Benish Shah
Benish Shah’s experiences are diverse, including commercial litigation, startup strategy and entrepreneur law, fashion, media, and social/digital media. Benish is a co-founder of Sardar Law Firm and serves as the Vice-Chair of the Law Practice Management Committee of the American Bar Association-YLD. Follow Benish on Twitter @benishshah or @socialmedia_law.
Benish has prominently represented several clients in developing legal infrastructures and negotiating deals and contracts including publishing companies, authors, fashion houses, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and private equity companies. She has worked with mid-size corporations to develop in-house social media policies and has been featured in Social Media Today and Social Media Legal. Benish has also represented management, partners, and board members in commercial litigation, mediation, and arbitration matters in New York City. Her experience has led to invitations to speak at: New York University, University of Pennsylvania Law School, University of Baltimore Law School, and Touro Law Center to name a few. She has been accepted for publication in law journals at Touro, Rutgers, and the University of Pennsylvania. She also authored a chapter in Sandstorm: a leaderless revolution in the digital age.
Benish comes to Sardar Law Firm after time as a corporate litigation associate at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in New York City. Benish has worked as a litigation intern with the Securities Exchange Commission in Atlanta, Georgia, analyzing Ponzi schemes and evidentiary issues at trial. After the SEC, Benish worked at the District Attorney’s Office in Fulton County, Atlanta, in the division of crimes against women and children.
Prior to 2005, Benish worked at the General Counsel Roundtable of the Corporate Executive Board in Washington DC. She worked with the General Counsels and law departments of Fortune 500 and Global 100 companies to identify strategic solutions to issues faced by in-house counsel in multi-national corporate structures. Her in depth work on issues related to Attorney-Client Privilege and Sarbanes-Oxley were well received by clients and team members.
Benish has received the following awards & recognitions in her work as an attorney: Cambridge Who’s Who Among Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs; Emory University Humanitarian Award; Dean’s Award for White Collar Crime Workshop; Dean’s List; and Pro Bono Medal for exemplary dedication to pro bono work.
Benish is an advisory board member of Global Executive Board and serves on the board of Bright Scholars Foundation. She is also the founding member of two startups based out of New York City, and serves as a business strategy consultant to numerous New York startups.
EDUCATION
Benish received a J.D. from Emory School of Law, making the Dean’s List and receiving the Dean’s Award for Highest Grade in White Collar Crime and Litigation courses. She was the Executive Symposium Editor for the Emory International Law Review, and co-founded the South Asian American Law Students Association at Emory. Benish received her B.A. from The George Washington University, graduating with honors in Political Science, with a focus on Media & Policy. Benish was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society and National Honor Society at GWU.
BAR ADMISSION
Admitted to New York State Bar in February 2009. Benish is a member of New York County Bar Association, Member of Minorities & the Law Committee, NYCLA, New York City Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association of New York, and of the American Bar Association.
