Dita Guha

Being the first-born daughter of Bengali Indian immigrants, Dita Guha grew up witnessing her parents’ tenacious work ethic, courage, and perseverance. Even though her parents are highly educated, they had to start over when they immigrated to the United States back in the 1970’s. Her parents proved to Dita every day that no job is too small, and every work experience is valuable.

At eight years old, Dita started her career answering phones at her father’s business. Thereafter, she graduated to being a cashier at her parents’ convenience store during high school. While pursuing the education her parents consistently emphasized, Dita balanced various student service positions at the universities she attended. In 2008, Dita worked at Ankin Law as a workers’ compensation paralegal. After assisting injured workers to obtain the money and medical treatment they deserved, Dita considered applying to law school, but wondered if that was an achievable goal for her. In response, Howard Ankin said, “Dita–Scott Goldstein is a lawyer, I am a lawyer, and you are going to be a lawyer.” This encouragement helped Dita stay the course when challenges came up.

While at DePaul Law, Dita was selected as a teaching assistant to Professor Michelle Cue (a professor of Legal Writing). She also served as a research assistant to Professor Zoe Robinson (a professor of Constitutional Law).

As a lawyer, Dita gained a diverse array of experience at some of Chicago’s largest law firms. Dita participated in all aspects of the litigation process and conducted electronic discovery during large-scale litigation for corporate clients. She also analyzed conflicts of interest prior to taking on new business to ensure law firms’ adherence to the highest ethical standards. However Dita’s favorite legal work involved serving individuals and their families, including fighting to keep people in their homes after they endured medical hardships; protecting their interests during property purchases; and advocating for the rights of immigrants and injured workers. For this reason, when the opportunity arose to return to Ankin Law, Dita gladly accepted.