(August 21, 2025) The hum of temple bells and devotional chants marked Krishangi Meshram’s early mornings in Mayapur, a small town in West Bengal known for its ISKCON headquarters. It was here, surrounded by a community rooted in faith and discipline, that she first learned the value of focus. When her peers were still discovering algebra, Krishangi was racing ahead — devouring textbooks with a curiosity that outpaced her age.
Later, in the family’s home in the UAE, she often sat at the dining table with a laptop open, switching between legal case studies and online lectures. “I didn’t want to move away from my parents and younger sister,” she recalls. The Open University’s flexible program gave her the chance to stay close to home while chasing an unusual dream: to study law at just 15.
By 18, she had already donned a cap and gown in Manchester, walking across the stage as the Open University’s youngest-ever law graduate. A year later, she would set another milestone: becoming the youngest solicitor in England and Wales, at 21 years and four months.

Krishangi Meshram
A journey across continents
Krishangi’s story begins in the spiritual heart of Bengal. Born into a close-knit ISKCON community, her childhood was steeped in simplicity and prayer. Her father, Tapan Meshram, describes those years as “serene and nurturing, away from toxic academic competition.” It was an environment that gave Krishangi the quiet confidence to push herself.
When the family later moved to the UAE, the transition could have unsettled a teenager. Instead, it expanded her horizons. By 15, she had finished high school and was eager to study further. Traditional universities meant moving away, which she wasn’t ready for. The solution appeared in the form of the UK’s Open University.
“The OU ticked all the boxes,” she says. “I could start a degree without A-Levels, I’d be studying at a UK university, and I could remain living at home and carry on travelling with my family.”
What followed was three years of relentless dedication — online lectures, assignments squeezed in between family travels, and the discipline to stay on track without the structure of a classroom. “Studying with flexibility not only gave me academic freedom but also taught me discipline, focus, and organisation,” she told The Times of India. “These skills helped me secure a role at an international law firm, where I am now gaining practical experience.”
The making of a lawyer
In 2022, at just 18, Krishangi graduated with a First-Class Honours LLB. The Open University flew her to Manchester for the convocation — her first trip to the UK. Standing among older graduates, she described the moment with wide-eyed joy: “You give all your focus and attention to accomplishing something for three years, back-to-back, and then to be able to celebrate that is amazing!”
Her path didn’t stop there. She enrolled for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and an MSc in Law, Business and Management at the University of Law. By 20, she had completed both with distinction. At the same time, she gained two years of hands-on legal experience through internships in Singapore — a rare feat for someone her age.
Then came the final test: the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). She sat for the exam in late 2024, passed, and in April 2025 was admitted to the roll of solicitors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed her entry at just 21 years and 4 months. The Law Society Gazette hailed the milestone with the line: “Lawyers are definitely getting younger.”
Representation and diversity in the courtroom
Krishangi’s record is about more than age. It’s about who gets to enter the profession — and how. Law in England has long carried the image of older, white men in black robes. Krishangi, a young Indian woman raised between Bengal and the Gulf, breaks that stereotype.
Her alma mater was quick to underline the larger message. “Her story shows the tremendous reach of the transformative open access education we offer,” said Hugh McFaul, head of the OU Law School. For students across the diaspora, her path signals that global education can be pieced together in new, flexible ways.


Krishangi Meshram with her family
Grounded in gratitude
Despite the headlines, Krishangi speaks with striking humility. “The Open University didn’t just help me start my studies, it helped me believe in my potential. For that, I will always be grateful,” she says. That blend of discipline and gratitude is something her father traces back to her childhood in Mayapur. “Growing up in a spiritual community kept her grounded and self-motivated,” he reflects.
Even as she eyes opportunities in corporate law, fintech, and AI regulation, her purpose remains simple. “My goal is to serve people,” she says. It’s a line that reveals how the spiritual grounding of her early years still informs the lawyer she’s becoming.
What comes next
For now, Krishangi is gaining experience at an international law firm and considering specialisations in emerging areas like blockchain and AI. At 21, she has time on her side — a whole career ahead to shape. But she is already a role model for students who wonder if they’re too young, too inexperienced, or too far from traditional centers of learning to make it.
From temple town to the Inns of Court, Krishangi Meshram’s story is not just about being the youngest. It’s about redrawing the boundaries of who belongs in the world of law.
- Follow Krishangi Meshram on LinkedIn
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