Qaisar is an award-winning solicitor with considerable expertise in education, public and discrimination law, having acted in a broad range of legal matters, many complex and involving young people with significant special educational needs. He is very experienced in providing advice and training to parents, charities, schools and Multi-Academy Trusts on a wide range of education law matters, particularly around SEND.

In 2023, Qaisar won the prestigious Law Society Legal Hero award for his far-reaching work securing education, health and social care support for children and young people with additional needs. Prior to this, he won the widely respected Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award in 2022 (Public Law category).

Qaisar has also been nationally ranked in Chambers and Partners since 2020 and currently sits in Band 1 for Education, with only a small number of other solicitors. Chambers describes him as “very highly regarded in the field for his broad practice” and who frequently assists with “appeals to the SEND Tribunal”. His strengths noted include – “a strategic decision-maker”, “an incredible tactician”, “very calm under pressure”, “extremely skilled at working with vulnerable clients” and refers to him as “one of those individuals who you would put right at the top of the tree”.

He has acted in several reported cases that have brought about further judicial guidance and legal precedence in areas of SEN and discrimination. These cases include:

• East Sussex County Council v KS (SEN): [2017] UKUT 273 (AAC)
• M v Hertfordshire County Council (SEN): [2019] UKUT 37 (AAC)
• F v Responsible Body of School W: [2020] UKUT 112 (AAC)
• London Borough of Southwark v WE (alt person for OA): [2021] UKUT 241 (AAC)
• London Borough of Redbridge v H O (SEN): [2020] UKUT 323 (AAC)
• H (child) v London Borough of Hillingdon: [2021]
• London Borough of Croydon v KA: [2022] UKUT 106 (AAC)

Before joining Winckworth Sherwood, he served as Head of Education Law at Coram for several years, leading a team of 13 to 15 caseworkers focused on addressing legal issues faced by children and young people. His practice benefits from his family law training, where he worked in areas that often cross over with education (such as care proceedings, child protection and private children disputes).

Recent experience

• Advising and acting in disability discrimination claims brought in the first-tier tribunal.
• Advising and acting in a range of special educational needs matters, including complex challenges of local authority decisions regarding SEN, EHCPs, health and social care and residential school/ college placements.
• Advising on LA duties to children with SEN or medical needs, including funding for schools.
• Advising on public law challenges and judicial review proceedings.
• Advising on school exclusion matters.
• Advising in relation to a range of general school issues, such as complaints, school bans, home to school transport, consultations for changes to school admissions policies and SEN funding.
• Frequently delivering Equality Act and SEND law training to school leaders, SENCOs, Governors, special schools and Multi-Academy Trusts.

Spoken languages

English and Urdu