Arooj Sheikh
Arooj Sheikh is a Kenyan-born solicitor-advocate whose career fuses commercial law with social justice. Called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2018, she trained in Clifford Chance’s London disputes practice before moving to its Paris arbitration seat. In 2020 she returned to Nairobi, joining a leading African firm where she argued cross-border contractual and public-law matters before the High Court and regional tribunals.
Arooj’s trajectory changed in 2022 when she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and systemic lupus. Months of rehabilitation inspired her to champion chronic-illness awareness and workplace accessibility across Africa’s legal sector.
She founded Beyond Kenyan Bars, a charity that provides nutrition, learning materials, and psychosocial support to children living with their imprisoned mothers. The programme now serves five correctional facilities and sponsors early-childhood schooling upon release.
Through her blog and mentoring webinars, Sheikh shares exam strategies, pupillage insights, and resilience lessons with thousands of aspiring lawyers. She consults remotely on arbitration strategy, sits on the Kenya Prisons Service legal-aid board, and was named a 2024 Top 50 Women in Law Africa honouree.
Her journey embodies perseverance, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to making justice accessible to society’s most vulnerable and to living boldly with purpose.