The last couple of decades have seen a marked shift within the UK’s Pakistani community with the children of the earliest migrants now occupying important positions within the professions. There are no professions that one can think where Pakistanis have not become involved. Yet the growth in the number of Pakistani professionals is a very recent phenomenon. Usman Tariq is a prime example of just how far our community can go in a short time given the determination to succeed.
Usman Tariq called as an Advocate to the Scottish Bar (known as the Faculty of Advocates) in 2011.
He was born in 1985 in Glasgow to Javed Saeed Tariq and Rubina Tariq. He was schooled at Hutchesons’ Grammar School in Glasgow before embarking on his legal education. He graduated from the University of Glasgow with an LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) with First Class Honours in 2006. He received the Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Strathclyde in 2007. He then graduated from the University of Cambridge with an LL.M (Master of Laws) in Commercial Law in 2008.
He commenced his professional career at the international law firm Pinsent Masons LLP in 2008. He qualified as a Solicitor and Notary Public in 2010. At this stage, he chose to pursue a career at the Scottish Bar. He commenced training as an Advocate in 2010. He was awarded the Lord Reid Scholarship by the Faculty of Advocates for 2010 / 2011. This prestigious scholarship is awarded to the most outstanding candidate to the Scottish Bar in that year.
Since calling to the Bar, he is regularly instructed in commercial cases in the Court of Session in Edinburgh (the supreme civil court in Scotland) and sheriff courts across Scotland. He has also been instructed in relation to appeals to the UK Supreme Court in London.
He was invited to join the Glasgow Legal 40 by the University of Glasgow in 2011. This is a mentoring network for law students of the Diploma in Legal Practice comprising of 40 members of the legal profession who are alumni of the University. He continues to mentor and advise law students in this role. He also presents lectures and seminars on behalf of the Law Society of Scotland to solicitors across the country.
Usman was awarded Academic Achievement Award at the Pride of Pakistan Awards 2014.
