Kaushiki is a career defender in both the criminal legal and family regulation systems. She began her legal career in 2011 as a deputy state public defender in Colorado. There, she defended and advocated for thousands of people at initial bail hearings through jury trials. After developing and honing her advocacy skills, Kaushiki moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2017, to work for the families of North Tulsa at Still She Rises, a holistic legal nonprofit. Kaushiki represented mothers charged with significant allegations including enabling child abuse, child neglect, and murder in both criminal and dependency proceedings. At Still She Rises, she learned the importance and benefits of working in an interdisciplinary office with a dedicated team of attorneys, investigators, client advocates, and resource specialists, all working together on a parent’s behalf. While in Tulsa, Kaushiki witnessed firsthand how the family policing system, working in tandem with the criminal legal system, harmed, punished, and devastated families in poor and Black and brown communities. As the practice head, Kaushiki led the development of the criminal and then the family defense practices. Kaushiki has been invited to lead presentations and trainings nationally on holistic defense, developing client relationships, trial skills, and the intersection of the criminal legal and family regulation systems. She is on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense Trial College. Kaushiki received her Bachelor of Arts in Government & Asian American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and her Juris Doctorate from The University of Cincinnati College of Law.