SEMLA and Ellis Whittam co-hosted a well-attended event on 6th February 2020 at the Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow on the topic of “Diversity in the Judiciary”. The speakers included The Honourable Mr Justice Choudhury and Sheriff Aisha Anwar, who provided inspiring insights and amusing stories about their paths to the judiciary. Eilidh Wiseman also spoke on behalf of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland about the importance of diversity in the judiciary and the recruitment process in Scotland.
Sir Akhlaq Choudhury grew up in the outskirts of Glasgow. He is a graduate of the University of Glasgow (BSc Physics) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (LLB (Hons)). He called to the English bar (Inner Temple) in 1992 and took silk in 2015. He was appointed as a recorder in 2009, a deputy High Court judge in 2016 and a High Court judge, assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division in 2017. He was appointed President of the Employment Appeal Tribunalin 2019.
Sheriff Anwar is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh (LLB (Hons)) and University of Oxford(BCL). She spent 13 years in private practice including as a partner and head of litigation at DLA Piper. She was appointed as a part-time sheriff in 2011, a full-time sheriff at Glasgow Sheriff Court in 2014 and a Sheriff Principal in 2020.