Name: Shahzad Aziz
Male
Barrister
Human rights/discrimination

I was born in 1973 and grew up in the Lozells/Handsworth area of Birmingham. I attended my local comprehensive after having thoroughly failed my 11+ exams for entry into the local grammar school.

It therefore came as quite a surprise that I managed to successfully pass my A levels to gain a place at Brunel University to study law. Even more remarkable was the fact that I then went on to Cambridge University to undertake a post-graduate degree in ‘criminology’. I finished my legal training by completing the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) at the Inns of Court School of Law and my pupillage at two sets of chambers in London. Having accrued tens of thousands of pounds in debt to finance my education, I then scuttled off back home after accepting tenancy at a good set of chambers in Birmingham. I also decided to become a cheapskate and live with my parents for the first few years so I could pay off my huge debts (which now resembled a mortgage). 

Securing pupillage was far from easy. It took me a couple of years and many dozens of applications.

My Tips for starting out:

Tip 1: Before you even begin applying for pupillage appreciate that the process is highly competitive and that a lot of able candidates are applying for a limited number of places. Very few applicants just walk into pupillage. Do not be disheartened by the rejection letters. It is part and parcel of what one must endure in order to obtain pupillage.

Tip 2: Make sure that every aspect (and I mean every aspect) of your CV/application form is as strong as possible. When drafting each section of my CV/application form, I applied the following test, “The persons considering my application form will also be looking at another hundred or more applications. From those applications they will probably select twenty or so applicants for an interview. Am I content that the section I have just drafted will stand out over and above all the other applicants who will complete the section I have just drafted? Am I confident that it is good enough to fall into that select category of twenty applicants who will be called in for interview?”

Tip 3: When called in for an interview prepare for it as if you were preparing for an exam. I did the following: a) I dissected every aspect of my CV/application form and wrote down all the possible questions that I could be asked about that segment of my CV/application form; b) spent time and effort preparing a well thought out and reasoned answer to each of the questions that I thought I could be asked on that section (remember it is easier to provide a well reasoned answer when you have twenty or more minutes to think about it, than when you have ten seconds in a highly pressurized interview); c) once again, when drafting my answers I asked myself the following question, “am I happy that the answer I have just drafted will stand out over and above the twenty or so applicants that will be interviewed?” Finally, remember to fully research the chambers who call you in for an interview.

I did not have a mentor during my pupillage, but enjoyed a good relationship with my pupil master.

As a barrister, I work very long hours. If you do not like hard work, the Bar is not the place to be. However, the work can be rewarding. I practice in an area of law that I enjoy and, for me, being an advocate is much more enjoyable than sitting behind a desk.

A typical week involves lots of driving to tribunals and courts up and down the country (I have even flown to Glasgow a couple of times for a tribunal hearing!). Immigration law is one of the most diverse and fast developing areas of law. One day I might be helping someone obtain a work permit, the next, arguing that my client was tortured for his political beliefs. 
I have always felt that it is kind of important for us ethnic minority professionals to set aside some of our time to help others within our community. During my pupillage I joined a number of human right’s and ethnic minority lawyers groups.  In recent years I have increasingly found myself working on projects for the Legal Affairs Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). Last year my colleagues in committee were naïve enough to elect me to the position of ‘legal secretary’. Although it is hard work, I get to do lots of exciting and important stuff for the committee. For example, last autumn I co-drafted the MCB’s response to government’s latest anti-terror laws. I have also recently been asked to become an executive member of the newly-formed British Muslim Human Rights Centre.

Being in private practice also gives me flexibility to pursue other projects outside the law. For example, I took time off work to travel to the Middle East to write and research a book exploring grand and weighty themes like Muslim-West relations (but in a fun down-to-earth way). I am currently speaking to a number of publishers and the book should hopefully be out before the end of the year.

If I could rewind the clock back to the beginning of my career the only thing I would change would be the fact that I wished I had prepared myself better for the difficulties of building up a practice. Being self-employed is not easy. Things don’t happen by themselves, you have to make them happen!