ARTICLE · 11 DECEMBER 2020

Interview With Soni Basra, Recently Appointed Partner

HLK

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Soni joined the Chemistry and Life Sciences team at Haseltine Lake Kempner in 2015 as a German and European patent attorney.

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Soni joined the Chemistry and Life Sciences team at Haseltine Lake Kempner in 2015 as a German and European patent attorney. This year she was appointed Partner, the first female ethnic minority attorney to be made Partner at HLK.

Not one to shy away from tough topics, in this article Soni shares her thoughts on sexism, racism, her experiences of UK and German law firms, and what law firms need to be doing to improve equality.

How did you feel when you found out you are the first ethnic minority female to be a Partner at HLK?

My initial feeling was one of surprise and my initial thought was "Why did it take so long?" Then I looked around at the industry and realised that this is not surprising at all. Many firms in the UK and in Germany have not appointed their first ethnic minority female Partner. In that respect, I am pleased that HLK recognises my contribution to the firm and promoted me to Partner.

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