Shayyan Qaiser

founder and principal lawyer at SQLaw

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Shayyan Qaiser is the Founder and Principal Lawyer at SQLaw. She describes herself as a non-practising barrister for the purposes of England and Wales. She has worked in Singapore and started her own independent consultancy, advising startups and companies.

Early life and background

Qaiser was born in Boston and then moved back to Pakistan for a couple of years. She spent about six years of her early childhood in Brunei. Her father, an educationist, earned a DPhil at Oxford. Her father is Pakistani and her mother is Singaporean Chinese. [1]

Her family wanted their daughters, herself and her younger sister, to excel in whichever field they were in. She says she considers herself as desi as it gets. She says she was made fun of during school. [1]

She originally loved mathematics and wanted to become a mathematician. She says she likes to help people. To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book in which she came across some discussion about law, and she says Quaid-e-Azam was an inspiration to her. [1]

Education

She did not want to become a doctor or an engineer. For her A-levels she took law, math, economics and sociology. She says she was supposed to get 100 and received 99 in her A-levels. [1]

She intended to do her undergraduate degree at Oxford, but she was not admitted. She completed an external programme from the University of London. She graduated in 2012. She says the bar course was 10 months long, and she was saving her LLM for later. [1]

She applied to Harvard and Yale. Her applications to Yale and LSE did not succeed, and she received a lot of rejections, including from Oxford again. She says Harvard was one of the last applications she heard back from. She says she managed to get a scholarship and that it was almost full. [1]

She found returning to study after four years of work refreshing. She did not sit the New York bar, and says a part of her regrets it now. She wishes she had taken the LLM courses that qualify students to sit the bar. [1]

Career

She did not intend to settle in the UK or practise there. She says she started from the district courts and obtained her High Court licence. She says a case in which she was involved took 10 years to reach the High Court and 16 years to reach the Supreme Court. Professionally, she was treated as a foreigner who might not know Pakistani law. [1]

Supreme Court clerkship

Qaiser applied for the Supreme Court clerkship programme and spent about two years clerking. She had the opportunity to work with a judge after he became Chief Justice. She describes a law clerk as an associate to a judge, and describes the work as going through cases, understanding them and doing research for the judge. She says the case that stood out most to her was the Asia Bibi judgment. She cites the breadth of cases one is exposed to at the Supreme Court. [1]

Singapore and consultancy

Qaiser says Singapore is her home. She describes Singapore as like the new Silicon Valley, and says getting into that space and upskilling herself made sense. She works on contracts, including B2B and B2C contracts, customer-facing policies and terms. She went to Dubai for a conference and met someone there recently. [1]

Views

She says there is a lot of interest in the startup space, maybe a little less so right now. She says the SECP and the State Bank are working with lawyers on policy changes to encourage investment. She says the requirement is not where she hopes it would be right now, but there is hope. [1]

She says legal awareness among ordinary people has increased. She says there is a growing realisation that the current system is not working at its optimum. She says rural communities once settled disputes through a jirga-style system. She expects a flood of cases in the coming years. [1]

She cites seeing a backlog of cases on going to the kachehri. She says the problem is mostly the backlog, along with being short-staffed. She says there is definitely something that could clear the backlog of cases, especially frivolous cases. She says building more rooms and training judges involves an incredibly huge cost overrun. [1]

She asks where the data is coming from and says that is why data ethics exists. She says it is also about empowering the user rather than eliminating them completely. She says technology will not disrupt or replace you, it will enable you. She says a centralised system that takes in all the patients will define things much better. [1]

She says that going against the code of ethics can get you stripped of your licence. She says the client comes first in her practice. [1]

Timeline

2012
Graduated.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-04-03 Why Pakistan's justice system isn't ready for the tsunami ahead Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Shayyan Qaiser?

Shayyan Qaiser is the Founder and Principal Lawyer at SQLaw. She describes herself as a non-practising barrister for the purposes of England and Wales. She has worked in Singapore and started her own independent consultancy.[1]

What does Shayyan Qaiser do?

Shayyan Qaiser is the Founder and Principal Lawyer at SQLaw. She works on contracts, including B2B and B2C contracts, customer-facing policies and terms. She also advises startups and companies through her own independent consultancy.[1]

Where is Shayyan Qaiser from?

Shayyan Qaiser was born in Boston and then moved back to Pakistan for a couple of years. She spent about six years of her early childhood in Brunei. Her father is Pakistani and her mother is Singaporean Chinese.[1]

Where did Shayyan Qaiser study?

Shayyan Qaiser completed an external programme from the University of London and graduated in 2012. She says her bar course was 10 months long. She also applied to Harvard and Yale.[1]

What company did Shayyan Qaiser found?

Shayyan Qaiser is the Founder and Principal Lawyer at SQLaw. She has also started her own independent consultancy, advising startups and companies.[1]

Is Shayyan Qaiser a barrister?

Shayyan Qaiser describes herself as a non-practising barrister for the purposes of England and Wales. She says she did not intend to settle in the UK or practise there.[1]

Where has Shayyan Qaiser worked?

Shayyan Qaiser has worked in Singapore, which she says is her home. She applied for the Supreme Court clerkship programme and spent about two years clerking.[1]

What does Shayyan Qaiser say about the courts?

Shayyan Qaiser cites seeing a backlog of cases on going to the kachehri. She says the problem is mostly the backlog, along with being short-staffed. She also expects a flood of cases in the coming years.[1]

References

  1. Why Pakistan's justice system isn't ready for the tsunami ahead . Thought Behind Things , 2023-04-03.
Show the source passages (67 statements)
  1. Shayyan Qaiser is the Founder and Principal Lawyer at SQLaw. Shayyan Qaiser is the Founder & Principal Lawyer at SQLaw.
  2. She was born in Boston and then moved back to Pakistan for a couple of years. I was born in Boston and then we sort of moved back to Pakistan for a couple of years
  3. She spent about six years of her early childhood in Brunei. I spent my early years, about six years in Brunei. So, I grew up there.
  4. Her father is an educationist. I probably owe it to my father who's an educationist himself.
  5. Her father earned a DPhil at Oxford. so they both went to Oxford. Uh and my father did his DPhil from there.
  6. Her family wanted their daughters, herself and her younger sister, to excel in whichever field they were in. there was always this thing that they wanted their daughters, me and my younger sister, to sort of, you know, excel in whichever field they're in.
  7. She originally loved mathematics and wanted to become a mathematician. originally I loved math. I guess inherited again from my father, so I I just wanted to be a mathematician.
  8. To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book in which she came across some discussion about law. I think To Kill a Mockingbird was the first uh sort of book where I came across, you know, some discussion about law.
  9. She did not want to become a doctor or an engineer. I don't want to be a doctor, I don't want to be an engineer
  10. She says she likes to help people. I like to help people.
  11. She took law, math, economics and sociology for her A-levels. I took law in A-levels. I took math as well because main math ko nahi chhodna nahi abhi. So math, economics, law, and sociology.
  12. She says she was supposed to get 100 and received 99 in her A-levels. I was supposed to get 100 and A-levels mein 99 aaya tha, I was quite bummed.
  13. She completed an external programme from the University of London. So I did the external program from University of London.
  14. She graduated in 2012. Right, and you graduated in 2012? 2012.
  15. She intended to do her undergraduate degree at Oxford, but she was not admitted. I was like, I'm going to do my undergrad from Oxford. Obviously, scholarship ke saath, uske baghair to it's impossible. To lekin woh nahi hua, admission nahi hua.
  16. She was saving her LLM for later. I was kind of saving my LLM. I was like, I want to save that for when I have because my grades were such that the kind of college universities that I want to get into
  17. She says the bar course was 10 months long. How long is the bar course? It was 10-month course.
  18. She says Quaid-e-Azam was an inspiration to her. Quaid-e-Azam, as clichéd as it sounds, it was something that generally uh is inspiration.
  19. She describes herself as a non-practising barrister for the purposes of England and Wales. what we people like me would be uh barrister, non-practicing barrister. Non-practicing for the purposes of England and Wales.
  20. She did not intend to settle in the UK or practise there. maine nahi kiya, mera khair irada nahi tha to uh settle in the UK or practice there.
  21. She says she started from the district courts. Uh started from the district courts, so kachehri.
  22. She obtained her High Court licence. during that time I got my high court license.
  23. She applied for the Supreme Court clerkship programme. I had applied for the clerkship program at the Supreme Court.
  24. She spent about two years clerking. so I spent about two years uh clerking.
  25. She had the opportunity to work with a judge after he became Chief Justice. lucky that unhi do saalon mein he became uh Chief Justice so I got the opportunity to work with him as he was Chief Justice.
  26. She describes a law clerk as an associate to a judge. So basically, you are an associate to a judge.
  27. She describes the work as going through cases, understanding them and doing research for the judge. going through those cases, understand them, doing research for your judge
  28. She says the case that stood out most to her was the Asia Bibi judgment. the most uh one that stood out for me was uh the Asia Bibi judgment.
  29. She cites the breadth of cases one is exposed to at the Supreme Court. the breadth of cases that you're exposed to uh at the Supreme Court
  30. She planned to take five days off to pack and prepare. I'll take five days off just to pack and prep myself.
  31. She found returning to study after four years of work refreshing. Refreshing. Uh, going back to, you know, studying after four years of working.
  32. She says she managed to get a scholarship. luckily I managed to get scholarship as well.
  33. She says the scholarship was almost full. Uh no, it was almost full.
  34. She applied to Harvard and Yale. Uh and then I applied to Harvard, uh Yale,
  35. Her applications to Yale and LSE did not succeed. Yale didn't work out. Then a few other universities also didn't work out. LSE didn't work out.
  36. She received a lot of rejections, including from Oxford again. I got a lot of rejections. Oxford again, uh it didn't work out.
  37. She says Harvard was one of the last applications she heard back from. I think Harvard was one of the last uh applications which I had to hear back from. Woh phir uh yeah, I got the email and uh,
  38. She did not sit the New York bar, and says a part of her regrets it now. I didn't even give the New York bar jo saare de rahe the. Um, a part of me regrets it now.
  39. She wishes she had taken the LLM courses that qualify students to sit the bar. I I wish I had, you know, so you need to take certain courses during your LLM to then qualify to sit for the bar.
  40. She has worked in Singapore. since I started working in Singapore
  41. She describes Singapore as like the new Silicon Valley, and says getting into that space and upskilling herself made sense. it just made sense in terms of where, you know, how Singapore is like the new Silicon Valley basically. So getting into that space um and then upskilling myself
  42. She says Singapore is her home. apart from the fact that Singapore is home for me
  43. She started her own independent consultancy, advising startups and companies. I sort of started my own independent consultancy as well and I think that sort of fueled it where I, you know, uh advise a couple of startups or in some companies
  44. She works on contracts, including B2B and B2C contracts, customer-facing policies and terms. I sort of focus on contracts, you know, whether they're B2B, B2C, customer facing policies, T&Cs, things like that.
  45. She went to Dubai for a conference and met someone there recently. I met someone in uh in Dubai recently. I went there for a conference.
  46. She says there is a lot of interest in the startup space, maybe a little less so right now. there's a lot of interest in start startup space. Um maybe a little less so right now
  47. She says the SECP and the State Bank are working with lawyers on policy changes to encourage investment. with the SECP and the State Bank sort of working uh and lawyers working closely as well to sort of, you know, have those policy changes to encourage um you know, investments.
  48. She says the requirement is not where she hopes it would be right now, but there is hope. the requirement is not where I hope it would be like right now, but I mean there is this hope.
  49. She says legal awareness among ordinary people has increased. Legal I think awareness kaafi badh gayi hai um in aam aadmi ke liye.
  50. She says there is a growing realisation that the current system is not working at its optimum. there is a sense of sort of a realization that you know, the current system isn't working at its optimum
  51. She says rural communities once settled disputes through a jirga-style system. ek jirga system of sorts hota tha jismein rural communities more often than not apne masail solve kar lete the.
  52. She expects a flood of cases in the coming years. ek sailab aane wala hai cases ka aane wale waqt ke andar
  53. She asks where the data is coming from and says that is why data ethics exists. Lekin wo data bhi to aa kahan se raha hai and that's why you have data ethics, right?
  54. She says it is also about empowering the user rather than eliminating them completely. it's also about empowering the user rather than eliminating them completely
  55. She says technology will not disrupt or replace you, it will enable you. technology will not disrupt or replace you. Technology will enable you.
  56. She says a centralised system that takes in all the patients will define things much better. a centralized system will be taking all the patients and will be defining things much better
  57. She says there is definitely something that could clear the backlog of cases, especially frivolous cases. there is definitely something that could definitely clear the uh backlog of cases. Khaas tor pe jo frivolous cases hain
  58. She says building more rooms and training judges involves an incredibly huge cost overrun. mujhe kamre banao yaar, kamre banao aur judges ko train karo and the cost overrun is just incredibly huge.
  59. She cites seeing a backlog of cases on going to the kachehri. going to the kachehri, just seeing backlog of cases
  60. She says the problem is mostly the backlog, along with being short-staffed. it's mostly uh this backlog that we face, um and um, short staffed
  61. She says a case in which she was involved took 10 years to reach the High Court and 16 years to reach the Supreme Court. Took us 10 years up until high court and took us a 16 years up until supreme court uh to settle it.
  62. She says that going against the code of ethics can get you stripped of your licence. if you go against the code of ethics, aapko toh license kyun you're stripped of your license, right? Suspend ho jaata hai.
  63. She says she considers herself as desi as it gets. I consider myself as desi as it gets
  64. Her father is Pakistani and her mother is Singaporean Chinese. Father Pakistani, mother Singaporean Chinese.
  65. She says she was made fun of during school. the challenges growing up would be even during school, just being made fun of.
  66. Professionally, she was treated as a foreigner who might not know Pakistani law. professionally more so because then I'm considered and you know, like, achi, toh foreigner, isko Pakistani law ke baare mein kya pata hoga?
  67. She says the client comes first in her practice. where it's like the client is number one, right? Date nahi leni.