What type of law do you specialise in?
“My work is quite varied as I specialise in public law and commercial dispute resolution. My public law work encompasses sports law (including sporting discipline and regulation), immigration and nationality law, and professional liability. I am also involved in commercial dispute resolution work which encompasses professional negligence actions, unfair prejudice cases, and corporate insolvency matters.”
Have you always been interested in a career in law?
“Law is not something I had planned to do at all! But I love my job.
“I grew up next door to Edinburgh Napier’s Sighthill campus. I didn’t do particularly well in school and didn’t get good grades. At that age I didn’t think about the importance of exam results and potential barriers that they might throw up.
“Edinburgh Napier was kind enough to let me into the computing course, but I realised quickly that I enjoyed the subject more as a hobby than a profession. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life doing it and I began to think of alternatives.
“I had previously done some work experience in law in high school. At the time I hadn’t found it particularly interesting, but I began to reconsider that as an option. I tried to switch from the computing course to law, but the university told me no. As I said, my grades weren’t good.”
What did you do next?
“This gave me a reality check, and I had to think of an alternative route to get into the profession. I joined a high street law firm as a paralegal at the start of 2014. I then applied to Edinburgh Napier’s part time LLB course and got accepted. I began my studies in the September of that year.”
“I undertook a traditional 3-year degree but completed it over four years, part time. I attended university from 6-9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then made up the extra modules in my own time. Without this flexibility I don’t think I would have been able to get into law at all.”
What did you do after graduating?
“I graduated from Edinburgh Napier in 2018. I continued to work as a paralegal during my studies and even won Paralegal of the Year at the Scottish Legal Awards the same year I graduated. After graduating I went on to complete a diploma in professional legal practice and qualified as a solicitor.
“In 2021 I took up a job at an international law firm. This was a big culture shock because I was one of 4,000 lawyers across the globe for that firm compared to one of four (in total) in my previous office. I went from doing run-of-the-mill general disputes to defending professional negligence claims, primarily for businesses in the construction sector. It was here I developed a love of court because I never got to go! Insurers preferred to resolve disputes through mediation, negotiation and other resolution methods because it is much cheaper and avoids the uncertainty of litigation.
“After this I then spent some time working for a law firm based in Jersey. This was another culture shock because I still living in Edinburgh, but I was working on billion-dollar trust cases and insolvency disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions. I was working with some of the smartest lawyers I had ever seen whilst simultaneously learning Jersey law from scratch.”
You called to the Scottish Bar in 2023. Tell us more about your decision to do this.
“As I previously said, being in court is the fun bit and so I wanted to become an advocate. Think of it like the difference between GPs and consultants. If I was a GP I might have an interest in heart defects, but I can’t perform heart surgery in the GP practice. But if you’re a consultant you can because that’s all you specialise in. You’ve dedicated your time and resources to do that. As a paralegal and then solicitor I spent a lot of time doing admin work, but I wanted to be doing the surgery. I wanted to be in court.
“In October 2022 I began the devilling process. This is the training you have to do before you call to the bar. Your trainer is an advocate known as your devilmaster. You are the devil. It lasts nine-months and during this time you’re either in the classroom being critiqued about your advocacy skills or you’re out with your devilmaster going to court and consultations to see how they conduct cases.
“I became an advocate in June 2023 when I officially called to the Scottish Bar. It was a very proud moment for me.”
If calling to the bar was your highpoint, have you faced any uncertain moments?
“After I became an advocate had terrible imposter syndrome. I think I’ve only just got rid of it.
“I called to the bar when I was 27 and I was surrounded by advocates who had done the job for 30 plus years. I constantly felt like I was going to be caught out. These people are some of the brightest in Scotland and are doing the same job as I’m doing. I felt like I could not compete.
“But I've very quickly turned that into fuel to keep going. I reminded myself that this burden I’m carrying is a real privilege. This is a special job and it’s an honour to stand up in court and to advocate on behalf of others.”
How did you got involved in sporting disciplinary work?
“I am Chairman of the Football Association’s (FA) National Serious Case Panel, Chair of the Disciplinary and Appeals Panel at England Golf, Chair of the Recreational Discipline Panel for the England & Wales Cricket Board, a Member of the Disciplinary and Appeals Panel for Paddle UK and a Member of the Disciplinary Panel at Scottish Athletics.
“My first role was with the FA. I joined that in June 2022 and from there I progressed into other sports. It all started because I have a general interest in public law and regulatory work and that crossed over with the remit of a disciplinary panel. The ironic thing is that apart from cricket I don’t actually play any of the sports and my practical knowledge is therefore limited! But that’s not a problem because I’m only there to apply disciplinary regulations.
“I enjoy it, but I also believe it’s important to make the process fair to help people who might not otherwise have a genuine chance of seeing justice done. Also, there aren’t many ethnic minority lawyers who do this line of work and sometimes I am the only visibly different face in the room. That is quite interesting because I’m also usually the person who's got the most responsibility, as chair.”
Can you tell us more about other voluntary work you do?
“Throughout my career I have gotten involved with a variety of different organisations to provide immigration advice. Immigration law is one of the most technical and unforgiving areas of law even for lawyers and judges, let alone for people who speak English as a second or third language. I wanted to help level the playing field for people who would have been lost in the system otherwise.”
What advice would you give to the Class of 2025?
“In regard to law, building up a reputation is incredibly important. For every case that is published in the newspaper, there are many other cases behind the scenes. Treat every case with dignity and build up a reputation that lasts.
“I’m a person of faith, I’m a devout Muslim, and two big principles in my faith are patience and gratitude. I like the Scottish saying, ‘What's for you will not go by you’. If there is a lesson from my experience it is that your path does not have to be perfect. I had terrible grades, and I dropped out of my first degree, and no-one would have bet on me becoming an advocate. You don't need to have everything figured out by age 18, you just have to be consistent and show up every single day. Trust that whatever happens will happen for the best and try not to worry about tomorrow.
“I hope that makes sense. I promise my legal advice is not as confused as this.”