This is Allens
Monisha Sequeira
Monisha is a disputes and investigations partner with expertise in tax, energy and resources and general commercial disputes, including class actions.
The journey to this point in my career has taken a lot of different turns. After obtaining my economics degree at Berkeley, my first job was in consulting at Accenture. The plan had always been to attend law school, but I wanted to see the world and get some business experience before starting my legal career. I ended up on a client assignment in Melbourne - which meant working with colleagues from around the world, taking 'mystery flights' on the weekends to see as much of Australia as I could and gathering every Friday lunch with friends down at the pub over a parma and a pot. It was fabulous! I also met my now husband Warren.
The two of us returned to the US, where I had an opportunity to study law at Harvard before heading back home to California. I worked for the San Francisco office of a large New York firm, practising securities litigation in both state and federal courts – primarily defending technology companies and large financial institutions in securities class actions. We returned to Australia years later when my father-in-law became ill. For a number of years, I had the great privilege of raising our two beautiful daughters and investing in our extended family and community while I undertook my legal requalification studies. I started with Allens six years later in 2011 and, from the very beginning, Allens was 'my firm'. Its core values of commitment to excellence and teamwork were consonant with my core beliefs.
My work in disputes, particularly tax disputes, has allowed me to marry my two passions: economics and law. For example, transfer pricing disputes are about the operation of markets, sectors and multi-national corporations and how governments and tax authorities navigate cross-border issues. I enjoy working with teams on complex matters in which we have an opportunity to do a deep dive into businesses in order to pull together the evidence and execute a litigation strategy.
I am also motivated and energised by the development of our people. Watching someone grow into a fantastic lawyer and then watching them develop other lawyers is a pleasure. We don't just have an opportunity to help shape the future for our clients - we're shaping future generations of lawyers. Our people, both our legal staff and the broader team, is why this firm is so extraordinary.
