Bar Number: 39962
Shadan Kapri (pronounced “Shadawn Capri”) is an attorney who focuses on family law, civil rights, and international human rights. Two of her three books have become Amazon bestsellers in human rights and civil rights law. She is the founder of Kapri Law & Consulting.
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How is being a lawyer different from the way you thought it would be?
I didn’t realize how important emotional intelligence is in becoming an effective lawyer. It’s not just about knowing the law and applying the facts; it’s about dealing with clients in a way that empowers and educates them without giving them unrealistic expectations of what the law can or cannot do in their specific situation. The law should not be used as a weapon for the rich to railroad the other side but as a shield for the marginalized. Starting from that perspective and understanding emotional intelligence changed the way I practice law.
How did you become interested in your practice area?
I have always had a passion for issues impacting women and children—so family law, civil rights, and international human rights were a natural fit. It was never about following in other people’s footsteps but carving out my own path in a way that feels authentic and true to me. It took me years to realize this.
How do you define success as a lawyer?
It has changed over the years. My definition of success now is practicing law in a way that does not betray one’s sense of self or compromise one’s integrity to win “at all costs.” Winning at all costs but losing yourself in the process is the greatest and hardest failure. No case is worth your personal integrity or moral convictions to get ahead.
At the end of your career, how would you like to be remembered professionally?
I would like to be remembered as someone who was an effective advocate and a thought-provoking writer. My books, Corporate Greed: The Human Cost and The Red Movement: Social and Environmental Justice in the 21st Century, are my greatest achievements, not just because they are books on human rights, but because I put my heart, sweat, and literal tears into them. So many late nights and early mornings that I lost count, and my book, Discovering Your Passion: The Path to Your Authentic Life is the book I needed to read in the beginning of my career in my 20s to find a path that felt authentic and meaningful to me. A book like that didn’t exist at that time so I created one for others so they wouldn’t struggle as much as I did in the early years.
LIGHTNING ROUND
If you could go back in time, where/when would you go? I would go back and meet my sister. She died in a car accident two years before I was born. It would have been amazing to see her and just observe her while she was still alive. When I pass, she is the one I look forward to meeting the most. It’s a strange sense of loss for someone you never really knew.
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Iced hazelnut mocha latte.
What’s your favorite breakfast cereal that you’re slightly embarrassed to buy? Golden Grahams.
What is one thing your colleagues may not know about you? I was born in Tehran, Iran, under the sky of a country that was headed into revolution.
What is your favorite smell? The scent of suntan lotion. It brings me back to my childhood and endless summers.
What book have you read more than once? Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. I have read it at least 10 times.
What is the last thing you watched on television? A streaming series called We Were Liars. It’s one of the most layered and profound series I have seen in a very long time. It speaks to so many issues: youth, forbidden love, wealth, privilege, reckless abandon, and the inevitable consequences of one’s own actions. I would recommend it 1,000 percent. The ending will shock you so be prepared. There might be some tears involved (hypothetically, of course).
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