Mahmood studied law at Lincoln College, University of Oxford, and specialised in professional indemnity law at the Bar, practising from 12 King’s Bench Walk in 2003-04, and at Berrymans Lace Mawer from 2004 to 2007.
Welcoming the appointment, Sam Townend KC, Chair of the Bar Council, said: ‘It is no secret that the new government faces a genuine crisis in the justice system, the result of years of underinvestment.
‘It is vital that measures and funding to ease prison overcrowding and tackle the court backlogs are treated as an immediate priority for action by the new Lord Chancellor.
In a night of high political drama, the British electorate not only put a former director of public prosecutions in Number 10 but booted two former Lord Chancellors out of Parliament. Former Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk lost his Cheltenham seat to the Liberal Democrats, while his fellow former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland lost Swindon South to Labour.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer set to work appointing his Cabinet immediately after walking into Downing Street, following the election of 412 Labour MPs, 121 Conservative MPs and 71 Liberal Democrats (with two seats yet to declare).
Robert Forsyth, leading employment lawyer and partner at law firm Michelmores, said: ‘Labour’s election victory signals sweeping changes for employers: first-day unfair dismissal rights, zero-hour contract bans, and minimum wage hikes linked to living costs.
‘Businesses will need to update contracts, policies, and probation procedures. Zero-hour contracts will require a comprehensive review, and unionised workplaces may see national collective bargaining on pay.
‘We can expect potential changes to the employment tribunal system given the promise to create a single enforcement body to enforce worker rights. The public sector could also see dramatically increased numbers to meet pledges to find work for disabled employees, employees with health conditions and guaranteed work experience.’
The Magistrates’ Association urged the new government to prioritise criminal and family justice. Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Magistrates’ Association, said: ‘Our criminal justice system is in its worst state in living memory.
‘Courts are crumbling, understaffed and overwhelmed with cases; probation services are struggling to cope; and prisons are bursting at their seams. There are no quick fixes—what is needed is a long-term plan.
‘We must also have a grown-up discussion about sentencing. It is generally recognised that short custodial sentences are not very effective in promoting rehabilitation.’
Potential future tax reforms were also high on the agenda for lawyers, particularly regarding non-doms.
Robert Brodrick, private client partner at Payne Hicks Beach, said: ‘The one thing that advisers and clients alike are all hoping for is some certainty because ever since the Conservatives announced their intention to abolish “non-dom” status, which Labour have pledged to follow, international clients have been left in a “do-I, don’t-I” vacuum trying to make decisions without knowing whether the changes that have been announced will actually become law, and if so, when this will happen.
‘Will it be from 6 April 2025 or will the changes be delayed so that a proper consultation can take place? These are all very real questions that are already having very real consequences.’
