Kashmir-born barrister appointed immigration judge in UK

LONDON: A leading British Pakistani barrister who rose to fame winning a record number of human rights and immigration law cases in Britain’s higher courts has been appointed as Immigration Judge and also as Deputy District Judge.

London High Court sources confirmed that Zane Malik has become judge of the First Tier Tribunal. Zane Malik, 32, was born in Azad Kashmir and studied in Islamabad for A Levels. He moved to the UK and studied at East London University for his law graduation. He studied bar at the Lincoln’s Inn and started practicing as a barrister at 12 Old Square, Lincoln’s Inn.

There are only few Pakistani-born lawyers working as judges in courts across England but Zane Malik becomes the first judge who was born in Azad Kashmir and studied in Islamabad till completing his A levels before coming to the UK for graduation in law and to join his father’s practice.

To his credit, Zane Malik has won over 250 high profile leading cases in the courts. He continues to act in cases against the government but also acts for the government in many cases. Malik also has an established private practice where he offers his legal services. He regularly writes for Legal Journals, hosts lectures, conferences and contributes to a wide range of legal platforms.

In his capacity as a Barrister, Malik regularly appears before the highest courts in England and leads other barristers and legal teams in complex cases.

Zane Malik’s other notable achievements include being appointed as a Barrister for the Government and the Crown. Over 250 of his cases have been reported and this means that the courts have considered such cases to be of great public importance. He did his training at a leading set of Chambers in Chancery Lane and practiced from here until 2018.

Zane Malik is son of well-known immigration lawyer Dr Malik Akbar. Zane Malik leads cases with emphasis on immigration, asylum, nationality, EU and regulatory law and he is one of the Attorney General’s Panel Counsel to the Crown. He acts regularly at the highest levels, both for and against the government.

Only two months ago, he represented the Home Office against a high profile immigration case brought to the court by a group of over 2000 professional immigrants from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.