Ms. Shalini A. Patel

Clements & Sweet LLP

After many a frigid Midwest winter, Shalini, a University of Michigan graduate, landed in Georgia in 1992. Ever idealistic, she attended law school at Emory University with an eye towards the public interest. Undeterred by a first-year professor who pointed out that the sign situated in front of the building read “School of Law” not “School of Justice,” she proudly joined the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office as a staff attorney in 1995.  She moved into civil practice in 2001 with hopes of expanding her repertoire. For the next seven years, Shalini represented teachers and school employees in due process hearings as well as in proactive employment discrimination lawsuits. It was a natural progression to represent working people across all trades and professions when her firm merged with Clements & Sweet in 2008. Since then, Shalini has assisted individuals injured while working in getting and keeping the benefits to which they are entitled. It is the personal connections she makes with her clients that motivate and continue to inspire her.

Outside the office, Shalini loves to fill her downtime with travel. Although she enjoys traveling internationally with her husband and kids, she also likes visiting the Pacific Northwest where her two sons attend college. With a newly-emptied nest, Shalini hopes to spend more time reading, going to concerts, watching plays and exploring unfamiliar parts of Georgia, the state which she has called home for more than thirty years.