Sruthy Pulijal Widens Her Horizons at CenterPoint Energy

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At the beginning of 2024, Sruthy Pulijal was named senior counsel of litigation and real estate at CenterPoint Energy. This move came after she spent 2018 to 2022 supporting its supply chain and procurement organization and went from counsel to senior counsel in that group in 2022. Her practice has certainly evolved exponentially in seven years.

“I was really able to grow in that area, building a foundation of the skills you need as a lawyer,” Pulijal explains. “It started with contract drafting and negotiation to really learn on the job. I spent my early law career doing transactional work before coming to CenterPoint, so it’s just been a continuing set of opportunities to grow.”

Today, Pulijal’s work is a mix of litigation and real estate with the goal of safely delivering electricity and natural gas to CenterPoint’s customers as affordably and efficiently as possible. The attorney says she often works on large projects that require land acquisition, requiring significant transactional work, negotiation, and contracting. Negotiating with landowners isn’t always a walk in the park. They’re not always happy with the prospect of pipelines or wires on their property, but Pulijal says her job is to resolve disputes and find creative solutions that will benefit both parties.

Pulijal also provides support to the strategic business growth group at CenterPoint, advising on legal strategy related to revenue generation for the company, pole attachments, and communication infrastructure.

Pulijal’s latest career move came at something of a crossroads for the lawyer in her career.

“I had expressed to my leadership that I was interested in development, in widening my skill set, and expanding my ability to provide value,” the senior counsel explains. “To be honest, I was also nervous about the prospect, because I have been doing similar-type work for many years. I recognized that new opportunities wouldn’t arise if I didn’t make it known that I wanted them. It’s a really unique opportunity to be able to pivot so deep into your career.”

The lawyer’s evolution is a reminder that it’s never too late to continue expanding one’s horizons and that self-advocacy is a critical part of advancing one’s own career. Pulijal says that the years she spent cultivating relationships with her senior leaders were ultimately responsible for her having the opportunity to take on new roles and responsibilities.

“I’m really proud that they trusted me to grow into this role,” the senior counsel says. “I learned fairly quickly that there were so many parts of my career that helped me prepare for these responsibilities, even if I didn’t know at the time. There is overlap; it’s just a matter of perspective.”

Strong Role Models and Wider Responsibilities

Pulijal’s future was bright if you judged her by the early role models in her life. Everywhere she looked, the future lawyer was surrounded by smart, capable, and career-driven women. Her own mother was a microbiologist. Her aunts and their friends were mostly in STEM-focused careers as well.

“My parents came to the US from India in the 1970s with, essentially, nothing,” the lawyer explains. “They wanted to pursue higher education, and they dared to dream of a life they wouldn’t have been able to have in India for them and their family. It makes your own accomplishments feel pretty small in comparison.”

But that’s hardly so. Pulijal became the first practicing US attorney in her family, straying from the STEM-based careers and carving out her own unique path that didn’t necessarily follow a traditional straight line.

Pulijal has also found time to devote to community service work, primarily through a strong pro bono program at CenterPoint. The senior counsel has participated in programs that provide general estate planning and medical directive documents for the elderly and disabled through the Houston Bar Association. She also volunteers for a hotline that low-income and underserved community members can call for basic legal advice, often regarding housing and landlord issues.

“I learned fairly quickly that there were so many parts of my career that helped me prepare for these responsibilities, even if I didn’t know at the time.”

Sruthy Pulijal

The lawyer also ran her legal department’s summer internship program, granting 1Ls the opportunity to get early experience in a law department.

At present, the lawyer is focused on being for her two boys the kind of role model she saw growing up. Pulijal says she and her husband are continually working to balance their careers with parenting responsibilities.

“My husband has been my biggest cheerleader and champion, and that’s so important to making a full life work,” Pulijal says. “Both of us realize that we both love our jobs, but what we’ll really regret down the line is missing a baseball game or an important event in our kids’ lives. Those are the things you can’t ever get back. I’m lucky to be somewhere that supports parents the way CenterPoint does.”

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