A 21-year-old Dubai resident has become one of the youngest qualified solicitors in the UK. Krishangi Meshram, whose journey to becoming a legal professional began at the age of 15, said she was surprised to find that she had set a precedent of sorts.
“I didn’t even think that I might end up being the youngest solicitor in a while,” she told Khaleej Times in an interview over Zoom. “I just took things step by step, just one at a time.”
It wasn’t until her alma mater informed her that she was their youngest graduate that she began to wonder if she might also be among the youngest solicitors.
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“In November, my university mentioned that I was the youngest law graduate they have ever had,” the Indian expat said. “Then a colleague mentioned that I might also be the youngest solicitor. I approached the Law Society in the UK, and they clarified and confirmed that I am the youngest in a long time. They then published my achievement in their gazette.”
According to the Law Society Gazette, Krishangi “may not be the youngest solicitor of all time” as teenagers could have qualified and then been admitted to the society when they turned 21. However, most such instances happened before 1970, making Meshram “the youngest in recent history”.
After writing her IGCSE exams, the then 15-year-old Krishangi applied to the Open University in the UK. Although the university only admits students aged 16 and above, they made an exception for her, considering her experience. “I wanted to test if I could manage university-level academics,” she said. “I graduated with a first-class honours degree at 18, and at that point, I was convinced that I wanted to pursue a career and become a lawyer, specifically in England.”
After this, she enrolled in the University of Law for a combined Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Master’s in Business Law and Management, starting at just 18. Wanting to gain a taste of real-life work, she balanced her studies with a two-year internship in Singapore. She completed her studies with distinction in both courses by the age of 20, after which she took the solicitors’ qualifying examinations. “I turned 21 in January and by February I received the results that I had cleared the exam. I immediately applied to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), who conducted the process of verification, and by April this year, they appointed me to the role, which meant that I was a qualified solicitor in the UK.”
Krishangi admitted that it wasn’t always easy to be disciplined about her self-study methods. “It was a learning process from the very beginning because I was a bit of a procrastinator,” she said. “I had to establish good systems for myself and good routines and build these healthy habits to stay focused. Also, I think it’s really important to balance study and personal life because otherwise you can end up getting really burnt out.”
She added that she believes the world is becoming increasingly accepting of alternative routes, particularly with the rise of online education and career opportunities. “Covid accelerated this shift. Now, there’s a broader awareness that success doesn’t always require following a traditional timeline,” she said.
As a UAE resident, the youngster is hoping to start practising in the country. “I am really keen on joining a law firm in the UAE because this country is leading the blockchain and web3 sector under the VARA and has excellent global exposure,” she said. “I have been fortunate enough to travel to more than 30 countries and of them all, I really appreciate the UAE’s future forward initiative to engage young talents.”
