28 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN'S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE WWW.PROFESSIONALWOMANMAG.COM
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bcsjob!Obsbjo!jt!bo!bncjujpvt!Ijtqbojd!'!Btjbo! Indian attorney breaking barriers in Los Angeles' auto manufacturing litigation space. She made partner in March after only three years at the diverse boutique mfhbm!sn!Tboefst!Spcfsut-!MMQ!xifsf!tif!qsjnbsjmz! focuses on defending corporations in consumer pro- tection matters, including breach of contract, fraud claims and product liability. She represents large epnftujd!boe!gpsfjho!nbovgbduvsfst!mjlf!Gpse!Npups! Dpnqboz! boe! Bnfsjdbo! Ipoeb! Npups! Dpnqboz-! Inc., and her experience in the auto industry has led to the creation of new and technically advanced liti- gation strategies to successfully defend the severity pg!dpotvnfs!xbssbouz!dbtft!jo!Dbmjgpsojb-!tqfdjdbmmz! those cases alleging fraud and misrepresentation. Professional Woman's Magazine caught up with Narain to ask her more about her career journey, the mentors that helped her get there and her advice to others looking to shatter glass ceilings.
Professional Woman's Magazine (PWM): Why did you want to go into law?
Sabrina Narain: I've wanted to be a lawyer since I was 10 years old. As a young, minority female from New York, I grew to be very honest, upfront and direct so I naturally gravitated to wanting to be a lit- igator. I had a lot of good mentors who showed me how to direct my talents and energy and their guid- ance led me to wanting to be a lawyer. Now I'm able up!ep!xibu!J!mpwf!bu!b!sn!uibu!tvqqpsut!nf!cfjoh!xip! I am, and that has really allowed me to shine.
PWM: What type of cases do you generally handle?
Narain: About 90 percent of my practice involves handling consumer protection cases for auto manu- gbduvsfst!mjlf!Gpse!Npups!Dpnqboz!boe!Ipoeb!Npups! Company. Warranty litigation and lemon law are growing areas, a growth I have witnessed just in the mbtu!wf!zfbst/!J!bn!qbttjpobuf!bcpvu!qspufdujoh!uif! interests of my clients, especially from abusive litiga- ujpo-!xip!bsf!oejoh!uifntfmwft!gbdjoh!uipvtboet!pg! mbxtvjut!mfe!fbdi!zfbs/!!
PWM: What is your proudest achievement?
Narain: Making partner within seven years of prac- ujdf!bu!Tboefst!Spcfsut!jt!efojufmz!pof!pg!nz!qspve- est achievements. When I started in 2018, there were pomz! wf! mbxzfst! boe! b! gfx! qbsbmfhbmt! bu! Tboefst! Spcfsut/!Uif!sn!usvtufe!nf!up!nbobhf!uifjs!bvupnp- tive practice group. In turn, my processes effectively
Auto Attorney Sabrina Narain
Inspires Others to Take the Wheel
By Kat Castagnoli
jodsfbtfe!uif!snt!fnqmpzff!cbtf/!Upebz-!J!nbobhf! tpnf!pg!uif!snt!cjhhftu!dmjfout!xjui!b!ufbn!pg!npsf! than twenty people. But perhaps my biggest achievement was sticking up for myself and going after what I wanted out of my career for what I wanted to make out of it. Like many female professionals, female attorneys witnessed and experienced discrimination. Watching the stigmas of uif!mfhbm!fme!cfdpnf!b!sfbm!uijoh!tdbsfe!nf/!J!ibe!bo! pggfs!bu!b!obujpoxjef!mbx!sn-!xijdi!boz!zpvoh!mbx- yer would jump at the opportunity for. I was going to take it; it's what I thought I needed to do. At the same ujnf-!b!gsjfoe!sfdpnnfoefe!Tboefst!Spcfsut/!Bu!uibu! ujnf-!Tboefst!Spcfsut!xbt!b!tnbmmfs!sn!boe!nbo- aged by two incredibly talented litigators who was looking to make a footprint in the automotive legal industry. I negotiated my salary and made clear my expectations. To my surprise, my demands were not just met, but welcomed. Looking back now, I realize that my success today was not just luck, it is because I stuck up for myself and followed what I wanted.
PWM: What makes Sanders Roberts different from other litigation rms?
Narain: Uif!mbxzfst!bu!Tboefst!Spcfsut!qsjef!uifn- selves on not just being great litigators, but also great trial lawyers. This distinction serves our clients' needs well because we approach every matter from a posi- tion of strength knowing what it will take to win at usjbm-!jg!ofdfttbsz/!Pvs!sn!jt!dpnqsjtfe!pg!b!ejwfstf! team of talented attorneys, who are pushed to think outside the box, through support and mentorship.
PWM: Do you have a mentor or someone who has guided/inuenced you?
Narain: I've been very lucky to have so many people that I can call and ask for advice. My two manag- joh!qbsuofst!bu!Tboefst!Spcfsut-!Kvtujo!Tboefst!boe! Sfhjobme!Spcfsut-!Ks/-!bsf!opx!nz!cjhhftu!jovfodft/! They have really helped learn how to use my talents to the best of my abilities. I am grateful for their friendship; I don't think many attorneys get to expe- rience the kind of partnership that I've walked into. Two other great mentors are Elizabeth McNulty and Amy Mclear, two phenomenal automotive attor- neys in California. I have had the pleasure of working with these ladies on a variety of issues and cases. I relate to them because of how open, direct, and hard- working they are. As driving forces in the legal indus- try, they have taught me to never be afraid to speak up and to not be fearful of taking on more work as I grew into my role. More importantly - always be you. If you are emotional, be emotional. Women are raised to be fearful of people's expectations in order to be successful. You reach your full potential when you are you, not worrying about what others think of you.
PWM: How do you feel about being a woman in law who is shattering the glass ceiling?
Narain: I feel that is so important to help others and share the wealth of knowledge that you have with- out asking for anything in return. I've always stayed true to myself and always been a go-getter - it's how I've broken barriers as a minority female. I encour- age young women to resist changing who they are just because they think the environment needs them to change. I want young lawyers and other young women to know it's possible to have a satisfying and successful career while being you.
PWM: What are your goals for the future?
Narain: My partners always tell me that I'm going to be the go-to automotive lawyer in California. That path suits me. I really enjoy the auto space and the dynamics of working with auto-manufacturers. I'd love to grow my practice to handle more product lia- bility, class action and complex litigation matters for manufacturers. I also want to continue to be a mentor to other young lawyers. I've mentored many law stu- dents and now junior attorneys and hope to keep my connection with them alive.
SANDERS ROBERTS LLP
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