Aysha Ahmad

Aysha specialises in employment and discrimination Law. She regularly acts for both Claimants and Respondents before Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. She also has experience of dealing with a wide range of commercial and contractual litigation. Clients value her approachability and sound commercial sense. Her experience as an advocate is underpinned by her former role as a Legal Assistant to the House of Lords, where she assisted with some of the most important employment and commercial cases of recent years.

Aysha brings a commercial insight into her practice from having worked as In-House Counsel in a City Solicitors firm, Raymond Saul & Co from 1998 – 2000. In this role she managed their Employment and Commercial litigation and was in charge of a BCCI group action related to the cases of Malik v BCCI and Mahmud v BCCI (1998) AC 20 and BCCI (in Compulsory Liquidation) v (1) Munawar Ali, (2) Sultana Runi Khan and Others (1999) 2 All ER 1005; (1999) IRLR 226 (Damages for loss of reputation and Stigma).

In 2000-2001 Aysha was one of the first four Legal Assistants appointed to the Law Lords. She was individually assigned to Lord Steyn and Lord Hope. Her work covered commercial and employment disputes and due to her previous experience In-House, she was individually assigned to the Three Rivers Case [2003] 2 AC 1 which involved the creditors of BCCI suing the Bank of England for breach of regulatory duty.

Aysha joined Chambers straight after her appointment to the House of Lords in 2001. Aysha regularly advises and lectures clients, HR advisors and solicitors on employment tribunal procedure, the avoidance and management of claims and conducts witness training seminars. Aysha is accredited to undertake public access work.

‘I instructed Aysha on two complex employment cases, and she won both of them. One was a sex discrimination claim, where she achieved top of the highest band award for injury to feelings, and the other was an unusually complex unfair dismissal claim, where she succeeded in obtaining an order for reinstatement. Both claims were aggressively defended. However, her preparation was extremely thorough and her cross examination was tenacious and very effective. She also built an excellent rapport with both clients. I would not hesitate to recommend Aysha for more complex employment claims, and in particular, discrimination claims where a sensitive and empathetic approach is required.'

Donna Clancy
Employment Partner, OH Parsons