By LSJ Team -
Allens Associate Keerthi Ravi works in a team of about 200 lawyers on disputes ranging from insolvency to tax and the banking Royal Commission. She has also worked at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and as a judge’s associate in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Ravi co-founded the Diverse Women’s Mentoring Association, a not-for-profit that facilitates mentoring and development opportunities to raise the profile of culturally diverse women in professional services. Ravi is passionate about mentoring and community engagement and is involved in pro bono initiatives for homelessness, asylum seekers and the rights of Indigenous Australians. In her free time, she tutors English and performs Indian music and dance.
What made you choose law as a career?
Practising law was always an obvious choice for me. I enjoyed mooting at university and loved the “black letter” elements of my subjects and electives. I interned in the tax department of an accounting firm one summer but I spent most of my time seeking work from their in-house lawyers, so law had a hold on me. I did do my research; I shadowed a barrister who was an excellent advocate (which I loved), spoke to lawyers (heard the good, the bad and the ugly), worked as a paralegal at a law firm (the overtime pay was all that mattered), volunteered in a community legal centre (hugely rewarding) and, on balance, decided that law was the career for me.
Having now been in practice for nearly four years, I know I’ve made the right decision. The shades of grey in the law make it so fascinating and serve as a springboard for meaningful law reform. My involvement in the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence comes to mind. It helped bring so many changes in perception and made me realise the power of law to bring changes to society and really make a difference.
