Nidhi Singh, the founder of NRI Legal Services, grew up with a passion for fighting injustice. A lawyer, she decided early to take up the cudgels for fighting for legal rights of NRIs, to work towards creating an efficient legal system for them who went through trauma while handling property issues back home in India. She figured out that they suffered mainly because of their inability to visit India frequently for resolution of property matters. Excellent leadership, a perfectionist’s attitude, thorough professionalism, an empathetic & sensitive approach, and impeccable communication skills with people in a multi-cultural environment are traits that lend a high level of credibility and competence to her working style.
Nidhi is married and has three children, all of whom are being trained under her able guidance for a career in the legal profession. Besides her core profession, she is passionate about her vegan lifestyle and believes in a healthy & holistic way of life.
1 Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
I am born bred qualified and have lived in India permanently. It’s my natural habitat hence feel at my best in India. Despite the fact that due to the nature of my work, I live overseas especially UK which is almost like my second home, I choose India as my permanent base as I am a proud Indian, it has a rich heritage and culture that I imbibe everyday from.
2 What are your proudest achievements?
To have founded NRI Legal Services, a company which has a global foot print touching the lives of millions of persons of Indian origin based overseas and brings justice to those who have lost all hope in ever getting their legal rights restored in their root country due to their absence, lack of knowledge on systems and greed or vested interests of those they trusted with their inheritance.
3 What inspires you?
To give hope to people through my work in humanity, especially those who have lost it because their own blood relatives betrayed them by usurping their properties in their absence while they entrusted them with it.
To restore faith in people about India and Indians. To prove that the legal system in India works and professional honest and ethical services are possible in India.
To spread happiness and cheer in the lives of people in whatever way I can.
4 What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
Firstly to get people to trust me as a professional, as the mindset of people is so warped and steeped in suspicion against India and Indians. The delayed legal systems in India and the huge backlog of cases languishing in courts doesn’t help either. Corruption, Nepotism and Red Tapism are still challenges that India as a nation is struggling to overcome and will probably soon now.
5 Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
My parents, who raised me to be a driven, motivated and a person with a huge sense of self-belief. They were both very evolved and raised me in a way that I never felt that as a woman especially from India there was something I could not do or achieve. My husband who believed in me and gave me the space and the environment to set up this International law firm which meant taking me away from home and kids for long periods of time.
6 What is the best aspect about your current role?
To be able to give correct advice and guidance to people who have no knowledge or access to information that they so badly need to resolve their legal issues in India. To be able to mentor and guide young legal professionals on how to believe and work for their clients ethically and passionately.
7 And the worst?
As a lawyer not always able to bring speedy relief to people who look at me as their beacon of hope, I feel helpless and frustrated at the delayed legal systems in India. When my client asks me how much more time and I have no definite answer to give and it almost kills me. I relate to their pain and anguish and in spite of doing my best as their lawyer, I have to submit myself to the court calendar and procedural delays in courts or otherwise that I can’t do much about, is something I have difficulty coming to terms with.
8 What are your long-term goals?
To expand the horizons of NRI Legal Services as a world class global organization.
To now work towards setting it up as a legacy that lasts well after I am gone.
I would like to see it delivering fabulous customer experience, fully accountable and accessible to those who are fighting their legal battles through us, while living in far off lands outside India.
9 If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
Remove reservation and caste and class based inequalities and promote equal opportunities to all. All leading professional degrees like doctors, engineering and law should be merit based and not class and caste based. This is to ensure that truly world-class professionals emerge in India to take the country to the next level of excellence.
10 If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why.
Saint Kabir the Sufi mystic. I am in love with his philosophy of oneness of humanity. He espoused loving oneself because the supreme resides within each of us and that we as humans have to endeavor to live as God designed us to be, to our full and best potential.
He also promoted in uplifting and helping those who you can in any manner one deems fit. This is the only purpose of our life here on earth as I believe it is.
