Anusha Madhusudhan is an international lawyer who has worked in global law firms, assisted the International Court of Justice and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, advised States (including India’s mission at the United Nations), and represented clients before international tribunals. She secured her LLM from New York University and her BA, LLB (Hons) from NUALS, Kochi. In this interview, Abhijeet and Adithi from Team JFIEL ask about her insights on improvising and taking leaps of faith in life, the joys and trials of a career in international law, her vision of making Bangalore a hub for international law enthusiasts, setting up her own practice and her work in art, cultural heritage, and restitution.
Abhijeet: Thank you so much for joining us Anusha—it is a privilege to have you here. Could we start by asking about what inspired you to pursue international law, and whether your motivations are the same today?
Anusha: Thanks for having me, speaking to students is one of my absolute favourite things.
It started off as a motivation to pursue law in general, which, like most great things in my life, was a result of an excellent upbringing. Growing up, home was a place of curiosity, humour and learning. And looking back, this was so fun and inspiring.
First, storytelling and performance were things I saw and loved early on. I trained in classical singing and dance from the age of 4. I enjoyed stage acting and creative writing in school (making lifelong memories with my best friends!), and watched my family effortlessly immerse themselves in many creative and intellectual pursuits with a quiet confidence, while staying dedicated to work and home life – whether designing our homes, devising nutrition plans and inventing recipes, yoga, philosophy, linguistics, marketing, medicine, music, engineering, law—all of it. My maternal grandmom and her siblings always had hilarious one-liners up their sleeve for life’s bizarre moments!
Because there weren’t defined limits on what I could aspire to do or be, I wanted to experience everything life had to offer. It felt like the most natural thing. My husband is the same way and had a similar upbringing of openness and constant inspiration. He’s moved from engineering to teaching, museology, and even working in films to now, diplomacy!
We are very fortunate to lead extremely interesting lives thanks to our work and the people we love, and we don’t box ourselves in terms of what we enjoy.
Second, in high school, I was naturally drawn to advocacy. My dad, who I always thought had a great legal mind (without formal training as a lawyer) encouraged me to seriously consider law. He believed I had the aptitude and sensibilities for this amazing career, and, as an entrepreneur, he also dealt with legal matters. Watching him research the law, thoroughly prepare for meetings with lawyers, the endless patience and overcoming adversity…all that helped me develop a sense of fairness and sound judgment, manifesting in the ability to take well-thought out decisions.
Third, in addition to all of this, a core value that runs across our family is the importance of being service-minded. Fourth, the fact that we travelled a fair bit when I was young, definitely made me open minded and adaptable which helps a lot.
And last, when I was around 16, I met someone who had done Jessup, which seemed to me like the logical next step after MUNs! My convictions grew and our trip to DC for the world rounds gave me confidence in my advocacy skills as a speaker. As wide-eyed and idealistic as I was, I thought if I could make a living out of this, then great! Every experience I had later sharpened my vision more and more, which led me to my present motivation—to continue my work while creating new opportunities in the field and mentoring students along the way.
Abhijeet: You mentioned that since your childhood, you have been travelling and focused on learning new things. I feel this reflects in your career too—you’ve done such different work in firms, institutions, and diplomacy. So was this the planned trajectory, or was there a level of improvisation along the way?
Anusha: [laughs] It was a lot of improvisation, and I think this might be the one thing tying the whole interview together! When I started, I knew my career would be different because I didn’t know anyone else in the field. I thought my dream job would be to advise States on international law matters, which is what I set out to pursue. After undergrad, I did my LLM at NYU, and my first job was with the Indian mission to the UN in New York. I learnt how some of international law is created: the roles of diplomats, how negotiations take place, their significance, the language of diplomacy, and proposing elegant solutions to complex problems. This is an invaluable skill, not just for diplomats, but in life: to come out of any situation unscathed!
But I quickly realised this role didn’t allow me to pursue legal advocacy in the sense of mature legal disputes. There was also an element of seeing what opportunities came my way, and gleaning from them as much as I could. Around when I left, another mission was looking to expand their legal team because they were going to be in the Security Council, and a year and a half later, I joined as a lawyer for a foreign government. And that was a spectacular mix of legal, policy and diplomatic work.
Between my work for these missions, though, I had moved to Tanzania (the UN-IRMCT), where I got to work on my first litigation at an international criminal tribunal, which was a turning point for me: it’s when I got to experience the decision-making process and observe oral advocacy, realising just how much I wanted to serve as Counsel! So, then, I began equipping myself to transition from advisory to representative work, which is how I ended up working with law firms ultimately.
I developed other niche interests, but to answer your question: no, it was not planned, it was a lot of going with the flow and seeing what fits. And it always is!
This career, and I suppose any career, much like life itself is a constant balancing act of holding on and letting go.
Adithi: I am curious about your transition from international law in theory to being thrown into challenges of diplomacy. As someone trying a career path like this, I am afraid I may become disillusioned by its harsh realities. What was it like for you?
Anusha: I would say it was a transition from wanting to be in international law, to actually being in it. On a spectrum ranging from extreme pessimism to extreme idealism, I’m centred but optimistic. Despite what is going on in the world—I still feel like international law has been a necessary and positive development!
Much good has come out of having international justice and accountability mechanisms, and we need multilateral, diplomatic channels to resolve conflicts. It is better to be here and improve the system than the alternative, which is not having these channels.
To address your point on the relationship between career choices and disillusionment, in navigating your career, it comes down to what are your options.
Here again I recall my dad’s advice on having perspective. A lot of the times, the best option is to have the option—learning what you can from the situation and making choices that give you control on where you go in the future. Some level of disillusionment can be quite helpful, because it acts like a compass in terms of what matters to you.
I don’t think international law is working the way it was envisaged, but persevering with the belief that the world is already a better place because of it, is going to make the difference. Martin Luther King Jr. is famously quoted as saying “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Change does happen.
What a time to be an international lawyer! Where our training is so relevant and we are equipped to understand and deal with some of the toughest challenges societies face.
Abhijeet: Yes, it certainly explains the growing interest in the field!
Could you tell us what it was like being at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, at that time?
Anusha: I was in Tanzania in 2019 assisting the Mechanism, which was the successor body to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. We got to be part of the first ever trial at the Arusha branch of the Court in Prosecutor v Augustin Ngirabatware. It was my first time working for the UN, as opposed to say a mission, and I saw how the structure and roles of different actors—like the Prosecutor and Chambers operate. I worked with the President of the Court and the rigorous application of international law was an unforgettable learning experience. I would go so far as to say it was a life-changing opportunity because I met one of my close friends there! In the ICJ too, it truly is a fellowship in every sense of the word—the learning and camaraderie were transformative.
You asked me earlier why I came to international law and what made me stay. What made me stay is actually the people I met along the way! They make life so rich. I even met my husband in New York!
Along this long journey you end up meeting a distinguished group of people, making you appreciate life in different ways. A couple of years back, for our wedding, we had a third of our guests travel from 8 countries to celebrate with us, and my friend and I meeting in Tanzania at the UN remained such a conversation-starter and I have endless gratitude for these kinds of moments. I remember those days very fondly (especially our gateway to Zanzibar and the very moving visit to the Ngorongoro crater!).
Abhijeet: If we could jump forward by a few more years, what was it like to experience the International Court of Justice Fellowship?
Anusha: There are two things that are not in your control: the Judge you’ll be working with, and the docket of the court, which determine your experience there. I had an excellent experience with my team and the timing could not have been better! In the history of the Court, I wonder if there has been a cohort that has seen half a dozen requests for provisional measures relatively back-to-back. We worked on about 11 cases on a variety of subjects ranging from torture, occupation, racial discrimination and genocide to territorial disputes and diplomatic law, and in different phases of the proceedings. Perhaps there was some political momentum but yes, we had a very busy year.
I was also invited to be on the jury of a film festival – the Movies that Matter Festival where Judge Charlesworth gave a masterclass. It is a documentary film festival in The Hague, showcasing films at the intersection of global justice, international law, and human rights. This was a really unique experience, which I don’t think I could have had anywhere else. Reviewing the work of globally acclaimed filmmakers and getting to be a part of the premiere was such a fabulous experience. Some of the impactful films we “judged” were also winners at Cannes and opened at Sundance.
Abhijeet: We would love to know more about your interest in art law and in issues of cultural heritage and restitution? How did this come about?
Anusha: This, again, feels like it came about by improv! Although it makes sense when you connect the dots backwards. I started working in the field of art law in about 2021 when I was at Aarna Law. After spending 4.5 years in New York, I moved back home to Bangalore, which is where I am from, and joined Aarna, an India-based international law practice. I was a part of both their disputes and art law practices. We had a fun team of young lawyers and really loved working together. We’re still great friends and always catch up when I’m in town. Thanks to the Partners, we were able to work with diverse clients like museums and individuals, on advice concerning aspects of repatriation and representation in disputes relating to acquisition of fine art.
Gradually, I started thinking about how this world intersects with international law. When I moved to the ICJ, I worked with a Judge who is a leading academic in this field, and started to research the role of the court in cultural heritage disputes. And art and cultural heritage has become part of my own practice now.
My background certainly made it possible to appreciate this line of work and I really believed in bringing your whole personality to your international law career and finding your own path! This is the advice I’ve been sharing with mentees for years. And recently, I heard a Judge who talked about authenticity cutting through the noise in a hyper competitive field, and it really resonated.
Abhijeet: It is quite wonderful to hear about your passion for art. At Jindal, we have also had some faculty who were interested in the links between theatre or art as mediums to reflect on the law itself, or even as an alternative to it.
Anusha: There is a highly creative angle to law, which I spoke about in a previous interview. I think part of why I like law and advocacy is because the way in which you tell the story is so original to you, and I love the process of putting the narrative together.
Adithi: Do you think your creative process has been different, say in terms of your private practice with Aarna Law compared to your work for different countries and forums?
Anusha: Of course, because when you are working for an organization, it has to be a collaborative process in that sense—you might have your own way of doing things, but others might have a different vision! As you gain more experience, you will become more confident in your own approach and trusting your intuition, and of course strengthening your credibility along the way is key.
At the time, I had just moved back home during COVID and because the founders of Aarna Law had a unique vision to build an international law practice in Bangalore, it made perfect sense to join them. Cities like Delhi and Mumbai are well known for their opportunities in law, but (it maybe my nostalgia speaking) a culture of understanding and innovation gives me a feeling Bangalore is well-positioned to play a special role as an international law hub! One of my longer-term goals is to leverage my background and network in the city to create opportunities through my practice. There is a growing circle of diplomatic and educational professionals who can add an interesting dimension to our work.
I recall that when I was at the ICJ, there were about three Indians at the Court, and we were from Bangalore/Karnataka generally, other than the Judge, of course. What an interesting coincidence, I thought!
Editor’s note: this made us reflect on the fact that JFIEL’s Mahima, Pushkar, Karan (three past Editors-in-Chief) and Adithi (presently co-Editor-in-Chief) are also from Bangalore).
Abhijeet: These are incredible insights. Can we ask about what lies ahead? Will we see more leaps of faith and improvisation in the future?
Anusha: Yes, absolutely. I am just finishing up a contract with Arthur Cox, which is based in Dublin.
My husband and I are relocating back to Malta and it’s a happy and important stage in our lives.
I am fortunate to say that I started my independent international law practice last year quite organically as I began to receive requests for advice. I onboarded clients who are doing very important work in the field of art, cultural heritage and advocacy. I remain grateful to them for the opportunity to work on promoting restitution of Nazi looted art and colonial loot, as well as assisting museums and cultural organisations in India on a full range of legal and policy issues. I am also preparing to draft UNESCO nomination dossiers in the context of having sites listed on the World Heritage List.
This year, I am dedicating my time and efforts to building and structuring the growth my practice and integrating my skills, experience, vision and lifestyle into its organization and expansion.
It’s no easy task being based out of different countries while building a legal practice. But with a rock solid support system, lot of grit and some nerve, most things can be made possible.
Managing international disputes, I would say, will be the next challenge I look forward to addressing! I also want to do more teaching and mentorship. We have talked a lot about improv and the uncertainty of a career in international law. I want to address this issue in an upcoming teaching assignment. In law school, we are not taught how to identify opportunities and how to build resilience when things do not work out the way we wanted. People often compare the legal profession to a career in medicine. But I really think an international law career is closer to a career in acting! There are few opportunities and many talented people, and of course, some more privileged than others. But if you are able to make it, then you can have a massive impact, which makes it worth it.
Adithi: Could you tell us more about your plans for your academic endeavours, and perhaps highlight the curriculum you are developing?
Anusha: The main focus in drafting this curriculum is to weave the theory and practice of international law together. In the textbooks we studied, you learn what international law is and that it governs relationships between States and other actors. But how? Where? What does this mean in granular terms? Even something as basic as the difference between the UN Secretariat and the missions, their interactions, and what it means to work in that ecosystem will help students understand their roles better.
There’s much to be done and I’m looking forward to all of it—the advocacy, teaching and mentorship. We are moving away from being seen as Indian lawyers with LLMs in international law to capable, credible and enterprising international lawyers from India.
Abhijeet: Thank you for those inspiring thoughts which will surely resonate with our readers!
PC: Paige/Pinterest