Immigration

Sheila’s life long ambition was to practise as a solicitor dealing mainly with the welfare of women and children and the rights of abused women within the different social and ethnic groups in Malaysia. However her interest had to be diverted instead to raising a family of three sons, one of whom is Autistic. With her driving ambition, she eventually graduated with an external degree in Law from the University of London in 1990.

She qualified as a Solicitor in 1997 and spent the first two years of her career in the Family department of White Ryland Solicitors. White Ryland developed into one of the country’s leading immigration firms within the next 11 years and Sheila was instrumental in building the immigration department to a leading and respected firm with many reported Test cases.

Sheila is currently a consultant solicitor at the Shepherds Bush office. She is an accredited Level 2 Senior Caseworker and Supervisor under the Law Society’s Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme. This allows her to provide specialist legal help for publicly funded work under the firms Legal Services Commission franchise. Sheila is regularly on the Harmondsworth / Yarls Wood Fast Track rotas and currently specialises in Asylum & General Migration Matters.

She worked extensively with the Kosovan community during the Kosovan/Serbian conflict and is actively involved with the local Algerian, Afghan and Eritrean communities. Pro bono work has also been part of her job as a legal aid practitioner and as a member of the Sufi Haqanni organisation. She has had the privilege of meeting the Pope in Rome with some high profile members of the Sufi organisation. She is also a member of the Malaysian Business organisation in London.

Her other passion in life besides her family and her job has been her interest and involvement with Indian classical dance and music. She has performed extensively in Singapore, Malaysia and at the South Bank in London. She now prefers to teach young aspiring dancers, time permitting. She has assisted in raising funds and providing entertainment for organisations, especially the elderly and the handicapped and forging closer understanding within different ethnic by bring them to-gather in dance, a universal language. Closer understanding is so important especially in a troubled world like ours.