Dr Chandrika Subramaniyan, Principal Solicitor, Success Lawyers & Barristers

Chandrika

Dr Chandrika Subramaniyan has been nominated for the 2012 Women of the West Award for her commitment to helping women from refugee and migrant backgrounds settle in Australia.

Prior to her own migration to Australia in 1997, Dr Subramaniyan worked as a newspaper journalist and editor in India. After initial difficulty in finding suitable employment, Chandrika was encouraged to learn new skills and seek out opportunities for self improvement.

In the years that followed, Chandrika found a role with the Burwood Community Welfare services and Holroyd Parramatta Migrants Resource centres, using her own knowledge and experiences to provide computer training and English language classes to other adult migrants.

After meeting so many refugee and migrant women that were in need of legal assistance and advice, Chandrika was inspired to enrol in a Bachelor of Laws degree at UWS. She now runs her own law firm, Success Lawyers & Barristers, where she sets aside time each week to provide free legal advice to recently arrived migrants and refugees.

Chandrika has also recently founded the Support Organisation for Migrants Advocacy (SOMA) which provides a free legal service for women and aims to ensure that that they have access to suitable legal advice.

Chandrika was nominated for the Women of the West Award by Susan Vogels, CEO of SydWest Multicultural Services Inc, where Dr Subramaniyan provides free immigration advice and information sessions that focus on improving the position of women in society and eradicating discrimination, equally and injustice.

"Her ability to encourage women to strive and better themselves through education and awareness gives the women in our centre someone to trust and strengthens our support network," says Ms Vogels.

"She has the ability to challenge many women to develop themselves. Her constant generosity is greatly appreciated, simply by the donation of her time to assisting us with the multicultural community."

At every turn, Chandrika encourages women to become lawyers – so that they can work towards a brighter future while at the same time advocating for the rights of other migrant and refugee women and give back to their communities, as she has done.

 

Photo: Sally Tsoutas

Contact: Danielle Roddick, Senior Media Officer