become entrepreneurs like Malliha.
As you can see, Ms. Wilson has a lot to teach us about law, and she’s a great example for young people interested in going into the legal field. Indeed, if you have enough dedication and resilience, you, too, can become the senior counsel and founder of your own firm, just like Malliha.