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Student Sanya’s dream dinner date with law chief

LAW student Sanya Mahmood landed her dream dinner date after being featured in the Oldham Chronicle.

The 20-year-old, of Keble Avenue, Coppice, was stunned when she received a phone call inviting her to meet Law Society president Linda Lee in London.

The visit took place after Sanya appeared in The Knowledge, the Chronicle’s education and training supplement.

She mentioned that the person she would most like to take to dinner would be Linda — and the law society got in touch after seeing the story.

Sanya, who is in the second year of her law degree at University Campus Oldham, spent a day shadowing Linda at the society’s headquarters.

They also had lunch and Sanya said: “I was speechless when I found out. When I got the phone call from the university I was so surprised and shocked.

“I am really grateful to have been given such an opportunity — it was one-in-a-lifetime.”

Sanya attended Radclyffe School before studying business law at Oldham College and also starting work experience at Zacharia and Co, Union Street, where she now works part-time.

She wants to specialise in child and family cases, and her ambitions include one day becoming Law Society president.

Describing Linda as an inspiration, Sanya added: “She was very humble and made me fell very welcome.

“I was glad to find out that she was from a normal family in Sheffield and that she studied hard, she persevered and she was successful.

“As an Asian girl from the small town of Oldham, she showed me that with perseverance it can be done.”

Linda began her career while raising her three daughters and is a specialist in clinical negligence and coronial law.

She has undertaken extensive pro bono work for the Road Victim’s Trust in Bedford and said: “It was real pleasure to meet Sanya, discuss her plans for the future and show her some of the work we do at the Law Society.

“Like so many law students, Sanya is passionate about the law and has very clear career ambitions. We had an excellent discussion about what it’s like to be a student today, and the difficulties facing women in the law.

“I enjoyed getting a first-hand account from Sanya and I wish her good luck for the rest of her course and future career.”