Practice overview
Shazia practises in public and administrative law - including education law, discrimination, community care and human rights. She has a particular interest in the impact of AI within the public sector and associated regulatory bodies and has given seminars in this area.
She also acts for individuals and on behalf of the Official Solicitor within the Court of Protection both in relation to health and welfare and property and affairs.
Her practice also includes commercial work such as contractual disputes, property disputes relating to academies, advising on pensions in the context of local government, judicially reviewing decisions of the Financial Conduct Authority and procurement matters, particularly in relation to public authorities. She has a diverse practice, acting for local authorities; public bodies; NGOs; commercial organisations and individuals.
She has been consistently ranked as a leading junior by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. Shazia is a part-time judge sitting in the Educational Tribunal for Wales (ETW), which makes decisions on appeals about special educational needs and disability discrimination.
Shazia is also a qualified mediator (ADR Group).
Where appropriate Shazia is happy to receive instructions on a direct access basis.
Shazia has worked internationally in jurisdictions such as the United Nations in Geneva and Nigeria.
- Shazia is a committee member of the Education Law Association.
- Shazia is an active member of the Middle Temple Talent Retention Committee and is particularly focused upon supporting those who have had career breaks from the Bar.
- She was one of 36 barristers selected for the inaugural Bar Council Leadership Programme.
- Shazia took part in the Bar Standards Board Race Equality Taskforce pilot reverse mentoring scheme, in which she mentored Derek Sweeting KC, former Chair of the Bar. Race Equality Taskforce Reverse Mentoring Scheme (barstandardsboard.org.uk).
- Shazia is Consultant Editor of Halsbury’s Laws of England, Education (Vols 35-36A) 2020.
Areas of expertise
- Education
Education
Shazia is experienced in the various issues that arise in the context of maintained schools and academies, including admissions, exclusions, special educational needs and disability discrimination, sex and race discrimination, school transport, Academy conversions and intervention powers of the Secretary of State.
She also advises upon issues of capacity within the context of appeals to the SENDIST and Upper Tribunal and the Court of Protection.
She is experienced in claims arising in the independent school sector, including faith schools. She also works in the further and higher education sector, and regularly acts for both students and higher education institutions.
Shazia successfully represented the claimants in the High Court and Court of Appeal in Kebede v Newcastle City Council, a case which has had far-reaching effects on those care leavers with discretionary leave to remain, affording them access to higher education in circumstances where they have no entitlement to student loans. She also challenged the change to the Education (Student Support) Regulations in Kebede v Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills.
She is ranked by the Legal 500 as a leading junior in education.
Examples of recent work include:
- Challenging a local authority’s application of regulations to an organisation providing post-adoption counselling
- Advising a leading university in relation to allegations of sexual assault on campus
- Advising a faith school in relation to challenging an Ofsted decision
- Advising students in relation to appealing decisions of Student Finance
- Advising on Prevent duties and obligations
- Advising a local authority on land transfer matters
- Acting for individuals before internal university academic appeals and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator
- Acting for a university in relation to student visa issues
- Acting for a university in relation to a loss of earnings claim from a former student
- Acting for a student in relation to claims of sex and race discrimination
- Advising students in relation to appeals before their professional bodies such as the HCPC and the Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Representing the parents of an excluded pupil in a leading independent boarding school in relation to a sex discrimination claim
- Advising on child protection safeguarding issues and ISI inspections
- Human rights & international administrative law
Human rights & international administrative law
Shazia is an experienced practitioner in human rights and international administrative law.
Her international law practice is diverse and includes:
- Representing private clients in relation to appeals before the United Nations Appeal Tribunal e.g. V v Secretary General of the UN UNDT/2017/004.
- Acting for national and international NGOs in an advisory capacity and appearing before the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of an Iranian political prisoner.
- Providing legal advice to a leading NGO in the field of violence against women.
- Advising UN agencies in relation to commercial and contractual disputes.
- Fact-finding and report writing in relation to whistle-blowing allegations within a major international organisation.
- Representing and advising individuals in mediations within the framework of the United Nations.
- Acting as a legal consultant on behalf of the British Council (for a programme funded by the Department for International Development) across Nigeria.
- Procurement
Procurement
Shazia represents companies and public authorities in procurement disputes.
Examples of her work in this field include:
- Advising company directors on their obligations under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Article 57 of the EU Directive 2014/24/EU.
- Advising NGO’s on the application of procurement law.
- Advising on transparency obligations and the publication of evaluation criteria.
- Advising clients in respect of the variation of existing public contracts.
- Acting for a firm in relation to a challenge to a Legal Aid Agency award.
- Public & administrative law
Public & administrative law
Shazia is a public law specialist. She practices in all areas of judicial review and public law, including human rights cases.
Examples of her work in this area include:
- Advising NGO’s in relation to challenges to policies under the Equality Act and immigration matters.
- Acting for universities and claimants in relation to judicial review claims.
- Acting for institutions in relation to challenging CQC inspections.
- Acting for individuals seeking to challenge ‘continuing healthcare eligibility’ decisions.
- Acting for campaign groups in relation to challenges to local government policies.
- A successful challenge to a local authority’s interpretation of the Children Act, which the Court of Appeal upheld in relation to the duty of local authorities to pay for tuition fees of care leavers.
- A challenge to the Secretary of State’s policy on tuition fees under Article 2 of the First Protocol and Article 14 ECHR.
- Cases involving Article 8 and Article 5 challenges.
- Private client
- Community care
Community care
Shazia acts for individuals and authorities in relation to:
- challenging decisions of NHS Trusts and CCGs, including eligibility to continuing healthcare funding.
- entitlement to adult social care funding and contribution funding.
- Social welfare & benefits
Social welfare & benefits
Shazia advises on all aspects of social security benefits, including cases with a human rights or EU element including universal credit, child support legislation, pensions credits, employment support allowance and other means tested and non means tested benefits.
- Court of Protection
Court of Protection
Shazia has experience of appearing and advising in relation to both aspects of the Court of Protection’s jurisdiction: health and welfare and property and financial affairs.
Shazia’s knowledge of the law relating to community care, obligations under the Care Act and local authority obligations to young people under Children and Families Act gives her a valuable insight into the wider issues often at play within CoP proceedings.
She advises family members and professionals in disputes as to P’s welfare and financial affairs including:
- Applications to revoke LPA’s
- Issues around contact within care and home settings
- statutory wills and undue influence
- Determination of capacity in relation to consent, the right to marry, care settings and provision of care
- Contested applications for appointment of health or financial deputy;
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and a range of other matters
- Challenging costs decisions made under r19.5
- Community care
- Commercial dispute resolution
Commercial dispute resolution
Shazia’s commercial law practice is often interrelated to her public law work as well as including general commercial matters.
Recent instructions include:
- Acting for a public authority in relation to a pensions claim.
- Acting for a local authority in relation to a high value property matter.
- Advising an Independent Financial Adviser in relation to a judicial review challenge of a decision of the Financial Conduct Authority.
- Advising upon arbitration clauses and proceedings in a cross-border dispute.
- Advising upon a multi-million dollar breach of contract in a cross border dispute.
- Advising a company on compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
- Acting for individuals in the Court of Protection in relation to deputyship applications, financial abuse and health and welfare decisions.
CSR & pro bono
- Shazia is one of just 36 barristers selected for the 2020 inaugural Bar Council Leadership Programme, which involves working with senior members of the Bar and judiciary with a view to implementing structural changes within the Bar.
- Middle Temple Talent Retention working group member- which aims to encourage and offer practical support to movers and returners within the Bar.
- Shazia is taking part in the Bar Standards Board Race Equality Taskforce pilot reverse mentoring scheme, in which she is mentoring Derek Sweeting KC, Chair of the Bar. Race Equality Taskforce Reverse Mentoring Scheme (barstandardsboard.org.uk)
- Chair of Chambers’ Race Equality Taskforce
- Shazia is a member of Chambers’ Disability Taskforce and Gender Taskforce
- Member of Chambers’ Corporate Social Responsibility Committee
- Shazia mentors students from underrepresented backgrounds who wish to enter the legal profession.
- Speaker at pupillage talks for BPTC students and involved in increasing participation of BIPOC and other underrepresented groups in the legal profession
- Committee member of the Education Law Association
- Shazia is a member of Themis.
Directory recommendations
Shazia is recommended by Chambers UK and the Legal 500 for Education. It notes she is:
Chambers UK
- “Shazia Akhtar is able to take a complex scenario and provide guidance on the issues and steps for the client to take to minimise risk.” – Chambers and Partners 2025, Education
- “Shazia provides a very high-level client service at all times. She is very experienced in SEN law, she finds solutions for clients even when the case is not clear-cut, and her advocacy skills are of a very high level.”
- “She is very responsive, extremely thorough and quickly grasps the issues in complex cases.”
- “Shazia is a very persuasive advocate.”
- “Shazia is well prepared and very personable.”
- “Shazia’s advocacy skills are outstanding. She always manages to get to the heart of the case.”
- “She is very approachable, has good legal knowledge and secures outstanding results for her clients.”
- “Her drafting is excellent and she is very impressive in settlement negotiations.”
- “She is hard-working, approachable and thorough, with a keen eye for detail. She is committed to the needs of vulnerable clients.”
- “She is very fair, but passionate and ferocious when she needs to be.”
Legal 500
- “Shazia is an outstanding barrister, with an excellent knowledge of the law in relation to special educational needs. She is a good advocate, she takes no nonsense from her opponent local authority and instils the client with confidence about the way in which their case is handled and achieves outstanding results for parents of children with disabilities.” The Legal 500 2025, Education
- “Shazia is wonderful to work with – she is very experienced and her knowledge of SEN law is very impressive.”
- “An extremely good advocate – she throws everything at a case.”
- “An extremely efficient and competent advocate whose paperwork is excellent.”
- “An excellent advocate, who is empathetic to the needs of her clients.”
- “Extremely efficient and an able advocate.”
Professional associations
- Administrative Law Bar Association
- Education Law Association
- Human Rights Lawyers Association
- Young International Arbitration Group
- Court of Protection Bar Association
Publications
- Consultant Editor, Halsbury’s Laws of England, Education (Vols 35 – 36A) 2020
- Contributor to Lexis Nexis Q&A and Practice Notes on local government and education matters.
- Provides training to local authorities, schools, NGO’s and lawyers in relation to the Equality Act obligations, ‘Prevent’ guidance and education matters.
- Former contributing editor of Education Law Monitor.
Qualifications
- Bsoc.Sc, University of Manchester
- Dip Law
- BVC
- Benefactor’s Scholar of the Middle Temple
- Mediator (ADR Group)