Talwani received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in 1982, from Radcliffe College.

She received a Juris Doctor in 1988 from UC Berkeley School of Law, graduating Order of the Coif.

From 1999 to 2014, she served as a partner at the Boston, Massachusetts, law firm of Segal Roitman LLP, where she focused her practice on civil litigation at the state and federal trial court and appellate levels.

[3] Talwani presided over the sentencing of many parents involved in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, including actress Felicity Huffman.

Talwani sentenced Huffman to 14 days in prison, 1 year supervised release, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service after Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and honest services mail fraud for her role in the scandal.