From Afghanistan teenage refugee with no English to London lawyer
Wed, 08 Oct 2014 17:00:00 BST
As a teenage refugee with no English Language skills, in just ten years Jasleen Kaur achieved first class honours and now works for the London law firm Nabarro
LESS than ten years ago, Jasleen Kaur, as a teenage refugee from Afghanistan, could not speak or read a word of English. Now, completely fluent in the language, she has a First Class Honours degree from the University of Huddersfield and as an ambitious young lawyer she is poised to launch a career with one of the City’s biggest and most respected practices.
Aged 23, Jasleen – who graduated in 2013 – has been offered a coveted training contract with Nabarro, a corporate law firm that has offices around the world. She takes up this role in 2016, and in the meantime is working in a paralegal capacity at the firm’s London headquarters.
It has meant relocating from Huddersfield, where her family found refuge and a welcoming Sikh community when they arrived in the UK as asylum seekers. Life in their home town of Jalalabad had become oppressive for people of their faith.
“All Sikhs are under threat in Afghanistan. You don’t have the freedom to live your life the way you want to,” said Jasleen, now a UK citizen who has made the most of educational opportunities in her new homeland.
Challenges
First came the challenge of learning English from scratch at her school, Moor End Academy in Huddersfield. “It came slowly, but I was dedicated and had a sheer passion to learn and be succcessful,” said Jasleen, whose first language is Punjabi.
She moved on to Huddersfield’s Greenhead College, where law was one of her A-level choices. There was a stimulating work placement at local legal firm Chadwick Lawrence where she decided that she wanted to specialise in the field of commercial law. So the next step was the University of Huddersfield, and successful studies for her Bachelor of Law degree.
“I liked studying at Huddersfield because the teachers are very encouraging and would give support and advice on any subject at any time.”
After her degree, there was a placement as a paralegal assistant in the field of property law – her main area of interest – for Kirklees Council, and then a move to London for the next important phase in her qualification as a solicitor when she took her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at Kaplan Law School. She was encouraged to apply for a position at Nabarro, which she has now landed. She hopes that the two-year training contract will be a stepping stone to further posts at a firm she describes as a “property powerhouse”.
“I like the type of work that Nabarro does, with major developers and major clients. It is the sheer tangible aspect of it, being a part of something has a huge impact on day-to-day life. You come across the type of transactions the firm works on every day, especially in London,” said Jasleen.
After the flight from Afghanistan and then life in Linthwaite with her father, mother and two brothers, she has adapted quickly to the Capital.
“It is overwhelming to begin with, but you quickly realise that dreams are indeed achievable and I have begun to achieve mine.”
