Activist and lawyer Duriba Khan’s impressive career began with an interest in religious freedom and civil liberties issues surrounding Guantanamo Bay. Today, she works for Legal Services NYC, the largest free civil services provider in the country. In this role, she defends low income New Yorkers in eviction proceedings.
Hayat Life Managing Editor Maha Qadri sat down with Khan to ask about her life’s work as a public interest lawyer and how her cultural heritage inspired the path.
To pursue law, Khan first had to break the mold
Qadri: When did you first want to become a lawyer? Who inspired you to follow this path?
Khan: I come from a family of medical professionals. My dad’s a doctor, my mom’s a PA, and my sister’s a doctor, so that was the path I was expected to follow. For a long time, I resented my parents for forcing me on that path. I thought they just wanted me to do it so that they could say that I was a doctor. However, now that I’m older, I see that when you come to another country, you’re really concerned and fearful. Being a doctor is the formula that worked for my dad and helped him find an identity in this society. I think to him, it’s a foolproof formula.
So, for a long time, I tried hard to fit myself into that box, but when I was in high school, I started realizing a lot of things I was interested in were related to reading and writing. I loved debate, I loved improv. I started the newspaper committee at my Islamic High School. My Islamic Studies teacher always said I was going to be a lawyer, so I chose to pursue that path. It was an uphill battle for a while. When I told my dad, he didn’t talk to me for a week. It’s not a set-out path, but I trusted the process. I knew that this was something I really wanted.
Qadri: I’m curious, how do desi people react when you tell them you’re a lawyer?
Khan: I think the normal reaction is, “Oh, is that like “Suits?” The answer is no *laughs*. In the legal profession, there are two paths you can take. One is big law, or corporate law, which is pretty much like “Suits.” You work in a fancy high rise, eat good, and represent companies in their business affairs.
The other is very broad: public interest law, which includes government jobs like public defenders or prosecutors. Then there’s legal aid, and I’m a legal aid attorney; I work for the Legal Services of New York City as a free legal aid provider to low-income New Yorkers below the poverty line. In New York City, especially after COVID, there was a lot of displacement, and the cost of living is so high people can’t afford the homes they grew up in. So we help people keep their homes and prevent homelessness.
Qadri: That sounds fulfilling. I wish more people were interested in work like this.
Khan: Totally. Public interest lawyers don’t get paid as much as corporate lawyers. For comparison, if you do a summer internship at a corporate law firm, you get paid maybe 30K. If you do public interest, you have to apply for funding. In my first summer, I made around 6K.
Khan’s human rights interests grew after learning more about Guantanamo Bay Prison.
Qadri: Do you plan to stay in this realm? Do you plan to stay on the activism side, or can you bounce back and forth?
Khan: I want to stay in the public interest space in whatever capacity that is, but I’m open to reimagining that. During my first summer of law school, I was interested in freedom of religion work, like free speech rights for Muslim people and their right to practice openly without any blowback or violence. I loved that work, especially at an organization like the ACLU, where there’s so much to learn from so many experienced and inspiring attorneys.
Later, I became interested in learning about Guantanamo Bay Prison. My best friend in law school’s uncle was detained there for 15 years. He suffered two heart attacks in custody, and he was the oldest detainee. They just released him last year with no charges. He was kept there and tortured relentlessly. There’s not even a formal apology for all the detainees that were abused in custody. Upwards of 300 Muslim men were picked up because of random affiliations.
That got me interested in the intersection of human rights work instead of civil rights work. I felt that human rights were more pressing because what’s the right to vote if you don’t have a place to live or clean drinking water?
Qadri: I also wanted to talk to you about Brown Girl magazine. I read you’ve been working for them for almost 10 years now; how did you get involved? What kind of work do you do with them?
Khan: I got involved when they were first up and coming. I just submitted a piece on their website for guest submissions. They liked my piece and published it, so I later applied to be a writer. I do a lot of lifestyle writing and political commentary. I also do interviews with influential South Asians in the comedy space.
Qadri: You’re half Indian and half Pakistani — did you ever feel alienated by your community? Aside from the very real political tensions between those two countries, did you ever feel the tension being a person who embodies both cultures?
Khan: In my own home, I never really felt it much, but whenever I would go to spaces where there were predominantly Indian people, I would feel it more. There was no blatant aggression besides a few random jokes here and there. But I once went to a pizza place with my roommate in New York, and the guy working there was Pakistani. He was asked where we were from and I said, “I’m half Indian, half Pakistani,” and he seemed visibly distraught. “How could your father let this happen?” It was a joke, but it wasn’t.
Khan’s ambitious networking and openness played a pivotal role in her career trajectory.
Qadri: What is something you wish more people knew about studying or practicing law?
Khan: There are so many different kinds of law and lawyers. Some lawyers don’t even go to court; a lot of them just do paperwork. I want the world to know that this is a very multifaceted, diverse profession. You should never typecast lawyers. I know there’s this sentiment that lawyers are all type-A argumentative people or conventional do-gooders, but there’s so much diversity of thought and practice and fields of law that can serve different personality types. So if someone is ever interested in law, I would urge them to explore different kinds of fields and types of practices that the field can offer because it could be someone’s calling.
Qadri: Do you have any other advice for people who are either studying law or are interested in pursuing it?
Khan: My number one piece of advice is to take advantage of all the mentors and people who have tread this path before you. When I was younger, I was constantly going on LinkedIn and messaging lawyers and people who went to law school. It’s as simple as sending someone a message and being like, “Hey, I’m also interested in this, here’s who I am, here’s what I want to do. Can you help me?” That little act goes a long way and can help you find career opportunities and form meaningful connections. I’m often surprised at how very few people do reach out to me. If you think someone’s doing something you want to do, and you reach out, the worst thing they can do is say no. Shoot and see what happens.
