Rehana Popal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
.jpg)
Rehana Popal | |
|---|---|
Popal in 2023 | |
| Born | 1989 (age 36–37) 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) |
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]