Raffia Arshad is a British lawyer who, in Summer 2020, became the first UK Deputy District Judge to wear a hijab when she was appointment Deputy District Judge of the Midlands circuit. Arshad grew up in West Yorkshire and from the age of 11, dreamed of going into a career in the legal field, but ways always wary of the discrimination & the prejudice she would face. Her family too, was concerned for her, and one family member advised her not to wear a hijab when she went in for her interview for a scholarship at the Inns of Court School of Law. She went on the wear her hijab stating, “I decided I was going to wear my headscarf because for me it’s important to accept the person for who they are and if I had to become a different person to pursue my profession, it’s not something I wanted.” She was the first person in her family to go university and, after finishing her training, went on to receive pupilage in Nottingham when she joined St. Mary’s Family Law Chambers in 2004. Arshad is an expert on Islamic law and has spent the past 15 years practicing private law working with cases regarding FGM, forced marriage, and children.