Steven Murray

Qualifications Manager and Tutor 

 “What I love about law is the intellectual challenge – it is a mental game of chess. For every answer I give you, I must understand what your response might be and have suitable counter argument to that.” 

Steven is Law Training Centre’s Head of Qualifications for CILEX, NALP, CLC and Propertymark. He has worked with us since 2016 and is a strong advocate for of law Training Centre’s ethos saying that people must recognise change and that everyone is different.  

“Differences mean that we as a human race can progress, and if everyone was the same, we would fail. We embrace change, diversity and inclusivity at Law Training Centre. We have changed the environment of legal education – we engage, encourage, provide an opportunity for people to move into the legal sector. A learner could go from meeting and greeting in an estate agency to being Kings Counsel.” 

A member of the Faculty of Procurators, Steven has been a committed campaigner for improvements in legal education and training and for the formal recognition of paralegal and legal executives both in England and Wales and Scotland, since the early 2000s. He is a passionate advocate of alternative pathways into law and has worked tirelessly for over 15 years in the sector to develop education that fits with the modern legal professional who is looking to work, study and qualify at the same time.   

Having achieved several national awards for his contributions to legal education including achieving examples of academic national excellence in legal subject design, Steven has been nationally recognised for his creative and sector relevant qualification building with CILEX and CLC/SQA courses.  

Steven has designed and delivered two LLB with Practice degrees for institutions throughout the UK. He retains visiting posts with Scottish universities and has continued his participation in developing the application of law into professional and corporate strategies.  

Steven was lead consultant in the Scottish Government’s revised E-Health Policy and is noted for the inclusion of diversity in his design work. Published at Cambridge, Oxford and the Royal Institute of Amsterdam, Steven succeeded in delivering the first recognised paralegal qualification in Scotland.   

Yasmin Hoque

Consultant Solicitor at Access Law Clinic and QWE Specialist 

“There’s so much more to working in law than fast living, long hours, high wages lifestyle presented by the legal industry as the ultimate career achievement. It’s understandable that newly qualified lawyers want to experience this though. When students qualify, they have usually spent many years and a lot of money dedicated to this one goal, work is life and life is all about work. However, for those who already enjoy some form of life outside work, or have other priorities, whether early on in their career, or later, the traditional pathway can feel lacking in its reward.” 

Yasmin Hoque is Law Training Centre’s Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) Specialist as well as a consultant Solicitor for Access Law Clinic. She supports our learners with the practical and commercial skills of putting their new-found knowledge into action during their QWE as volunteers at Access Law Clinic (a pro bono service set up by the founders of Law Training Centre to support learners with their QWE).  

She believes there is no single rule post-qualifying, and the end goal does not need to be rising to the top of a city law firm.  

“You do not need to restrict yourself to any rigid structure, Monday to Friday, 9-5, or even 6-8, unless you want to,” she says. “But you need a plan. Perhaps have a short-term plan, a medium-term plan and a long-term plan.” 

She explains: “In the short term, when you qualify, build up your experience and expertise to identify what is most rewarding for you, and of course along the way you get to gain the financial benefits of being dedicated to a set regime. You can join the competition and it’s not easy, but sometimes a change of environment can be helpful, and it will boost your CV. Once you’ve done that you could consider moving to a firm within the regions, or even start off there as you will have more early opportunity for leadership roles and greater responsibility.”  

Yasmin wants to encourage more entrepreneurship in the legal profession too, like the establishment of Access Law Clinic. This is where Yasmin believes long term plans come into play.   

“I’d like to see people having more opportunities to access flexible career pathways to follow different avenues outside the 9-5 traditional routes of law. What can you do with the qualifications you’ve gained and the experience you have built up – maybe you’ve had five years in London, then ten in the suburbs. What’s the next step? How can you provide a different legal service which is complementary to your lifestyle and not conflicting?” 

Yasmin has done this herself. She has worked in the legal sector as a paralegal and voluntary advisor since 2002 when she was undertaking her law degree. She gained an award for academic excellence during her own undergraduate studies and achieved first-class honours, securing a distinction in her postgraduate studies. She qualified as a solicitor in 2010 completing a traditional training contract in London, then worked in regional offices of law firms in Hampshire. She now enjoys having a diverse and rich portfolio of legal consultancy roles. 

Most recently, putting what she preaches into practice, Yasmin has set up her own legal practice, AL-HQ Law & More, which offers a niche service of Islamic wills and probate for national and international clients.  Not only that she is passionate about pro bono work, providing a pro bono advisory clinic to help the community gain knowledge about legal rights and responsibilities.  

Fauzia Abrahams

SQE1 and SQE2 Tutor and Lead Tutor for SQA Level 6 Diploma (Probate Law and Practice)

“I love law, the fact that it can be encompassed into all subjects. When I was studying, I had a passion for a subject I could see has justice and fairness, equitable and positive attributes at its heart.”

Fauzia Abrahams is Law Training Centre’s tutor for SQE1 and SQE2, as well as lead tutor for SQA Level 6 Diploma in Probate Law and Practice. She has worked with us delivering courses as well as creating course content and pre-recorded and live webinars since 2021. Fauzia has been a teacher throughout her career. Having graduated with a law degree from BPP University London, she gained a PGCE in Business and Economics in 1998 and has been teaching ever since. She is also a National Examiner for Pearson at level 3 for Applied Law and Business.

Fauzia says: “I always wanted a career where I could help people, give service. It is so rewarding to see students progressing up the career ladder, improving themselves, changing career or perhaps getting themselves out of a situation they didn’t want to be in.”

She continues: “I studied law as it would be a good background for any career. It’s a confusing time aged 18 and you feel pushed into making decisions about a future career without any experience of the world. I always had this ‘thing’ about teaching though, it inspired me. I felt like there were more engaging ways to teach than I had experienced and that I could bring something new to learners, sharing the love of the subject, that innate wish to help others, in a way that’s more relevant, more enjoyable.”

Fauzia originally taught business after she graduated and could see how students loved the legal aspects of it. Since 2015, she has specialised in legal education at various grammar schools and FE colleges. She was at Kingston University teaching Foundation Law for International Students until she joined Law Training Centre.

“The role with Law Training Centre intrigued me. The ethos of breaking down barriers appealed to me because I wanted to help others. I didn’t go to private school, I’m not middle class. I felt like an outsider when I studied law and if Law Training Centre had existed then, I am sure it would have been an option for me; the ability to learn whilst still being able to earn money, not having to go to university.”

Fauzia believes that the nature of Law Training Centre’s teaching, online, flexible, to be taken full or part time depending on work status and family commitments, means that the learners have a completely different attitude and come from a variety of backgrounds and ages.

She says: “I teach people from all walks of life who are fitting study in to gain a rewarding career – they have real ambition. It’s exciting to see them achieve their goals.”

Voreshka Gosai

Tutor – Professional skills

“My parents said I was always interested in what’s right, and arguing a point of view, even as a young child. I was always looking at new ways to view something, and I guess this is part of being a lawyer. It was natural for me develop a career in the profession.”

Voreshka Gosai is a tutor for professional skills on our courses from Level 3 to Level 6. She teaches our learners how to draft documentation – the practical skills and not just teaching word of the law.  The reach of the English Legal System is far and wide with Voreshka being a South African attorney, based in Durban, some 6,000 miles from the Law Training Centre HQ in Kent. Voreshka epitomises the  concept of Law Training Centre – learning anytime, anywhere without barriers. Not only does she have experience in  moderating assessments and writing course content for law degrees, Voreshka is also a qualified and practising attorney in Durban, South Africa, specialising in employment law, and she is preparing to do the SQE so she can also practice UK law.

Voreshka says: “In South Africa, I have the right of appearance in the High Court and regularly appear in the Labour Court and High Court to argue strike related disputes, contempt of court applications, applications to stay as well as review applications. I also appear in the CCMA, Bargaining Council and Statutory Councils representing clients, both employers and employees, in their respective disputes. I’d like to be able to practice law in the UK too, so hope to do the SQE soon.”

In the spirit of diversity and breaking down barriers, Voreshka has served on various committees – the chapter committee of the South African Labour Lawyers Association for two terms and is currently a member of the South African Labour Lawyers Association, and a member of the South African Womens Lawyers Association.

Voreshka graduated with a law degree from the University of Kwa-Natal (Howard College Campus) December 2004 before studying a Practical Legal Training course for six months at the School for Legal Practice. “In South Africa you do a four-year degree then work experience, so I got into a general legal practice law firm as a professional assistant. It was very broad-ranging, but I had one employment case that I was involved in and wanted to see more. When the opportunity arose I became a senior associate at a law firm that specialised in employment law working through matters in that arena. It really peaked my interest and I stayed with them for 11 years and did a Masters in Advanced Labour Law too.”

Voreshka has been directly involved and advised in wage negotiations and represented clients directly in Occupational Health and Safety Audits against the Department of Labour, and has represented clients in the Bargaining Council, CCMA and Labour Court.

She says: “I enjoy collective disputes with lots of employees, those involving strikes, etc. I started developing a niche area in collective disputes. One case I was involved in was the dismissal of employees involved in strikes. The law was silent. The case actually was almost testing law. It went right up to the highest court and became known as Derivative conduct. I loved being a part of this. There wasn’t a law we could discuss in those circumstances so we had to provide evidence to every allegation, pushing the legislation a bit further, challenging it. It was exciting to see what kind of outcomes the judiciary would give in certain circumstances.”

Louise McGhee

Head of Academic and Partnerships

Louise McGhee is our Head of Academic and Partnerships, as well as qualification manager for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) preparation courses. With over 15 years’ legal practice experience, Louise brings real life experience to her teaching, providing learners with current awareness and guidance that is firmly based on the realities of legal practice. She is also a respected legal educator, as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Louise’s extensive experience in teaching and developing a range of subjects on the BA Law Degree, SQA/CLC and CILEX courses means she has a deep understanding of legal qualifications. She is an expert in course and assessment design, development and content creation so she is well placed to help employers fully understand what learners will need to commit to (what to study and the time required) to achieve their goals.