Balancing act: Young lawyer wants to change the industry's workaholic culture

Attorney Anisha Patel, president-elect of the Florida Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, discusses the plan for her leadership term. One goal? Help young attorneys become more entrepreneurial.

By Brian Hartz
| 10:00 a.m. March 31, 2022
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Mark Wemple. Hill Ward Henderson attorney Anisha Patel, 35, has been elected president of the Florida Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, effective June 2023.

Anisha Patel, an associate at Hill Ward Henderson who specializes in commercial litigation, was recently elected president of the Florida Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD). The 35-year-old immigrant from London boasts an impressive legal resume for someone her age, having been with Hill Ward Henderson for more than seven years and graduating from law school not once, but twice.

Patel is technically president-elect designate, meaning her term as president won’t begin until June 2024. But she’s already established an ambitious slate of goals to pursue, including improving young attorneys’ work-life balance and financial literacy, which she believes will help reduce burnout and increase retention for law firms. Patel has also been a champion of mental health improvement for her peers, leading the YLD’s #StigmaFreeYLD campaign.