Dhakal, a Paralegal in the Religious Immigration Services section, worked from 1994 to 2004 as an information officer for such nonprofits as Save the Children, Oxfam, the Danish International Development Agency and Netherlands Development Assistance in Nepal. She also has worked for refugee settlement and community-based organizations.

Dhakal has a paralegal certificate from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. In 2007-2008 she worked for the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington translating and reviewing materials in English and Nepali intended for use in refugee cultural orientation. Before joining CLINIC she worked with Greenberg Traurig in Fairfax and with the law offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, where she provided administrative and legal support to immigration attorneys, including preparing visa petitions for clients.

She volunteers at Legal Services of Northern Virginia where she helps interview clients for case intake and placement, reviews cases and prepares narratives for attorneys.