‘Do not settle for less’ has been the slogan of Surendran K. Pattel during his days as an attorney handling civil disputes, family crises and criminal cases in Houston, Texas. And, those words could aptly define the Indian-American’s life journey, too. Placing his left hand on copies of the Bhagawad Gita and the US Constitution, Pattel, who was once a beedi roller in Kasaragod and a housekeeping boy at a hotel in Kozhikode, took oath as the 240th district court judge of Fort Bend County in Texas on January 1. And, to earn this position—which is decided directly by the people of the county—he first ran against an incumbent judge in the Democratic Party primary, an unusual challenge that had a high probability of failure.
Pattel is a jovial personality who always has a smile on his face. Even after 15 years since migrating to the US, he has a strong Indian accent. His perseverance and hard work, and the support he received from some unexpected ends helped him script a desi-American success story. In a video interview with THE WEEK, Surendran says that there were multiple junctures where his life and career went into limbo. But he came back stronger each time to create an inspiring tale.
Pattel was born as the fourth child of two illiterate daily wagers from Balal, a small village in Kasaragod—which is still the most underdeveloped district in Kerala. His eldest sister passed away when he was a small kid. “My [elder] brother and I started in school together. I was not a good student during my school days, but an average or probably a below-average student. I was not focused at all in my studies,” says Pattel. “My parents never asked what they want me to do in the future. And the reason was that they were illiterates. So, they had no idea how to direct.”
It was a struggling period for his family. When Pattel was in his teens, his elder sister became a beedi roller in Bharat Beedi, a private beedi company. Soon Pattel also joined her to support the family. The future attorney also went with his father for daily labour work. “I was one among those students who were expected to lose the SSLC exam,” he chuckles. “But we had a dedicated team of teachers who are very determined to make sure that all students pass, though our school lacked even the basic infrastructure. They gave me motivation and in the last few months, I studied. I barely passed the exam with 270 marks.”
After passing 10th grade, Pattel dropped out. He went on to become a full-time beedi roller. “But that period changed my outlook on life,” he says. “I wanted to go back to school and continue my education. So, after a year break, I restarted my studies. I joined E.K. Nayanar Memorial Government College in Kasaragod.”
Even during his college days, Pattel continued working as a beedi roller. “By then, I started dreaming of becoming a lawyer,” he says. “But I did not know how to proceed to earn an LLB degree. I thought the best way is to first earn a degree in political science [from Payyannur College in Kannur]. But most days, I went to work rather than to college. But my classmates were so helpful; they gave me the books and I copied their notebooks.”
However, the professors were not happy with Pattel’s attendance. “They thought I am a lazy student and decided not to let me sit for the exam,” he recalls. “I did not want to reveal that I am a beedi roller and all, because I did not want them to feel sympathy for me. So, I pleaded with them to give me one chance and told them that if I do not score well, I will discontinue. But when the results came, I became the topper. So, the next year, they were so cooperative with me. I graduated from college as a topper.”
Upon completing the graduation, Pattel decided to join the Calicut Government Law College, which is around 160km from his village. A few of his friends from Balal and a few lawyers from Hozdurg bar helped him financially in the first year. But then, he felt that he cannot bother them forever for his studies. So he went to a businessman named Uthupp who owned multiple business institutions in Kozhikode.
“With affection, we used to call him Uthuppettan,” recalls Pattel. “I went to him and told him that I am about to discontinue my education, but that he can save a student by giving me a job in his establishment. I told him that the ‘ball is in his court’.” That unique pleading worked and “Uthuppettan” gave him a part-time job as a housekeeping staff in his hotel Malabar Palace. In 1995, Pattel passed LLB and within months he started practising as a junior lawyer under Adv P. Appukuttan in Hozdurg bar.
“Usually, you see that most of the youngsters in the lawyer profession struggle to get the work and struggle to get money,” he says. “But in my case, the money may not be great, but the experience I gained from the office of Appukuttan was immensely huge. There was absolutely no restriction for me to handle any kind of case in that office. Within a year, I was able to get the confidence of my senior to handle the entire civil files in that office. I conducted thousands of trials; conducted cases with and against many of the seniors.”
Within a short period, Pattel became a well-known name in the Hozdurg bar.
In 2004, the young lawyer got married. Within a few months, his wife, Subha, got a placement as a staff nurse at a hospital in Delhi. “I didn't want to be an obstacle in her career path. So, she joined the hospital and I started going back and forth to see her,” he says. “After a few months, she became pregnant. I continued my practice in Hozdurg, however managing this became tough when the pregnancy became complicated. So, I had no other choice but to leave a successful practice in Hozdurg and leave for Delhi to support her.”
But a fortune came to the migrant lawyer in the form of a friend who introduced him to senior Supreme Court lawyer, Rajeev Dhawan. “I got a chance to meet Mr Dhawan, and he said that based on my experience he is not going to hire me as a junior or is going to pay me anything. But he allowed me to use his name for getting work and start practising as a lawyer in the apex court. So, I used his reference for three months and then I started my practice.”
Over the next three eventful years, he built a name for himself in Delhi. But then again, a situation arose where he had to make a major decision for his family at the expense of his career. “My wife got a job at Houston; our initial plan was she getting settled and me going back and forth and continuing my practice in the Supreme Court,” says Pattel. “But the moment we landed in Houston, we understood that it is not going to work so. We did not have any family or friends here, and she was carrying our second baby. She was then working the night shift. So, there were babysitting issues and a whole lot of other struggles. So, I continued to stay here.”
Pattel then started working in an American grocery chain called Kroger. “My last case in front of the Supreme Court was on October 13, 2007,” he recalls those migration days. “That case was regarding the withholding of pension for one of the freedom fighters. I was representing that freedom fighter. Me, a young lawyer, on the one side, and the attorney general on the other side. We argued before the full bench of the court. And, I won the case. So, you can imagine... how things went in my career. From being a successful lawyer in the Supreme Court of India to being a salesman in Kroger. You can see the emotional issues involved in that transition. I went through a lot of emotional frustrations and a state of depression.”
But Pattel was finally able to see the silver linings in all those struggles. “My wife is the reason why I am in America today, I should recognise that,” he says. “Even though there were struggles and setbacks, many times in my career, I was able to come back with much stronger positions.” While being a salesman at Kroger, he did some research on the ways to restart his legal career in America. He found that in the state of Texas, there is a provision that those who have been practising lawyers in a country following British Common Law for seven years can directly appear for the bar exam. But those candidates should appear for the bar exam along with the US students; also, they should do it within two years of their arrival in the US.
“By the time I came to know about his provision, one year already passed,” he says. “And, by the time, my application was approved, only one chance was left.” Pattel studied on his own for the exam and passed it in his very first attempt. But the struggle did not stop there. “I applied for more than 100 jobs, but nobody even cared to respond or give me an interview,” he says. “I thought, I did this far. So, I may be able to do a little more to start my own practice. That is when I decided to join the University of Houston Law Centre to do Masters in International Law.”
During his LLM programme, Pattel wrote a paper on crimes of aggression, which was published by the Houston Journal of International Law. He criticised the definition of crimes of aggression adopted by the world bodies and proposed a new definition which was well-received in the international law community. And he presented that paper at the Cornell Law School’s International Law Seminar as well. Soon, Pattel started his practice as an attorney in the United States.
“My practice in India as a trial and appellate lawyer, coupled with my practice in the United States, made me think that I can be a good judge,” he says. Late Glendon Adams, an attorney who hailed from a traditional white Texan family, was the earliest one to suggest that he should become a judge. Pattel met Adams during a case discussion. Though Adams was a very senior attorney, he agreed with Pattel’s suggestions and amended the pleadings in that case. “That was a starting point of a good professional relationship with Glendon,” says Pattel. “He was sick at that time. He was undergoing dialysis three times a week. We worked together and argued the cases together until he passed away in 2015. One day while we were arguing, he told me: 'Pattel I would like to see you sit there as a judge’. And, after winning the district judge position, I went to his cemetery and told him: 'Glendon we did it’.”
Pattel adds that Glendon considered him like his third son. He was a regular visitor when the latter was admitted to the hospital. And, when Glendon died, he stood with his family to complete all hospital formalities. During Glendon’s funeral, Pattel was made one of the pallbearers by his family. “That was an honour,” he says. “During the funeral, they choose the pallbearers usually from the family. This was in a rural church. Almost everyone except me was white. But they gave me that privilege. So, it is not about what is your nationality, your education or your qualification. It is about how you treat people. If you treat people with kindness and compassion, you will get it back for sure.”
Pattel became an American citizen in 2017 and he started getting involved in the political process. And, he made his first attempt to be a district judge in 2020. There were three candidates and nobody was able to make the 50 per cent threshold required. Then, Pattel and another candidate went to the runoff and he lost it.
“But then I decided to run again in 2022, and a lot of people told me not to try again,” he says. “Some of them were my close friends. They cared about me. And they did not want to see me lose again. Some others told me not to run as they felt that my name is a ‘problem’. ‘Surendran is not an American name, so who is going to vote for you,’ they asked. But I thought that America is a great democracy and that one’s country of origin or accent, culture or appearance should not be an issue to be elected here. So, I thought let people decide whether all these are issues in electing me.”
Since he was competing against a sitting judge in the Democratic Party primary, he could not expect any support from the party leadership or elected officials. So, he launched a campaign directly addressing the people and he got support from unexpected corners to become the nominee of the Democrats.”
Pattel shared one such incident with THE WEEK. “Berdy Kelly, a black woman from the county, is a person I know since 2018,” he says. “I met her and her husband during a Democratic Party state convention. A few months after the convention, her husband passed away. I immediately called her and offered my condolences. I also went to his funeral. A few months after his demise, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And, I called her and said that if she needs a ride to the hospital, or she needs any other help, please let me know. When I announced my campaign, she came to one of my campaigns and asked me whether she could speak for a few minutes. I said, of course. Then she said: ‘I don't know the qualifications of Surendran Pattel. I do not know his experience or professional background, but I know that he's a good human being. I know from my experience’. Then she explained the whole incident. I didn't see that it was a huge thing when I made that call to her. But then I realised how much impact it had on her.”
America follows a two-party democracy system. This means, as the nominee of the Democrats, Pattel had to fight against the nominee of the Republican Party in the main election. “It was a tough fight,” he says. “My opponent employed a negative campaign and I defended it with a positive campaign. He kind of insulted my accent and many other things. But the county where I ran for the elections is one of the most diverse counties in the world. So, I asked my opponent how he can be a good judge if he cannot even tolerate the accent of his opponent. And, finally, the people voted and the election results have proven that it is not how long you have lived in this country, but how you have treated the people, the community that only matters. So, when people evaluated that, they chose Surendran K. Pattel as the apt person to be their judge.”
