By Jeanine Matlow
Legal News
As a former federal prosecutor, Anjali Prasad has had her own firm for nearly a decade – Prasad Legal in Bloomfield Hills – where she specializes in criminal defense and family law. Her journey along the way has shaped the way she views her profession and the various roles she undertakes.
Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, Prasad earned a master’s in English from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
“I was thinking I would get my Ph.D. and become a college professor,” she says.
Instead, she would decide to attend Emory University School of Law in Atlanta.
“On the first day of law school, I sat in Professor John Witte’s criminal law class, and I felt that was my calling. He would frame the scenario and have us twist the facts ever so subtly, forcing us to connect each tedious detail back to the law. I would go to class during the day and watch the O.J. Simpson trial at night. I knew I wanted to be in the courtroom.”
Prasad worked for the government for more than 15 years, including the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office where she was a prosecutor.
“It was a great job with a high volume of cases. It was a super place to learn on your feet,” she says.
Prasad returned home to Michigan when she was offered a position as an Assistant United States Attorney in Detroit.
The sole practitioner, who was born and raised in Bloomfield Hills and hosts a TV program on Bloomfield Public Television about law and public policy, seems to have found her legal niche.
“My parents are medical doctors and a large part of my practice is representing health care providers charged with health care fraud,” says Prasad. “I can connect that to my upbringing.”
Her pro bono focus has become domestic violence as Prasad works closely with Mai Family Services, a nonprofit agency that provides social and legal services for victims in the South Asian community.
“In Philadelphia, my job of prosecutor was very victim-oriented because of the very harsh nature of the crimes,” she says. “I liked representing the underdog, in particular, representing the person who thinks they can’t speak for themselves. They came to court so downtrodden and institutionalized.”
Her nonprofit work has expanded as other organizations have contacted Prasad to do pro bono work through word of mouth.
“It’s really great to have a reputation as the go-to person in the community when someone needs help. I get all kinds of calls from people in distress,” she says. “That’s the beauty of owning my own firm. I am really very lucky to be in this position.”
It also would prompt her focus to expand.
“One month after I started my practice, I was approached by Mai Family Services to represent a pregnant woman whose husband was filing for divorce,” Prasad explains. “I had no background in family law, but I took the case because frankly she had nobody else to help her. That case launched my family law practice in Michigan. I would have never predicted it.”
When it comes to her clients, Prasad sometimes feels like a firefighter.
“I am getting emergency calls all day long and putting out fires,” she says. “My son tells me: ‘You get the call and put on your cape and go to court.’” Can you imagine how great that makes me feel? My sons view me as the good guy, whether I’m prosecuting or defending.”
Prasad agrees as she has seen both sides.
“Having practiced criminal defense for 10 years, I feel like I’m wearing the same hat I wore as a prosecutor,” she says. “I used to think prosecutors wore the white hat. We were told they were the good guys; they go to court and seek justice, but I think I still wear the white hat in court. Good people make bad choices all the time.”
Her biggest challenge remains the volatile nature of the cases she handles.
“If you’re talking to me, it’s because you’re in a bad place,” says Prasad. “Either the government has indicted you or your family life has fallen apart; you’ve been charged with a crime or you are getting divorced. These are very high-stakes scenarios and the person in front of me is very distraught.”
People never expect to be in these situations that also have financial ramifications, according to Prasad.
“No one budgets for a legal fee. You have a health savings account, you set aside money for all sorts of expenses, but certainly no one budgets for an attorney,” she adds.
Still, Prasad relishes the rewards that come from her work.
“I have had clients who say they would not have survived the process without me and they believe that,” she says. “Now, not all my clients are as appreciative and that is the nature of the business. But when someone says, ‘I came to you during the worst time of my life and you held me together,’ that is impact, that is making a difference.”
Her career path has also had a positive impact on her two sons.
“My kids are good citizens and a lot of that has to do with my work in the courtroom,” says Prasad. “I think they get it. They understand that there is human condition behind the crime and there is also the law, and these two must be reconciled in the criminal justice system.”
On the whole, Prasad says hanging her own shingle has surpassed all expectations.
“As soon as I started my own firm and was open to life’s twists and turns, life really got interesting,” she admits.
Legal News
As a former federal prosecutor, Anjali Prasad has had her own firm for nearly a decade – Prasad Legal in Bloomfield Hills – where she specializes in criminal defense and family law. Her journey along the way has shaped the way she views her profession and the various roles she undertakes.
Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, Prasad earned a master’s in English from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
“I was thinking I would get my Ph.D. and become a college professor,” she says.
Instead, she would decide to attend Emory University School of Law in Atlanta.
“On the first day of law school, I sat in Professor John Witte’s criminal law class, and I felt that was my calling. He would frame the scenario and have us twist the facts ever so subtly, forcing us to connect each tedious detail back to the law. I would go to class during the day and watch the O.J. Simpson trial at night. I knew I wanted to be in the courtroom.”
Prasad worked for the government for more than 15 years, including the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office where she was a prosecutor.
“It was a great job with a high volume of cases. It was a super place to learn on your feet,” she says.
Prasad returned home to Michigan when she was offered a position as an Assistant United States Attorney in Detroit.
The sole practitioner, who was born and raised in Bloomfield Hills and hosts a TV program on Bloomfield Public Television about law and public policy, seems to have found her legal niche.
“My parents are medical doctors and a large part of my practice is representing health care providers charged with health care fraud,” says Prasad. “I can connect that to my upbringing.”
Her pro bono focus has become domestic violence as Prasad works closely with Mai Family Services, a nonprofit agency that provides social and legal services for victims in the South Asian community.
“In Philadelphia, my job of prosecutor was very victim-oriented because of the very harsh nature of the crimes,” she says. “I liked representing the underdog, in particular, representing the person who thinks they can’t speak for themselves. They came to court so downtrodden and institutionalized.”
Her nonprofit work has expanded as other organizations have contacted Prasad to do pro bono work through word of mouth.
“It’s really great to have a reputation as the go-to person in the community when someone needs help. I get all kinds of calls from people in distress,” she says. “That’s the beauty of owning my own firm. I am really very lucky to be in this position.”
It also would prompt her focus to expand.
“One month after I started my practice, I was approached by Mai Family Services to represent a pregnant woman whose husband was filing for divorce,” Prasad explains. “I had no background in family law, but I took the case because frankly she had nobody else to help her. That case launched my family law practice in Michigan. I would have never predicted it.”
When it comes to her clients, Prasad sometimes feels like a firefighter.
“I am getting emergency calls all day long and putting out fires,” she says. “My son tells me: ‘You get the call and put on your cape and go to court.’” Can you imagine how great that makes me feel? My sons view me as the good guy, whether I’m prosecuting or defending.”
Prasad agrees as she has seen both sides.
“Having practiced criminal defense for 10 years, I feel like I’m wearing the same hat I wore as a prosecutor,” she says. “I used to think prosecutors wore the white hat. We were told they were the good guys; they go to court and seek justice, but I think I still wear the white hat in court. Good people make bad choices all the time.”
Her biggest challenge remains the volatile nature of the cases she handles.
“If you’re talking to me, it’s because you’re in a bad place,” says Prasad. “Either the government has indicted you or your family life has fallen apart; you’ve been charged with a crime or you are getting divorced. These are very high-stakes scenarios and the person in front of me is very distraught.”
People never expect to be in these situations that also have financial ramifications, according to Prasad.
“No one budgets for a legal fee. You have a health savings account, you set aside money for all sorts of expenses, but certainly no one budgets for an attorney,” she adds.
Still, Prasad relishes the rewards that come from her work.
“I have had clients who say they would not have survived the process without me and they believe that,” she says. “Now, not all my clients are as appreciative and that is the nature of the business. But when someone says, ‘I came to you during the worst time of my life and you held me together,’ that is impact, that is making a difference.”
Her career path has also had a positive impact on her two sons.
“My kids are good citizens and a lot of that has to do with my work in the courtroom,” says Prasad. “I think they get it. They understand that there is human condition behind the crime and there is also the law, and these two must be reconciled in the criminal justice system.”
On the whole, Prasad says hanging her own shingle has surpassed all expectations.
“As soon as I started my own firm and was open to life’s twists and turns, life really got interesting,” she admits.
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