Shivani Honwad, Esq.
Attorney | Human Rights Advocate | Professor | People Connector | Creative Philanthropist
Attorney | Human Rights Advocate | Professor | People Connector | Creative Philanthropist
About
Meet Shivani
Shivani Honwad, Esq.* is a passionate advocate for the rights of women and children. As a student at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Shivani spent the Summer of 2005 interning in Bollywood in Mumbai, India, where she witnessed first-hand the massive destruction of property and extreme devastation caused by the July 26, 2005 monsoon floods. Since then, Shivani has dedicated her education and career to helping those in need obtain the services they deserve. She founded The Law Firm of Shivani Honwad, LLC in 2014 after working in the public and private sectors and clerking for the Chief Judge of the Family Court of Delaware upon graduating from law school. She focuses primarily on immigration and business law for companies in the fashion, tech, travel, wellness and entertainment realms. She successfully lobbied to amend Delaware’s state laws to provide better protections to juvenile victims of prostitution and is actively advocating for improved transparency in the modeling industry in NYC. In addition to her business and legal background, as the founder of a few companies and ventures herself, Shivani understands what it takes for entrepreneurs and companies to be successful and thus blends her passion and expertise to help people achieve their dreams. She is currently an adjunct professor at NYU's LA campus.
Press & Events
Interviews & Articles
- Business Insider
- Like a Boss Girls
- The Boston Globe
- Superr
- Brit + Co
- VoyageLA: LA's Most Inspiring Stories
- The Collective (of us)
- The AlphaOmega Project
- Shoutout SoCal
- The Story Exchange
- American Fashion Podcast
- The Fit Fifteen Podcast
- SDVoyager, Trailblazers: Rewriting the Narrative
- Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Campaign
Upcoming & Past Events
- NSEAL - Protecting Your Content: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask, Panelist
- LA TechWeek - Female Founders: Planning. Pivoting. Profiting. Co-Host & Moderator
- US Immigration Options for Ukrainians, Co-Host & Presenter
- Access Summit - Essentials of Entrepreneurship via a Legal Lens, Speaker
- Women in LAVA FemTech Panel, Moderator & Host
- Solving Conflict and Conducting Negotiations Lecture for the Global Leadership and Management Seminar at Berklee Valencia, Guest Speaker
- AILA RDC-EMEA Fall Conference in Paris, France, Challenges and issues for those hoping to work New York Fashion Week, Panelist, November 29, 2022
- NYU Los Angeles, Confident Conversations and Negotiation Techniques, Guest Lecturer, October 24, 2022
- Models Trust, Applying for US Work Visas, Guest Speaker via Instagram Live, June 10, 2022
- Make it Easier: Tax and Legal Building Blocks for Entrepreneurs, Co-Host & Presenter, May 20, 2022
- NYU Los Angeles, Confident Conversations: Contract Basics and Negotiation Techniques for Young Entertainment Professionals, Discovery Session Professor, April 2, 2022
- The Moth and I'll Go First, Story Telling Intensive Workshop (Coming Home), Participant, Spring 2022
- NYU Los Angeles, Essentials of Entrepreneurship: Legal Foundations, Guest Lecturer, February 28, 2022
- Legalese for Creatives: Contract Updates & US Immigration Options, Co-Host & Presenter, October 26, 2021
- LeadersAtlas Changemakers: How to Construct a Strong Legal Foundation to Build a Successful Venture, Presenter, October 18, 2020
- Take it to the Runway: Succeeding in Fashion IP Law, Panelist, August 13, 2020
- AltLegal Connect, Non-Traditional Networking, Presenter July 29, 2020
- In: Visioned, Starting a New Business, Presenter January 26, 2020
- Women Leading the Way, Female Founder Office Hours Advisor, December 5, 2019
- UCLA Young Tech Professionals Bootcamp, Guest Lecturer, November 20, 2019
- Sand Sisters Charity Guest Bartending & Silent Auction, Co-Host, November 18, 2019
- Sand Sisters Girl Powerful Charity Brunch, Co-Host, November 16, 2019
- Snap Design Academy Pitch Clinic, Coach, August 6, 2019
- BizCon 2019 BiXelrate 1:1, Advisor, June 19, 2019
- Women's Strategic Alliance Roundtable, Presenter, May 16, 2019
- Immigration Law Basics Workshop, Presenter, March 5, 2019
- Venture Capital Deal Financing Terms Workshop, Co-Host & Presenter, October 2018
- Startup Law Series: Entity Formation Workshop, Presenter, July 2018
- Business Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs in LA, Co-Host, Panelist & Moderator, June 2018
- The Riveter x Lean In LA: Achieving Equality Through Advocacy, Panelist, May 2018
- "Building Your Brand via Social Media" at the South Asian Bar Association's annual conference, Moderator, July 2017
- Chic, Classy, Confident: Making Time for YOU, Host & Panel Moderator, May 2017
- "Know Your Immigration Rights and Immigration Clinic" with SABANY and Adhikaar, Panelist & Clinic Attorney, March 2017
- Chic, Classy, Confident: A Celebration of Color & Culture, Host & Panel Moderator, September 2016
- "Overview of Immigration Options" at India Home, Solo Speaker & Presenter, April 2016
- "Moot Arbitration Preliminary Hearing Panel" with the New York State Bar Association & American Arbitration Association, Panelist, November 2015
- "Human Trafficking: Right Under Our Nose" with SABANY, Panel Organizer & Moderator, September 2015
- "Pathways to the Bench: An evening with Judge Singh and Judge Madhavan" with SABANY, Panel Organizer & Moderator, July 2015
- "Internationalizing Gender & Disability Law: International Accountability for Preventing & Ending Violence Against Women," International Law Weekend, American Branch of the International Law Association held at Fordham School of Law, Panelist, October 2013
Awards
- SABANY Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, 2017
- NYU Stern School of Business Dean's Community Service Award
- Girl Scouts Gold Award
Publications & Papers
- Recommendations for Action to Advance the Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities in the United Nations System (research assistant recognized in By line)
Past & Present Professional Affiliations
- Women in LAVA (Women in Lava affinity group board member)
- The Creative Coalition
- UNICEF Next Generation
- Dreamers //Doers
- Impact Guild
- Quilt
- Summit
- WMN Legal
- Certified Laughter Yoga Leader
- Sand Sisters, Board Member
- Nomi Network, Young Professionals Board
- GEMS Young Professionals Board
- Ask Ellis
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
- Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel (AMEC)
- Legal Network for Gender Equity / TIMES UP Legal Defense Fund
- SABANY, VP of Public Interest in 2015
- Stoked Mentor
- CUNY Citizenship Now! Pro Bono Attorney
- Adviser to Bixel Exchange with the LA Area Chamber of Commerce
- Nexus
- Appointed to the ILO-NEXUS United Nations Braintrust, focused on eliminating workplace violence & harassment
WORK + PROJECTS
Saath Saath Experiences
Bringing Together Good People to Create Joyful Moments Rooted in Culture & Community
Testimonials
What people are saying about Shivani's work:
Gesche Haas
Founder of Dreamers//Doers,
"I've worked with many many different lawyers, and for that
reason, couldn't recommend Shivani more highly. She is
straightforward, and cares so much, so sincerely, about the people
she works with. You can't help but be ecstatic to discuss legal
matters! I love her ability to focus on what's most important, and
break it down in a way that is easy to understand, AND fun to
process. Different from other lawyers, she moves very fast...while
you feel others are most concerned with maximizing the hours you
can bill. If you care about results, getting the job done,
maximizing your ROI on legal investments, you couldn't make a
better decision, than working with Shivani."
Dionne Cochrane Perez
Chic Classy Confident attendee
"Going to the women's empowerment event Shivani organized and hosted left me recharged and excited about chasing my dreams again. I saw myself in all of the women who were on the panel that night and I wasn't so afraid anymore."
Aine Rose Campbell
Fashion model
"Shivani is an extremely knowledgable and thorough attorney. I chose to work with her on my Green Card application because of her experience with fashion models, artists and celebrities in this area. Throughout the process, she delivered above and beyond her duties, and always answered any questions I had by email or over the phone very quickly.
I have since sought her legal advice for a new business I was starting, which has proved to be invaluable.
Shivani is both professional and personable, I could not be happier with my experience. I highly recommend her!"
Jasmine Chong
Fashion Designer
"“I met Shivani at my NYFW show. One of my models just received her green card through Shivani's firm, and she invited her as a guest to the show. As soon as I met her, I knew I wanted to work with her. She's the complete opposite of a stuffy NY lawyer, and she helped me get my O1 so I could continue my dream of working as a fashion designer in NY. With a business as creative and personal as your own fashion label, it was so important to me to work with someone who cared about the story behind my work and shared my values. since then, my co-founder Jacintha and I decided to continue working with her for all our business needs, like trademarks and contract negotiations, because we've always felt understood and very taken care of working with Shivani.”
Contact
Interested in getting in touch? Say Hi!
© Shivani Honwad 2019 All Rights Reserved.
*Admitted to practice law in NY and CA only.
This website is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice.
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