Focus on employment law a practical choice for Patel

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Before Nilesh Patel left New York for college in California, his parents stressed to him to pick a practical degree. So he settled on human resources.

“Law school wasn’t even on my mind,” said Patel, principal of Mahadev Law Group in Madison. “I did HR for three years and then had an employment law course and it really attracted me. I discovered this is what I wanted to do – combine my HR interest with a career in law.”

When looking at law schools, he decided on the University of Wisconsin.

“I was impressed,” he said. “I was walking around with a map trying to find my way and three people stopped their bikes to ask me if I needed help. Trust me, that wouldn’t happen in New York. Madison is just so down to earth and a great place to be.”

After graduation, Patel stayed, finding work with a Madison law firm. After a few years, he went out on his own, focusing on employment law.

“Finally, I was doing what I always wanted to do,” he said.

While running a solo practice has its advantages – “If I want to do something, the only person I need to convince is myself,” Patel deadpanned – there are some challenges.

“You don’t have the resources you do at a larger firm,” he said. “I spend a lot of time on marketing, getting out there and selling myself and what I can do.”

Patel is active in numerous organizations from the State Bar of Wisconsin to a program that provides books to children in traumatic situations.

“I got started doing volunteer work as a fluke to help out a friend and it just grew from there,” he said.

Combining law with HR definitely turned out to be a practical choice.

“There are so many legal issues facing employers today, so it’s a definite need and people are looking for help,” Patel said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What was your least-favorite class in law school?
Nilesh Patel: Evidence was my least-favorite class. I much prefer learning and applying rules to a real problem and it was difficult to imagine those rules at work from a textbook.

WLJ: What would you have done if you hadn’t become an attorney?
Patel: I would have liked to have managed or be part of running a service- or issue-oriented non-profit.

WLJ: What has been your most rewarding case?
Patel: I don’t litigate regularly and so don’t get actual cases, just client matters that I work through during the pre-trial or pre-litigation phase. I would say my most rewarding moment in practice, though, was an appearance before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which resulted from working on a petition to modify the court’s publication requirements for the State Bar of Wisconsin.

WLJ: What song is on heavy rotation on your iPod?
Patel: That depends on the time of the year. Mostly it’s Bollywood (Hindi) music from music director R.D. Burman or singer Kishore Kumar. When I’m in New York or an ’80’s state of mind, some Billy Joel and Bon Jovi will pop up. With the holidays coming up, Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige’s “What Child is This” or the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Over Sarajevo.”

WLJ: What could you spend hours doing outside of work?
Patel: I think I’ve gotten to the point where being on committees counts as fun. I volunteer with the State Bar of Wisconsin, the ACLU of Wisconsin, and Reach-A-Child, which is a non-profit that provides books which first-responders can hand out to children in a traumatic situation. When I get time, I love to go hiking and take lots of pictures along the way.

WLJ: If you could have drinks with anyone, who would it be?
Patel: It would be Stan Lee of Marvel Comics. He helped create many iconic characters such as the Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men.

WLJ: What was the first concert you went to?
Patel: I think it was cellist Yo-Yo Ma around 1992.

WLJ: What’s your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?
Patel: Sticking to the arts theme, watching performances at Madison’s Overture Center or exploring new places, like Milwaukee, that have an excellent arts scene.

WLJ: Do you have a phrase that you tend to overuse?
Patel: It’s definitely “Go Bears!” Relax Packer fans (unless you attended ‘Stanfurd‘); it’s the rallying cry for mine and Aaron Rodgers’ alma mater – UC Berkeley.

WLJ: If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Patel: The Big Apple because of the energy and creativity of the place. However, nothing beats the quality of life and down-to-earth people I’ve gotten to know in Wisconsin.