Rabat- “I have the firm belief that if you want to achieve something it will happen.”
These are the words of Ihsane Elidrissi Elhassani, a Moroccan-born woman who has certainly achieved something. She has been shortlisted for the highest legal award in England and Wales.
Of more than 90,000 female lawyers in England and Wales, Law Society’s Excellence Awards has nominated Elhassani for the “Woman Lawyer of the Year Category” award, along with 10 others.
Law Society President Christina Blacklaws said: “There are more than 9,000 firms and 140,000 solicitors in England and Wales, so to be shortlisted for an Excellence Award is to be recognised as being among the best of the best.”
The winners will be announced at the Law Society’s Excellence Awards ceremony in London on October 17.
Elhassani’s road to success began with ‘fascination’
Elhassani told Morocco World News that she was “fortunate enough” to experience several cultures.
“I was born in Morocco, grew up in Marrakech, studied, worked and lived in several parts of the world. My horizons were open from an early age, to be able to analyse a legal issue from different facets and not be one dimensional is a quality that served me a lot in my career,” she said.
Born to a family of lawyers, Elhassani graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law from Cadi Ayyad University in the ocher city in 1996.
Elhassani both chose law and was chosen by it.
“I grew up in a relatively legal household, several members of my family are lawyers. The choice of legal studies came naturally to me,” she explained.
Elhassani fell in love with law at an early age, realizing that becoming a lawyer was the right path for her.
“When I started my first lectures, I realised that the law profession suited me to the T. Law is at the centre of everyday life and discovering life through the law binoculars is utterly fascinating.”
Elhassani’s passion for law has driven her to various countries, where she has developed herself as a lawyer to become the successful person she is today.
To expand her horizons, Elhassani moved to Belgium in 1996 to pursue a master’s degree in law which she obtained with merit. There, she worked in numerous legal positions before her ambition took her to another land.
‘The ultimate recognition’
Elhassani moved to the UK to study English common law and graduated as a lawyer in 2007.
After graduating, Elhassani worked in Morocco, Qatar, and the European Court of Human Rights in France for a few years. But eventually, she traveled back to England with more experience.
In 2016, Elhassani became the first female Moroccan lawyer to open her own legal office in England.
Commenting on her nomination, Elhassni told the Law Society that “being shortlisted in the Woman Lawyer of the Year Category is the ultimate recognition for any female law practitioner in England and Wales.”
The nomination is all the more thrilling for “a Moroccan born lawyer who graduated in law from a Moroccan university, acquired a Master’s degree in Belgium and qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales,” said Elhassani.
“The nomination highlights one of my many qualities that attracted me to practice law in the UK, a country that I call home now.”
She told MWN: “I think that my biggest quality is that I don’t take no for an answer.”
Her ambition makes her a role model for all young girls wishing to pursue a career in law, in or outside of Morocco.
Elhassani told MWN, “I have the firm belief that if you want to achieve something it will happen.”
Elhassani believes, “The constant fact in every profession is that the road to success is always bumpy,” and, “It is up to us to develop the necessary skills and the thick skin to be able to carry on until we reach our goals.”
Views on the law against sexual harassment
Elhassani took the opportunity to comment on the historic Law 103-13 on the elimination of violence against women which went into effect on September 12. The law gives women the ability to file complaints of sexual harassment and gives severe punishment to harassers.
As a lawyer, and a woman who herself has experienced sexual harassment, Elhassani could not be more content with the new law.
“From my point of view it is definitely a step in the right direction. The phenomenon of harassment and violence against women is not new, it does not spare anybody, I have been myself victim of it. So the new law is all music to my ears,” she concluded.
‘You are on the right track’
Elhassani also took some time to consider her past. “What advice will I give to my younger self?” Elidrissi asked. “Do not panic, because you are on the right track.”
“As a young teen,” she reflected, “I was overly critical of myself, the slightest perceived failure sent me to meltdown.”
She added, “I want to tell that person to relax, she is not in competition with the whole world and she will be just fine.”
No matter the results of the award nomination, Ihsane Elhassani has already won the admiration and respect of many Moroccans who have heard her story.
Elhassani is confident, saying “If you put in the effort, talent and hard work, you will be recognised, regardless of your nationality, skin colour or religion.”
Read Also: Women Adoul in Morocco: The Not So Modern Legal Dilemma
