In this episode, we sit down with the effervescent and fabulous, Sheetal Deo (she/her). She is passionate about leveraging platforms and privilege to connect ideas, people, and opportunities that amplify and empower underrepresented experiences. Sheetal is a lawyer by qualification and an advocate by choice. She is passionate about access to education and legal services. She occupies several roles which she uses to facilitate her passions and drive social impact.

Sheetal has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and political science from the University of the Fraser Valley (Canada), and a Juris Doctor, Master of Laws and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from Bond University (Australia). Sheetal incorporates her political and social science training in her advocacy forequity & accessibility within the legal profession and the community it serves.Sheetal is the Principal and Founder of Shakti Legal Solutions; an innovative, award winning low-bono law firm designed specifically to improve access to legal assistance for everyday people through a unique, ‘pay what you can’ model.

Outside of her legal practice, Sheetal runs a diversity and inclusion consultancy, is the Senior Project Manager for the RISE Project at the Diversity Council of Australia, an adjunct lecturer with the College of Law, and volunteers her time to various not-for-profit organisations and boards including the Centre of Legal Innovation’s Emerging Leaders Advisory Board and the Queensland Law Society where she is the first culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) woman elected to serve on its board in its 150-year history.

Digressions include her Indian heritage migration story to Fiji, having a life mission statement and Olly wants to steal a quokka. This episode is a goldie!