Upon accepting her award for Woman of the Year from Seattle University School of Law, the Womxn’s Law Caucus, and the Womxn of Color Coalition, Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) President Sunitha Anjilvel said the honor represented all women in the room.
“This moment is not just about my personal achievements, it's about the collective work we all to do make space for one another, challenge systems that need changing, and build community,” she said.
A longtime family law and estate-planning attorney, Anjilvel has owned Anjilvel Law in Redmond since 2008. Last year, she became the first South Asian woman to be elected to lead a state bar association, after having served two terms on the WSBA Board of Governors, including as the governor chair of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Council for three years. This area has been one of her biggest passions as WSBA president.
“I wanted this year as president to focus on change,” said Anjilvel, noting that one of her priorities is updating the WSBA’s 2013 Diversity and Inclusion Plan. “I’m proud that we're publicly supporting issues currently under fire across the nation.”
She encouraged others in the room to not be afraid to diversify the legal profession and make their voices heard, calling audience members “important agents of change” who “refuse to settle for the way things have always been done.”
“Don't wait until you feel ready. None of us ever really are ready. Step forward anyway. Speak up anyway,” she said. “Take your seat, and if there isn't one, bring a chair.”
Dean Anthony E. Varona observed in his introduction of Anjilvel that as president, she is “prioritizing belonging in the legal profession, addressing rural legal shortages, advocating for member well-being, and supporting the Legal Technology Task Force to modernize the practice of law.”
“She is a role model for all of us, no matter our sex or gender,” he said.
Anjilvel urged students and new lawyers to take any opportunities for volunteer work that come their way. She has served on the Domestic Relations Attorneys of Washington Board of Directors and has volunteered for both the Kinship Care Project and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
She also advised audience members to remain flexible as the legal industry changes. She pointed to her own background, when she started as a rural public interest lawyer for the Newfoundland Legal Aid Commission after completing her studies at Dalhousie University School of Law in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and McGill University in Montreal, both in Canada. Upon moving to Seattle in 2007, she was told she would not find a job at a firm due to the economic recession, so she pivoted and started Anjilvel Law. Since the pandemic, her firm has left its downtown Seattle office and switched operations to become fully remote, adapting to the changing norms of practicing law.
“As you embrace change, be bold, think outside the box, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t get where you want to be — they don’t know your future,” she said.
Anjilvel ended her remarks by remembering her daughter, Alice, who passed away in a tragic accident last year at just 24 years old.
“She was proud that her mom was making history,” Anjilvel said. “I dedicate this honor to Alice.”
At the close of the event, the Womxn’s Law Caucus and Womxn of Color Coalition presented the Kellye Testy Scholarship to 1L Rina Ravisundar. The two groups, along with the Black Law Student Association, also presented the G. Helen Whitener Scholarship to 2L Isabell Murray.