meet the mala committee
Judge Afzal CBE
President
His Honour Judge Afzal CBE became President in 2018. He is a Circuit Judge. Prior to appointment as a judge, he practiced as a barrister at No 5 Chambers. He is a Honarary Doctor of Staffordshire University. In 2017, he was appointed as a District Judge and became the first blind District Judge. He was appointed as a Circuit Judge in 2020. Judge Afzal is widely respected by those who appear before him or know him.
Sundeep Soor
Sundeep joined MALA in 2013 and qualified as a solicitor in 2001. He headed the complex crime team at a national firm for over 7 years. He is now a consultant solicitor at Defence Legal. Sundeep was awarded Nottinghamshire Solicitor of the year in 2019. He has over 20 years of experience defending nationally in all types of Financial Crime, Serious Crime, POCA, Extradition and Regulatory matters.
HARBINDER GOSAL
Treasurer
Harbinder joined MALA in 2017 as a committee member and now is MALA’s Treasurer. Harbinder is a Legal Director at Talbots Solicitors. She qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and specialises in all aspects of family law. She has a passion for supporting mental wellbeing in the profession and supporting professionals who are neurodivergent.
Priya Bakshi
Secretary
Priya joined MALA in 2014 and was called to the Bar in 2012. She is a busy barrister practicing criminal work. She is also a member of KCH Garden Square, a leading chambers in Leicester, prosecuting and defending serious criminal matters across the East Midlands.
KRISHNA KOTECHA
Krishna joined MALA in 2014 and qualified as a solicitor in 1989. She specialises in complex clinical negligence cases and is CEO at Moosa-Duke Solicitors, based in Leicester. Previously, she practiced at Thompsons solicitors and Browne Jacobson LLP. She is also a committee member of the Leicestershire Law Society and enjoys theatre, reading and cooking.
Rita Kotecha
Rita joined MALA in 2014 and qualified as a solicitor in 2008. She is an associate at Richard Nelson LLP in Leicester and specialises in criminal defence and immigration work.
Parvien Akhtar
Parvien Akhtar is the founder of Bright Legal. She qualified as a Solicitor in 1998 and specialises in litigation and family law. Parvien is the vice chair of the small firms’ network at the Law Society. She also chairs the education and training sub-board at the Leicestershire Law Society. Parvien mentors students from both the University of Leicester and De Montfort University. She was shortlisted as a Legal Hero by the Law Society in 2023. She was also named “Leicestershire Lawyer of the Year” by the Leicestershire Law Society in 2022. Parvien is also an SQE2 Examiner.
Iqbal Mohammed
Iqbal joined MALA in 2018 and was called to the Bar in 2008. He is a busy member of St Philips Chambers in Birmingham and specialises in commercial litigation. Iqbal is shortlisted for Barrister of the Year in the Birmingham Law Society's 2019 Legal Awards and the 2020-2021 Legal Awards. Iqbal is a member of the MCCBA and Property Bar Association.
MARIYAM SULEIMAN
Mariyam joined MALA in April 2025. She was Called to the Bar in 2009 and cross-qualified in 2018, beginning her practice as a Local Authority Child Protection Lawyer. Since 2022, Mariyam has specialised in Commercial Contracts and Procurement at Leicester City Council.
ZOE LEE
Zoe joined MALA in 2025. Qualified as a solicitor in 2010 and always been based in and around Leicester .
Background is in criminal work and mental health representation with a brief sabbatical at the Land Registry.
Really excited to be part of the MALA and to continue to promote all of their good work across the midlands.
ELISHA KAUR
Elisha joined MALA in 2025 and is currently a Solicitor Apprentice at JMW Solicitors. Prior to this, Elisha worked as a Paralegal for 4 years specialising in Serious Criminal Defence and White-Collar Crime.