Naim Qureshi is a Senior Associate in the Family and Divorce team, practising exclusively in the field of family and matrimonial law for over 17 years. To get to know him a bit better, we decided to ask him a few questions…
Why did you become a lawyer and what type of lawyer are you?
I grew up at the time of the TV show “LA Law” where all lawyers in the show lived glamourous lives. My hero from the show was Arnold Becker – a hot shot divorce lawyer. This, together with “Rumpole of the Bailey” and “Crown Court” (now I’m really showing my age), inspired me to study A Level Law and then an LLB in law which included a module on family law, which I loved. Maybe I always knew that life as a lawyer would never be quite as glamourous as portrayed on television but the fantasy of it clearly spurred me on to qualify.
Career high?
I am lucky enough to have been involved in some high profile and emotionally rewarding cases, two of which instantly spring to mind. One was an international child abduction case where the father had taken the two children to Kosovo, his country of origin, and a war-torn country at the time. I then spent the next few months obtaining some very innovative High Court orders which led to the safe return of the children. Seeing the mother in my office with her two children the day after being reunited with them was very rewarding. The other was when I acted for the maternal family in the high profile case of a British Iraqi family murdered in the French Alps. The children, one of whom was herself nearly murdered, were placed in the care of social services in UK. There then followed a year of High Court proceedings for the return of the children to the maternal family. The case involved some very complex issues of law and procedure and eventually the children were reunited with my client.
The other career high was when I attended a black tie event at the Law Society as a young solicitor when I had been nominated for Young Pro Bono Solicitor of the Year award. This was for the pro bono work I had done in my local community and my commitment to pro bono work generally. To my complete surprise I actually won for the South East region!
Why should you be my lawyer? Why should I contact you and not someone else?
The old adage “people buy people” is a real truism when instructing a family solicitor. As well as being able to relate to people on all levels, my main aim is always to resolve a client’s issues with the minimum of distress, acrimony and costs. A constructive approach usually elicits an agreement but when it does not I have no hesitation in taking forceful Court proceedings to achieve the client’s goals.
Tell us something about Blaser Mills…
Blaser Mills is a firm of very personable people but also a firm with extremely dedicated lawyers and excellent support staff who all go the extra mile to ensure that clients’ needs are met and their expectations exceeded. That is why we have such a loyal client base.
What job would you do if you hadn’t become a lawyer?
When I was growing up I wanted to be an international cricketer… but not just any old cricketer – I wanted to captain Pakistan and lead the team out at Lords in a test match against England. My cricketing idol, as was the case with so many British Asians of Pakistani decent was Imran Khan. He was the epitome of a sportsman and I wanted to be him. I was lucky enough to be at school at the time of Mark Ramprakash and Angus Fraser who of course went on to become fine international cricketers. Alas my calling was not the world of sport but the world of law. I still dream of how my life would have been if I had even a quarter of the talent of Imran Khan.
What do you do in your spare time?
I am blessed with 2 beautiful daughters (as well as a beautiful wife of course – had to get that in in case she reads this!) and much of my time is spent with them. I still love watching and playing sport particularly football and Liverpool FC where I am a member. I am lucky that either or both of them sometimes watch some matches with me on television and I have also taken them both up to the home of football – Anfield!
If you have any family law related issues and would like to discuss these with Naim, he can be contacted on 01494 781356 or by email to naq@blasermills.co.uk