Meet the team

of helpful,

wise and

compassionate

Witans

in Portugal and the UK.

Qarrar Somji

Solicitor-Advocate

Qarrar qualified as a Solicitor Advocate in 2014 having previously had experience in a varying range of litigation roles. He graduated with a Masters in Commercial Law from the University of Birmingham in 2009 writing his thesis on Employer’s Liability for Work Related Stress.

John Cato

Solicitor-Advocate

John Cato has been working as a solicitor for 30 years and is qualified as a Solicitor-Advocate allowing him to represent Clients in Court when appropriate. John is instructed by other firms of commercial solicitors to deal with their complex litigation requirements.

Linda Roze

Practice Manager

Linda joined Witan Solicitors in 2015 as an assistant to John Cato. She has progressed through the ranks and is now the Practice Manager. Linda recently graduated with First Class Honours in Philosophy and Psychological Studies.

Rosie Wright

Private Client Consultant

Rosie specialise in advising on Wills, trusts and powers of attorney. She has many years’ experience in this area and works hard to ensure that her clients receive the best advice possible.

Salim Bharwani

Corporate Consultant

Salim is a high academic achiever and is passionate about adding value at the board level and is currently pursuing an MBA.

Results-driven, committed to accuracy and fact-based decision-making by adopting a logical and analytical approach.

Ada Chu

Trainee Solicitor

Ada graduated from University of Birmingham in 2016 with a bachelor’s in law. She then completed the LPC and MSc in Law, Business and Management in 2020.

Aliya Abid

Litigation Executive

Aliya completed her LLB, PC and LLM at Birmingham City University. She has significant Family Law, Private Client and Immigration Law experience and likes to adopt an empathetic and resilient approach to her work. Aliya deals with all areas of Family Law including divorce, private children matters, financial relief and non-molestation matters.

Kirsty Gallagher

Consultant Litigation Executive

Kirsty joined Witan Solicitors in April 2021. She previously partially completed a BA in English Literature and Film Studies from Keele University before completing her law degree from The Open University in 2020. Kirsty graduated with Upper Second-Class degree and is now completing her Legal Practice Course at BPP part-time. She is currently enjoying learning and practising litigation. Kirsty has experience of working in film production and at live music events and in her spare time enjoys film and live music.

Isabelle Jefferies

Consultant Litigation Executive

Isabelle graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2020 with a bachelor’s in law and European law. She then completed an LL.M. in Public International Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She has experience working as a research associate for a non-profit organisation specialising in war crime prosecutions and transitional justice and has interned in a barristers chambers specialising in international justice. She joined Witan Solicitors in January 2022 and is currently enjoying learning and practising litigation.

Namitha Gopan

Litigation Executive

Namitha completed her LLB along with a bachelor’s in business administration at O.P. Jindal Global University in India. She is a qualified lawyer in India. She then completed her LLM at King’s College London where she graduated with a distinction and is now preparing for the SQE at Barbri part-time.

Nazifa Sarwar

Litigation Executive

Nazifa completed her LLB with Nottingham Trent University in 2021, after receiving the highest scholarship from Nottingham Law School. Following which, she completed her LLM Barristers Training Course in 2022. She was also the finalist for the Ropewalk Moot Competition 2022. She has previously worked in the hospitality industry while attending a full time professional training course.

Hanan Fakir

Litigation Executive

Hanan completed her LLB at Birmingham City University in 2021 and has recently completed her Legal Practice Course. She has previously had experience in commercial property law and has been a part of multiple mooting competitions during her time at college and university. She has previously undertaken work experience with Witan Solicitors and is now delighted to join the team.

Elisa Bortos

Administrative Assistant

Elisa joined Witan Solicitors in September 2019 as an Administrative Assistant. She is currently a third-year law student studying for her Bachelors in Law (LLB) at Birmingham City University. She is predicted an Upper Second-class degree.

John Austin

Private Investigator

John is a retired Detective Sergeant on permanent retainer as our private investigator. John has a vast experience in investigations, and where appropriate, assists us in obtaining evidence to support our client’s position.