Turn on the tv or log onto social media this year, and you will see many people trying to define the American dream. Sipra Boyd knows what the American dream is and what it takes to achieve. It is something she never forgets in her day-to-day role as a member of RMWBH’s POA team.
Sipra’s journey to achieving the American dream began at the age of four when she and her parents left India and started a new life in Houston. The next stop on her journey came for Sipra when she was 12. “This was the minute I started thinking about what I wanted to do as an adult. I would see things happen from a legal perspective or social justice perspective that didn’t seem fair, including to my parents as immigrants and how they were treated. I wanted to be a lawyer to help fight these injustices and help people,” Sipra said.
Sipra has helped many people throughout her career, but POA law was not something she had in mind coming out of law school. As she puts it, “I just happened to fall into it.” After gaining experience working at a firm representing property tax districts, Sipra started at a boutique POA firm in 2005. While there, she gained experience in all aspects of POA law. “I really learned all the ins and outs of it, starting with talking to homeowners about paying assessments and following the deed restrictions. She also litigated POA cases while learning about the governance issues boards would deal with on a daily basis. In her eight years at the firm, Sipra found she enjoyed the practice of POA law. “It was interesting. It was challenging. It was different day-to-day. I felt like I found my place in the law,” Sipra said. But fast-forward to 2012 and it was time for a new challenge. A position at RMWBH opened up and Sipra decided “I wanted to practice with some of the best in the industry, so I made the jump to here.”
Throughout Sipra’s career at RMWBH there is not one specific client or project that has stood out. Instead, it is the industry as a whole. “What I like about this industry, despite the fact that it may take some time to get your foot in the door, is that you build relationships with your clients and the people that serve your clients. I’ve built relationships over the years with board members, managers, and management company CEOs based on all of the experiences we’ve all shared throughout the years. This makes the POA industry a really neat practice area because typically it is just you and your client on one particular matter. I’ve developed some really fun relationships over the years in that some of the clients and managers I have worked with have become close, personal friends of mine,” Sipra said.
The relationships Sipra has established and her work within the POA industry has shaped her views on the role POAs and their rules play throughout Texas. But she has never forgotten her background as an immigrant to this country and how not fully comprehending all of the rules within a community can impact residents. “We didn’t know as immigrants how important it was to comply with the deed restrictions and our impact on our failure to do so on the community. My parents had never dealt with POAs. It was one of those things as new immigrants, we were unfamiliar with and quickly had to learn as part of the assimilation process. This is something I continue to keep in the back of my mind in my practice. Based on my experience, where an owner is from and what he/she may be dealing with in life can certainly interfere with one’s ability to understand and follow the rules,” Sipra said. Sipra is quick to point out that this has changed over her time in the United States because knowledge of POAs through social media, the news and on TV has greatly increased people’s awareness of POAs and their rules, but it is still important for managers and board members to understand this perspective. “I think it’s important when you approach a matter to have some respect and patience about where that individual is coming from, physically or mentally, they certainly should understand that they have to follow the rules, but we may also need to adjust our expectations sometimes,” Sipra said.
Even with many in the industry giving homeowners the benefit of the doubt, POAs have gained a negative reputation. Sipra says there is a way to overcome this, “education to me is the key to all things.” Sipra believes education should start with managers, board members and lawyers not only understanding the law but learning about the diversity in our communities. “If we educate our boards on being cognizant and respectful of the fact that there are people here from various backgrounds, it will have a positive impact on the practice of POA law and living in a community association,” Sipra said.
Learning about the people in a community is not the only role education should play in the POA industry according to Sipra. “Educate yourself. That’s the best thing you can do to ensure you’re managing, practicing, acting in the best interests of the association, your community, the management company, or the legal profession. Educate yourself and be respectful.”
Sipra’s commitment to the POA industry, her drive to ensure everyone from homeowners to board members, to managers, to the CEOs of management companies, are all educated on the issues and recognized as individuals, including the respect she shows clients and colleagues are hallmarks of her character. RMWBH would not be the firm it is today without her contributions and perspectives because she is the embodiment of the American dream we all strive to achieve.
