PILI is grateful to Nidhi Narielwala who has been serving as Chair of our Alumni Network Leadership Council for the last year and will conclude her term at the end of this month.
Nidhi graduated from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and served as a PILI Graduate Fellow at the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois in 2018. At the ACLU, she worked on a wide range of projects from the welfare of LGBTQ youth to addressing police misconduct in Chicago to the Women’s and Reproductive Rights Project. Most recently at Norton Rose Fulbright, Nidhi gave clients counsel on a variety of matters related to technology licensing agreements and data privacy compliance programs. She also advised clients on GDPR and data transfer mechanisms between the European Union and the United States.
As Nidhi concludes her service as chair, we asked her a few questions about her involvement with PILI.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE YOUR PILI GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP CONCLUDED?
Professionally, I have been working in private practice honing my expertise in technology law, primarily data privacy, cybersecurity, and technology transactions. Also, in my free time, I have continued to stay involved with PILI since I personally experienced the learning opportunities it provided to me early in my career. I am also still involved with the ACLU and am currently serving on the executive board of the ACLU of Illinois’ Next Generation Society.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A PILI FELLOW?
My favorite experience from my Fellowship was having the support of like-minded people and staying hopeful during a very sad time in our country’s recent history. I still remember around June 2018, one disaster after another struck us: (i) Justice Kennedy announced his retirement, (ii) the Supreme Court upheld Trump’s third Muslim Travel Ban, and (iii) the Supreme Court struck down California’s FACT Act, which required crisis pregnancy centers to post visible notices about other state-sponsored options for pregnancy, including abortion. It was uplifting to be surrounded by people who, like me, were upset, but had not lost hope. In that moment, I felt incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to help the ACLU’s fight for constitutional rights for all in the face of bigotry and hatred.
HOW HAS YOUR COMMITMENT TO SERVICE PLAYED A ROLE IN YOUR LIFE AND CAREER?
The importance of pro bono service in my practice has been at the center of my professional decisions, including which firms I chose to work for and how I spent my time outside of work. Having a focal point like pro bono also impacts the work I do for my clients in private practice, because it reminds me how lucky I am to be able to serve clients from all backgrounds and means with their legal needs, and the importance of having an advocate who truly cares about you.
WHY DO YOU LIKE SERVING ON THE ALUMNI NETWORK LEADERSHIP COUNCIL?
My time on the Alumni Network Leadership Council is one of my favorite ways of mixing my professional life with my personal passions, from serving as the 2018 Graduate Fellow Alumni Representative to PILI’s Board of Directors to now serving as the Chair of the Council. I work with an incredible team on the Council and at PILI and am very grateful for all of their support and sage advice. I am excited to pass the baton to the amazing Jill Roberts, and to continue working with the Council and PILI to build more connections between past PILI Interns and Fellows and the public interest law community throughout Illinois.