Rehana Popal
| Rehana Popal | |
|---|---|
.jpg) ATrentin201906250124 (2023; cropped).jpg Popal in 2023 | |
| Born | 1989 Afghanistan |
| 🏫 Education | City University, London |
| 💼 Occupation | Barrister |
| Known for | First Afghan national to be called to the Bar in the UK |
| 🏅 Awards | 100 Women (BBC) (2021) |
Rehana Popal (born 1989) is British-Afghan lawyer who became the first Afghan national to be called to the Bar and the first Afghan woman to practise as a barrister in England and Wales. In 2021 she received the 100 Women (BBC) award.
Early life and education
Rehana Popal was born in 1989 in Afghanistan.[1] She arrived in the United Kingdom as a five year old refugee, accompanied by her mother and three older siblings, and grew up on a council estate in inner London.[2][3][4] After completing her early education she was admitted to study international relations at City University, from where she graduated in 2011.[3][5] The following year she completed her Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at The City Law School.[5]
Before her pupillage, Rehana worked as a paralegal at Leigh Day, supporting civil claims brought by Afghans alleging human rights abuses by British forces.[3][6] In 2013 she was called to the Bar.[7]
Career
Popal undertook a short period of work with the United Nations.[1]
In 2018, Popal was the only female Afghan barrister practising in England and Wales, working as an immigration and civil law barrister at 10 King’s Bench Walk Chambers in the Temple.[8] That year she was taken off a case when a client asked to be represented by a white male, believing this would carry greater credibility with an English judge.[9] This incident led the chair of the Bar Council to send a message to solicitors reminding them that "Discrimination against a barrister on the basis of a protected characteristic is completely unacceptable".[10] Popal later said that she did not blame the solicitor, but that the problem lay in "the client's perception of the justice system, however incorrect or prejudiced".[11]
In 2019 she was recognised as "Barrister of the year" in the First 100 Years campaign's Inspirational Women in Law awards.[12][13] In 2021 she was included in the BBC 100 Women list.[2][14] She works to assist Afghans who served with the British armed forces during the war in Afghanistan.[2]
As of 2026[update] she is a member of No5 Barristers' Chambers in London.[15] She is a Master of the Bench of the Inner Temple and, in 2022 when appointed, was the youngest person to become a bencher.[15] In 2024, in South Asian Heritage Month, the Inner Temple Yearbook included her in a feature on "some of our distinguished South Asian Members" alongside Gandhi and Nehru.[16]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "South Asian Heritage Month". Inner Temple Yearbook. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rahman-Jones, Imran; Gill, Gurvinder (2021). "100 Women: The former child refugee helping Afghan asylum seekers". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Rehana Popal". www.barcouncil.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ Gibb, Jonathan Ames, Frances (10 November 2018). "Ditched Asian lawyer Rehana Popal had been stripped of six cases". www.thetimes.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "5 to watch" (PDF). City magazine. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ↑ "Chambers is delighted to announce that Rehan Popal has joined". www.33bedfordrow.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ↑ Collison, Lucy (29 September 2025). "No5 Barristers' Chambers welcomes Rehana Popal (call 2013) to its Public Law Group". No5 Barristers' Chambers. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ↑ Bell, Sarah (9 November 2018). "Female Afghan barrister 'sacked in favour of white man'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ Whelan, Christopher (2022). "12. A sporting chance? Courtroom tactics in a criminal context: VI. Playing the judge". The Bodyguards of Lies: Lawyers’ Power and Professional Responsibility. Oxford: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-5099-5699-9. Search this book on
- ↑ Rose, Neil (9 November 2018). "Bar chair urges solicitors to act over barrister bias". Legal Futures. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ↑ Rose, Neil (1 April 2019). "Discriminatory instruction barrister: Fault is system's not solicitor's". Legal Futures. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ↑ "Rehana Popal receives First Hundred Years award | City St George's, University of London". Rehana Popal receives First Hundred Years award. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ↑ "Inspirational Women in Law Awards - next100years". next100years. Retrieved 12 March 2026.Source describing the awards
- ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Barristers". No5 Barristers' Chambers. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ↑ "South Asian Heritage Month". Inner Temple Yearbook. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
External links
- Rehana Popal (BBC) on YouTube
- Rehana Popal profile at No. 5 Barristers' Chambers
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