Who? Ayesha Nayyar, personal injury solicitor at Nayyars Solicitors in Cheshire.

Why is she in the news? Represents some victims of the Mangle E8 nightclub acid attack that took place on 17 April. Arthur Collins, ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann, was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court of five counts of GBH with intent and nine counts of ABH against 14 people. He went on the run for days before he was arrested. He denied knowing the substance was acid despite a text message to his sister the previous week referring to acid. The victims are now pursuing a claim against the Mangle E8 nightclub for not carrying out the right checks and allowing the acid into the premises. A spokesperson for Mangle E8 said: ‘We are satisfied, as are the police, that security arrangements at the venue were more than adequate. CCTV footage demonstrates this. Along with the entire industry, it is important that we continue to learn from experience and evolve our security accordingly.’

Thoughts on the case: ‘My initial reaction was sheer fury that a man could go into a nightclub and choose to throw acid over innocent people. For the victims, there was huge relief when he was found guilty. He is due to be sentenced on 19 December and the judge has indicated that it will be a lengthy sentence. We hope that a strong message is sent out that using acid as a weapon will be treated in the same way as a gun or knife. The nightclub also needs to take some responsibility for what happened.’

Dealing with the media: ‘I spent a lot of time with the media during the trial and they were sympathetic to my clients. All reporting of the case was done in a sensitive manner. Some victims chose to do press interviews; however, my clients did not. They could not face the thought of reliving the incident again.’

Why become a lawyer: ‘To help people. We joke round the office that I am the fourth emergency service for some of our clients!’

Career high: ‘The day I set up my own firm. I was a mother of two young children and expecting another. Everyone thought I was mad.’

Career low: ‘I once missed a zero off on a Part 36 offer to the defendant insurers. They accepted and were not interested in my grovelling explanation.’

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