Qualification success for Paragon people

Gareth Dooling and Aldijana Becirevic have qualified as solicitors with specialist immigration practice Paragon Law.

Gareth Dooling joined Paragon Law in June 2005 as a caseworker before starting his training contract in September 2007. During his time at Paragon, Gareth has also progressed through a number of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority’s accreditations for practitioners of publicly-funded asylum law, including Level 2 Senior Caseworker and Accredited Supervisor. Head of Paragon’s seven-strong Asylum team, Gareth will also play a central role in the firm’s expansion into the Leeds market once the new round of Legal Services Contracts are awarded.

Speaking of his qualification, Gareth said: “It was a gap year trip teaching English in Tanzania that sparked my interest in world affairs and a general consciousness of international events. Over the past four years I’ve developed a strong specialism in Asylum law, with my casework including destitute asylum seekers, unaccompanied children and survivors of torture and severe trauma.” He added: “I am proud of our team’s role in shaping immigration law in the UK and I’m committed to continuing our good work in helping to fight injustice.”

Immigration specialist Aldijana arrived in the UK with her family as a refugee from Bosnia when she was just a teenager. Aldijana’s experiences shaped her career ambitions and a chance meeting with Thalej Vasishta secured her a temporary role at Paragon Law, which then turned into a permanent position and a training contract.

Aldijana commented: “When I joined Paragon Law in 2004, the firm had only been operating for 8 months and it has been a pleasure watching the firm grow from strength to strength over the last 5 years.  I have continued to enjoy the work that I do at Paragon Law and find it incredibly rewarding. I look forward to the future and developing further as an immigration solicitor.”

Kirin Abbas, director of Paragon Law: “I am delighted for Aldijana and Gareth; they’ve both worked extremely hard to develop their specialist areas of knowledge. Clients and other team members alike rely heavily on their experience and enthusiasm.” She added: “We have strong growth plans in both the UK and overseas and Aldijana and Gareth are poised to play a key part in these plans”.