Shazia Akhtar

Introduction & Contact details

Shazia is a member of the public law and education team.  Her practice includes the areas of education law, disability and race discrimination, local government, and community care law. She has a particular interest in the impact of human rights legislation within these areas and appears before the high court acting for both individuals and public authorities.

Where appropriate, Shazia is happy to receive instructions on a direct access basis.

Shazia is a former editor the Education Law Monitor.

Before coming to the Bar, Shazia taught in mainstream schools in Japan. During her time there, she also undertook voluntary work in special needs schools. She speaks Japanese and Urdu.

Whilst on maternity leave Shazia has undertaken consultancy work for the Department for International Development (DfID) and the British Council, producing written evaluations in respect of the impact of DfID funded judicial reform programmes within the Nigerian legal system.

Academic

Shazia is a former co-editor of the Education Law Monitor from 2006 to 2009. She has given numerous seminars on education law, including on developments in special needs and disability law and has appeared on radio and television speaking on these subjects.

Shazia successfully completed the Legal Services Commission “Approved Practitioners Course” on Immigration and Asylum in December 2003 and has advised and represented clients in respect of asylum and human rights issues.

Shazia carries out specialist advisory work in the international development sector in respect of the rights of women and children and minorities.

Qualifications

• Bsoc.Sc, University of Manchester
• Dip Law
• BVC
• Benefactor’s Scholar of the Middle Temple

Professional Associations

• Administrative Law Bar Association
• Education Law Association
• Education Law Practitioners Group
• Human Rights Lawyers Association
• Association of Women Barristers

T:   020 7242 2523 (switchboard)
F:   020 7691 1234
E:   shazia.akhtar@hardwicke.co.uk

Education

Shazia has appeared before a number of specialist statutory tribunals, exclusion & admission appeal panels, and within the county and high court acting for individuals, schools (including independent schools), universities and public authorities. She has a particular interest in disability and race discrimination within the education context.

Shazia also has experience of mediation within the context of education, community care and public law, areas that increasingly lend themselves towards resolution via the mediation process, and is happy to accept instructions within this area.

Relevant Cases

R (Salman) v London Borough of Barking and Dagenham [2005] ELR 514

Case concerned a local education authority wrongly giving a commitment to fund a course at private institution

RG v SENDIST and London Borough of Ealing [2005] All ER (D) 78 (Oct)

Case concerning a student with a Special Educational Needs Statement

Public Law

Central & Local Government

Shazia acts for both claimants (including children and vulnerable adults) and local authorities within this area including judicial review proceedings, claims in negligence and advisory work in respect of the duties of local authorities. She also advises in respect of complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman and has secured successful outcomes for clients via this route.

Bennett v Bude Stratton Town Council [2006] 

Case concerning the Access to Public Meetings Act 1908

Discrimination

Shazia’s public law discrimination work often concerns the Disability Discrimination Act and compliance with the general duty on public authorities to promote equality of disabled persons Shazia also has in-depth knowledge of the relevant sex discrimination and Race Relations Acts and has successfully run discrimination challenges within the context of education law cases. Shazia also has knowledge of Shariah law and practice and has carried out advisory work in this area.

Human rights and civil liberties

Shazia is able to advise upon the application of the Human Rights Act 1998 to public law claims regarding the impact of Articles 6, 8 and 14 ECHR in particular. 

Judicial review

Shazia’s experience includes involvement in judicial reviews of school boards, the Secretary of State for Education, social services departments, local education authorities, local councils, Admission and Exclusion Appeal Panels and the Local Government Ombudsman. 

 

Shazia regularly brings and defends judicial review claims for individuals, government, agencies, charities and campaigning bodies. Her work includes permission and substantive hearings, interim relief applications and a wide range of interim applications. 

Community care

Shazia advises and represents local authorities and individuals in community care cases including section 47 care assessments and in the provision of accommodation by local authority social services departments under both the National Assistance Act 1948 and the Children Act 1989.  She also has experience both acting against and representing parties with significant mental health problems, including cases involving the Official Solicitor and other litigation friends.

Benefits and social welfare

Shazia acts for appellants and local authorities before various statutory tribunals, involving means- and non-means tested benefits and has achieved notable success in cases concerning the ‘right to reside’ and associated EC and domestic Regulations.

EU law

Shazia has an excellent understanding of this increasingly relevant area of practice within the public law context.

International Law

Shazia has carried out research and advisory work in international law in her capacity as a judicial reform and human rights consultant, including the applicability of international law and UN practice and procedure in the context of child rights and the rights of women and minorities.

Judicial reform and human rights

Shazia has undertaken advisory work in Nigeria for the Department for International Development and the British Council, working on a  £32million funded programme to improve access to justice for Nigerians. This involved:

• Researching and advising upon areas of reform in the Nigerian High Court system, including integrating the use of alternative dispute resolution into the formal justice system with a view to alleviating pressure on the commercial divisions of the Nigerian High Court;
• Advising and researching upon the impact of Shariah law within the Nigerian legal and economic framework;
• Designing a paralegal scheme to improve access to justice and human rights for citizens in rural Nigeria.