Ahmed is a Partner and Solicitor Advocate. He joined Bolt Burdon Kemp in 2011 and heads our Military Claims team.
Chambers and Partners 2024 has highlighted that Ahmed “is extremely tenacious and thorough” and he is “calm, dignified and very knowledgable”
Legal 500 2024 describes Ahmed as “a superb lawyer – an incredibly shrewd tactician who knows the subject of military law inside out” and “is totally dedicated to securing the best result for his clients but is also pragmatic and is very good with vulnerable clients”
Ahmed manages high value personal injury and clinical negligence claims, often involving serious accidents suffered by service personnel during training or through failures to treat and rehabilitate. He ensures that all his clients are seen at an early stage by the right medical experts, so that their injuries can be fully investigated, an assessment made of their future needs and a strategy agreed for the successful progression of their claims.
As an experienced Solicitor-Advocate, Ahmed often appears in the High Court to represent his clients. He has led our work defending the rights of service personnel in the workplace against poor conditions, bullying, discrimination and harassment. He has an in depth understanding of service complaint procedures and will advise clients all the way through to appeal stages and beyond. He is passionate about protecting the rights of women and minorities in the armed forces.
A keen negotiator, Ahmed achieves the best possible outcome for his clients, whether that means a valuable pre-action settlement or a fight for compensation at court. He has provided training to experts and solicitors about the nature of military claims, case management, strategy and negotiation.
Ahmed has led ground-breaking litigation in his field, including:
- Having conduct of the first ever settlement in England and Wales relating to injuries caused by the wrongful prescription of Lariam (mefloquine), the anti-malarial drug.
- Billett v MoD– a case involving Non-Freezing Cold Injury (NFCI), which explored the principles of how to assess damages for disabled Claimants and which continues to be a leading case.
- Broni, Woof and Barbour v MoD – a case which successfully argued that service personnel should not be treated in law as ‘employees’ for the purposes of assessing legal costs.
In addition to acting for service personnel and employees of the Ministry of Defence, Ahmed represents consultants in the close protection, maritime security and other off-shore industries who have suffered accidents at work as a result of faulty equipment or poor training. He works closely with a number of specialist medical, aviation, maritime and employment experts in these fields. He knows that this expertise is essential in assessing the financial and personal losses that can result from injuries to these highly trained personnel.
Ahmed is an active member of Forces Law, a national network of lawyers who specialise in advising service personnel, veterans and their families about their legal rights. He has served as Vice Chair and Chair of that organisation and continues to sit on the Committee as Training Officer.
Author of leading text on military claims
Ahmed has written “A Practical Guide to Military Claims”, the first legal guide for practitioners which deals exclusively with claims brought on behalf of service personnel, veterans and their families. His book was given a five star review in The Law Society Gazette which said:
“what sets this book apart from other practical guides is the very clear empathy that the author has for members of the military community, pointing out that ‘as lawyers we must try to understand our clients if we are ever going to have a chance of acting in their best interest’.”
It can be purchased through Law Brief Publishing and on Amazon Prime.
Parliamentary Contributions
As a legal and subject matter expert, Ahmed has been invited to give evidence before Parliament and provides regular contributions to stories in the national press on the welfare of service personnel. He supports a number of military charities to help raise awareness about these issues.
In March 2021, Ahmed gave evidence to the Defence Select Committee which looked at the experiences faced by women in the military and female veterans. He was preceded by Emma Norton, Director and Solicitor, Centre for Military Justice; and Nicola Williams, former Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces. Ahmed gave evidence alongside Wing Commander (Ret’d) Graham House, Principal, Justice4Troops.
A recording of Ahmed’s participation can be found below:
Media Contributions
The following are a few examples of Ahmed’s media contributions:
- A military murder exposes a much deeper problem – The Times
- Racist abuse among troops allowed to ‘grow and fester’ on overseas army bases – The Mirror
- Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill Committee – Parliament Live TV
- British Legion boss clashes with minister on overseas operations bill – The Guardian
- Dealing with a hearing disorder – Quest Online
- Combating Racism – PI Focus
- Racism in UK military: only six people found guilty at court martial in past five years – The Guardian
- Racism ‘prevalent’ in the armed forces, ombudsman warns – BBC news
- Why I wouldn’t want my daughter to join the Military – Wavell Room
- ‘It was a hunting ground’: women and sexual assault in the UK armed forces – The Observer
Professional memberships
- The Law Society of England & Wales
- APIL (former Secretary and Coordinator of the Military Special Interest Group)
- Forces Law current President (former Secretary and Training Officer)
- Employment Lawyer’s Association
