The family law team at Geldards is celebrating as Cardiff-based lawyer Aysha Chouhdary was crowned Associate Solicitor of the Year 2024 at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards ceremony in London.
Aysha is one of the few family lawyers in the UK offering advice on religious, cultural and international jurisdiction issues and specifically on Shariah Law and Islamic Rulings. A multi-linguist, with languages including Urdu, Mirpuri, Punjabi and Hindi, Aysha spearheaded the launch of Geldards specialist Shariah Family law service to guide Muslim clients through the complexities of the dissolution of a marriage under Islamic/Shariah Law, with a sensitive understanding of cultural issues.
Aysha has a passion for diversity and inclusion and is dedicated to helping others overcome barriers to entering the legal profession. She is an active member of Cardiff & District Law Society, representing interests through their Ethnicity Network and Mentoring scheme and is the first British-Pakistani, Muslim appointment to the Council in the Law Society’s 139 year history.
On presenting the award, the judges commended Aysha on her achievements:
“Aysha’s focus on providing advice in the niche area of Shariah law and Islamic rulings offers an important and much needed service for Muslim clients in her area, and she is dedicated to giving back to the wider legal community through involvement in the law society.”
Fiona Apthorpe, Partner and Head of the Family team commented:
“I am extremely proud of Geldards Family team who were shortlisted as Family Law Firm of the Year – Midlands & Wales at the Family Law Awards. Every single member of Geldards Family team is dedicated to providing a first-class service to our clients and constantly striving to make improvements to the service we provide and I am delighted that this has been recognised.
“I would like to offer my congratulations to Aysha on her extremely well-deserved Associate Solicitor of the Year Award. Her enthusiasm and drive for improvement is inspirational and the launch of the new Sharia Law Service has been a resounding success. I couldn’t be prouder of her achievements – well done Aysha!”
The firm was also shortlisted for the Family Law Firm of the Year award in the national programme that launched over a decade ago to recognise the important role played by family lawyers. The awards celebrate family law practitioners who have achieved outstanding success and made groundbreaking contributions to family law. The awards are judged by a team of leading figures from the legal profession each contributing to their own specialist areas of expertise.
