Ratu Josaia Dedicated to Helping People
Ratu Josaia Niudamu has always wanted to help people. A familiar face in Rakiraki, he is well known for his role in the vanua.
A lawyer by profession, Ratu Josaia is the son of Tui Nalawa; a position which carries a great deal of weight, especially when you are expected to invest yourself in helping the people.
He said it was always his aspiration to become a lawyer.
“Growing up, I saw how people had a lot of disputes that needed legal attention,” Ratu Josaia said. “That gave me the boost to want to be able to help, especially, at the grassroots level.”
The 32-year-old was admitted to the bar in 2010 and from there he was deployed around Lautoka, Nadi and Rakiraki.
“In 2011, I was a temporary legal officer in Lautoka. After two years I was transferred to Nadi as Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and kept moving on for nine years.
“A couple of years ago I have been working hard to have my own legal practice.”
Today he owns his own practice – Niudamu Lawyers – in Rakiraki. “I was born and bred in Rakiraki; being a kid from a rural area who didn’t know much about computers when I got to university was
hard,” he said.
“I didn’t let that stop me, it took a lot of hard work, disappointments and trials.”
He said seeing the increase in the number of people needing legal ad
vice drove him to keep going.
“My aim is when this becomes stable enough to run, I’d love to focus on what I started. That is being able to provide pro bono to those who need it.”
The Niudamu Lawyers owner employed his longtime family friend, Pramendra Sharma and two legal attaches and has been able to build his clientele to more than 50 clients, mostly in the Western Division.
As a result of achieving this goal at a young age, he has had to sacrifice time for a social life. His next big goal is to find a life partner.