+44 (0) 20 7421 8007
Call: 2024 (England and Wales), 2019 (Nigeria)
Abd Al-Rahman Az-Zubair (Abdul) is developing a criminal practice across the Youth, Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. He is instructed in both publicly and privately funded matters and is steadily gaining experience across the full range of Chambers’ criminal work.
Abdul has a strong interest in trauma-informed lawyering and strives to centre this approach in his practice. Drawing on his experience working in homelessness and youth justice, he is particularly attentive to the needs of vulnerable clients, including young people and those affected by serious violence, social exclusion and migration-related trauma. He continues to develop his skills in this area and integrates a social and cultural sensitivity when engaging with clients.
Abdul also brings significant experience in policy and law reform to his work which informs his thoughtful and considered approach to cases. In 2022, he was selected as the first Linklaters Legal Fellow at the law reform charity JUSTICE, where he assisted on projects at the intersection of criminal and human rights law, focusing on issues affecting marginalised communities. He contributed to JUSTICE’s report Lowering the Standard: A Review of Behaviour Control Orders in England and Wales. He has also acted as a volunteer trade union representative for the Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers Union, supporting members in industrial disputes, including Employment Tribunal proceedings.
Prior to commencing practice in the UK, Abdul qualified and practised as a Barrister and Solicitor in Nigeria in 2019, and served as a Senior Policy Adviser to both State and Federal Governments. He also acted as rapporteur for the Nigerian Bar Association on the training of Nigerian lawyers in the use of international law to protect Internally Displaced Persons. He also developed a training programme for lawyers, journalists, and civil society organisations on the use of mechanisms available under the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
Key cases
R v S, Leicester Crown Court [2025]
Defence counsel in a multi-handed, 10-day contested trial for violent disorder, involving detailed cell-site evidence and extensive forensic analysis.
R v O, Bromley Youth Court [2025]
Represented a youth defendant charged with possession of a bladed article, possession of Class B drugs and affray. Made a successful submission of no case to answer in relation to the affray charge. The client was sentenced to a Youth Rehabilitation Order with conditions.
R v TS, Cambridge Crown Court [2025]
Represented a young man at sentence for offences of intentional strangulation and assault arising from a domestic incident. Following detailed mitigation, he successfully persuaded the court to take the exceptional course of not imposing immediate custody. The client received a suspended sentence order with conditions.
R v LD, High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court [2025]
Represented a defendant charged with an offence under section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986. Exposed inconsistencies in the prosecution evidence, resulting in an acquittal.
R v GS, Northampton Magistrates’ Court [2025]
Represented a defendant charged with an offence under section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986 and threatening a person with a bladed article in a private place. Successfully challenged the reliability of the witness evidence in relation to the alleged weapon, leading to an acquittal on the bladed article charge. The client received a low-level community order for the remaining offence.
R v DB, Northampton Magistrates’ Court [2025]
Represented a defendant charged with battery and criminal damage. Identified weaknesses in the prosecution case, resulting in the Crown offering no evidence on the battery charge. The court imposed a conditional discharge of 12 months for the criminal damage offence.