'Is this even real?' Former refugee opens his own law firm

A former refugee who qualified four years ago is celebrating a new chapter in his life – opening his own law firm. Qays Sediqi officially opened the doors to London-based Dayton Rayleigh Solicitors, which specialises in immigration and public law, in September.

Sediqi told the Gazette: ‘This is the end goal for any immigration practitioner - to be your own boss. I wanted to leave my own legacy, make an impact on my own. I can do pretty much anything I want, the way I want to do it and bring to life my vision of how I want the immigration system to be like.’

Sediqi's parents moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan, where he was born. Three years later, they moved to the Netherlands as refugees. Sediqi was granted asylum in the Netherlands and became a Dutch national. He moved to the UK in 2007 as a European national.

On what inspired him to become a lawyer, Sediqi was 'in awe' of the solicitors who dealt with his mother’s divorce when he was a child.

‘They were very empathetic. They were like superheroes to me. They were nice and made my mum feel at ease, like someone was helping her out, fighting her corner, people who were making my mum feel good and less stressed. I wanted to be like that.’

Sediqi studied law at the University of Greenwich. He initially wanted to pursue family law but fell in love with immigration law during his LPC at the University of West London.

After applying to dozens of law firms for a job, he finally got his foot through the door at SBG Solicitors in Dalston as a paralegal. He later joined national firm Duncan Lewis as an immigration caseworker, and then Thompson & Co as a trainee.

Being a former refugee, Sediqi believes he can connect with clients on a different level. He recalls a recent client who was scared to talk to him at first. ‘I shared my experiences as an asylum seeker and that helped put her at ease.'

Life as his own boss has been ‘stressful’, with Sediqi having to do everything, from the accounts to making sure the printers are working. But Sediqi says he knew what he was signing up for. ‘My grandfather told me, “If you make £1 for yourself, it’s better than £1m working under someone else”. Last month I didn’t make anything. But I know it’s a work in progress. It’s an investment.'

He added: 'I’m really grateful for my support network. I’m really grateful I have this opportunity to set up my own firm. Not many people have the opportunity to do this. Everything in life has pointed me in this direction. Sometimes I pinch myself and ask “is this even real?”.’

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