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Legally speaking
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A pioneer in legal outsourcing in Kerala, Maimoona Marikar tells PRIYADERSHINI S.that it’s a tough world for women in litigation
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Photo: H. Vibhu
Legal eagle Maimoona Badsha Marikar, advocate and a mother of triplet girls
The frenetic pace at which she has worked her way up has left advocate Maimoona Badsha Marikar breathless. A mother of eight-year-old triplet girls, a pioneer in the legal outsourcing field in Kerala and now expanding her law firm, Badsha and Marikar to Chennai, she is taking a long look at her personal and professional life. “I am in transition. I think it is important that at every stage of life you take a step back and look at where you are professionally and personally,” says the savvy advocate, who is originally from Chennai.
With a doting husband and three wonderful girls, Maimoona is content in her personal life but is seeking answers in her professional field. “I aspire to excel professionally and make a difference,” she says and believes that there’s a long way for her to go in the legal field. “I am passionate about law and it gives me a high when I stand up in court and argue a case. It requires a special skill to balance law with persuasion and I enjoy this challenge.”
It is her father, Senior Counsel, Habibullah Badsha who inspired her to become a lawyer. “My father says, first read the judge, and then read the law. I admire him for his integrity and dedication.”
Maimoona set up LegalEase Solutions Pvt Ltd. in Kochi in 2004 for her clients based in the US. Today the thirty-member team at LegalEase is doing high-end work like research and drafting for US law firms. Maimoona says, “I think that the legal scene in Kochi is on the brink of change, specially now with opportunities in the outsourcing field. The kind of job opportunities in my field never existed before.”
“Even today it is a tough world for women in litigation. The list for the next day at High Court comes only in the evening. For a woman it is hard to be in office at that time.” At LegalEase Solutions Maimoona made the work atmosphere as woman friendly as possible. “The work force there was predominantly women. We created a very safe and friendly environment for them. If a woman had a problem at home we would allow her the time to sort it. Being a woman I ran it with compassion for women and their issues.”
And so is it a male-centric world at the Bar?
“All professions have been structured around a man and for a man’s convenience. It is up to us women to empower ourselves,” she advocates.
Triplet daughters
And the three little women in her life, “Ah, yes my daughters, Amaarah, Zehra and Saba… they are my support system.” And having triplets? “It was amazing during my first ultrasound to hear three different heart beats at the same time. Nothing has and will match that experience.” And raising the girls? “It has been incredible. It was a physical strain when they were young and now I find that the emotional commitment takes a lot. They have the same needs at the same time.”
And so what drives her with such commitment to work both at home and at office. “I always wanted to use my skills. I remember that even before the mehndi faded from my hands after my wedding day, I was looking for a job. That surprised a lot of people. They wondered why I needed to work when I was financially stable.” “I am blessed with so many privileges, a happy healthy family, great parenting, abundant love and I want to leave a lasting impression both professionally and personally.
Vivacious and winsome Maimoona has definitely made an impression in Kochi with her work and is now moving to Chennai to make that difference she wishes.
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