Interview with Madhavi Goradia Divan

In conversation with Mrs. Madhavi Goradia Divan, Additional Solicitor General and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India.
Mrs. Madhavi Goradia Divan is an Additional Solicitor General in the Supreme Court of India. She completed her BA Honours in English Literature from St. Stephens College, Delhi and holds a degree in law from Cambridge University where she was a Cambridge Commonwealth Scholar. She is the third woman to be appointed as the ASG and was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India where she has practiced since 2007 across various subjects which include constitutional law, media law, commercial law, environment law and arbitration. Prior to 2007 she was based in Mumbai where she practiced as a counsel before the Bombay High Court and had a largely commercial law practice.
0:00 - Introduction
02:00 - Litigating women often feel they are faced with a choice between family, motherhood, and so on versus career. Reasons being - taking time off work/pregnancy, the arduous journey to come back to practice, what happens to their briefs meanwhile, optics and perception, etc. What are your thoughts? Do you think this sentiment is true (as in does it actually affect a litigating women’s career trajectory?)? And how do you navigate this decision?
09:20 - You have argued some of the most important cases in India, how do you prepare for arguments? What would prep with Mrs. Goradia Divan for a case look like?
15:18 - I think one very tricky area for all women to navigate is casual sexism, the kind that you know you should stand up against but it is also very often in the form of a joke (either from a superior or colleague or even a judge) and where a non-passive reaction could be considered “extreme”. What would your advice be to women who find themselves in that situation?
19:43 - Very recently, the United States Supreme Court in the Dobbs v Jackson case passed a judgment that shocked the US but also legal fraternities and many others across the world. The concept of women’s right/liberty/privacy rights has often been at loggerheads with religion or “constitutional ideals” (for eg. in the triple talaq case too!). What are your thoughts on this case and these debates as a lawyer and a woman?
24:42 - What, according to you, are the key differences between advocacy between High Court and Supreme (supreme court/high court) advocacy? How should junior lawyers be preparing differently?
27:03 - This is very broad ended, but I would love for you to share your thoughts on your highlights and key learnings from your journey so far? And any advice for young women lawyers along the way?