New Lawyer Division Spotlight: Veneeta Jaswal

Veneeta Jaswal has known from a young age that she wanted to be a “laywer,” as she wrote in second grade when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. It is safe to say that this future litigator would be proud to see what became of her dream.

Jaswal’s motivation to become a lawyer came from wanting to help those who lack the ability to speak up for themselves in English. A first-generation American, Jaswal is proud of her Indian descent and also happens to be trilingual: her mother spoke Hindi, her father spoke Punjabi, and her co-workers at her college job spoke Spanish. Now fluent in all three not-so-foreign to her languages, Jaswal is passionate about helping non-native English speakers be understood, including identifying the disparities of access to the courts for those who are not English-proficient.

She is also passionate about supporting the healthcare industry. As a healthcare defense attorney at Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, PC, Jaswal is able to use what she learned in law school and in her prior employment to assist the healthcare sector, which has special meaning for her due to her life experiences. Prior to law school, Jaswal was the primary caregiver for her father and was able to use her knowledge of the healthcare industry to advocate for the best care possible for him. Her unrelenting advocacy resulted in a heart and kidney transplant for her father which provided him a second lease on life. Additionally, many of her friends worked in healthcare start-ups that needed more attorneys to help them navigate the healthcare regulatory landscape. After all this she knew focusing on business law in law school was what she needed to do.

In 2014, Jaswal moved from her hometown of San Jose to San Diego for law school. She started her legal education at Cal Western but transferred to the University of San Diego School of Law to focus on business and corporate litigation. Prior to her current role, Jaswal worked as an associate at a law firm in Del Mar focusing on business and anti-trust litigation. There she met Rupa Singh, who encouraged her to get involved with the local South Asian Bar Association (“SABA”). She enjoys working with SABA because she can connect with others in the community and can encourage law students with similar backgrounds. 

In her personal life, Jaswal practices Muay Thai kickboxing. She is working her way up to take part in a Muay Thai competition in the near future to kick some butt outside of the courtroom as well. Jaswal also plans to get married this year (hopefully her soon-to-be husband can handle a fight)!

Advice for New Lawyers

For first-year associates and recent law school graduates, her advice is to not be afraid to start at a smaller firm. In her experience, she was able to get hands on experience and handled portions of cases which associates at big firms may not handle until later in their careers. Additionally, she had the opportunity to make stronger connections with attorneys in her office. Within a smaller firm, there is a greater opportunity to access supervising attorneys for mentorship. In her experience, access to these resources and opportunities provided a strong and diverse foundation to her legal career.

Also, join organizations and connect with others in the community. Creating your network and establishing yourself within the legal community is crucial, even from your first year of law school. Jaswal recommends SABA to anyone learning about South Asian culture in the San Diego community.

In the event that you ever desire to change firms, including a potential move to “big law”, having the experience and the community behind you will only help bring more value to your next employer.

If you have questions for Jaswal, feel free to reach out to her on LinkedIn.