ABOUT AZRA KEMAL

Azra was a force of nature. Although she was thrown out school as a teenager, through grit and determination she graduated in law from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2019 and was due to begin her LPC. She cared deeply about injustice, wanting to highlight the struggles of people from minoritised and disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds which led her to working as a ‘fixer’ with Sky News home editor, Jason Farrell, on stories about county lines drug dealing. Jason’s tribute to his friend can be read here - Remembering '‘phenomenal’ Azra Kemal

Azra tragically died on 16th July 2020 at the age of just 24 in circumstances which are currently under review.

In 2021 Azra’s mother, Nevres, approached Centre for Women’s Justice after raising some funds in her daughter’s name. Her wish was to give disadvantaged women the opportunity to succeed in the legal profession - a cause she knew was close to Azra’s heart - and so the Azra Kemal Legal Internship Programme was born. The gernerous donations from Azra's friends and family have enabled us to offer one placement, and we nearly have enough to cover costs for a second. 

We strongly believe this should be a lasting legacy but to be able to keep offering this paid internship, we need more donations!

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME:

The legal profession is making strides to improve diversity, promote inclusion and tackle discrimination, although it certainly still has a long way to go before it eradicates inequality. As part of our anti-racism strategy which we launched in March 2021, we have created a paid part-time internship for women from Black, Asian and/or minoritised backgrounds. Currently only 21% of solicitors and 14% of barristers come from a Black, Asian and/ or minoritised background. This is not good enough. We are committed to promoting and increasing diversity in the legal profession and creating an inclusive culture in which everyone regardless of their ethnic background can reach their full potential. We have therefore set up a unique internship for women from underrepresented groups to work with our lawyers who focus their work on holding the state to account for violence against women and girls.

The CWJ internship for women from Black, Asian and/or Minority Ethnic backgrounds is a fantastic initiative. By ensuring that the internship is paid, CWJ have removed the financial barrier to completing this sort of work experience that many women from these groups face, while simultaneously giving them the opportunity to advance their careers in the legal profession by doing important work for and on behalf of other women. Una Morris, barrister, Garden Court Chambers

HOW YOU CAN HELP...

Please help us make the Azra Kemal Legal Internship Programme a lasting legacy and a celebration of Azra's short but inspiring life. 

We are committed to paying the London Living Wage to all our interns to ensure they are not disadvantaged financially by taking this opportunity. In addition to this bursary, funding will be used pay for external training courses, access to an external supervisor with experience in race and gender in the workplace, and close internal supervision at CWJ by a qualified lawyer.

All your donations will go to improving a Black, Asian or minoritised woman's chance of success in the legal profession. 

Please give generously!

For more information about this internship programme please see our website - https://www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk/the-azra-kemal-legal-internship-programme