The Lord Shamash | |
|---|---|
|
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 6 March 2024 Life peerage | |
| Member of Barnet London Borough Council for Burnt Oak | |
| In office 8 May 1986 – 4 May 1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gerald David Shamash 1947 (age 76–77) Manchester, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Naomi Angell |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Surrey |
| Occupation | Solicitor |
Gerald David Shamash, Baron Shamash [1] (born 1947) is a British lawyer and life peer. He has acted as a solicitor for the Labour Party since 1990 and was appointed a member of the House of Lords in 2024.
Early life and education
Shamash was born in 1947 [2] [3] in Manchester to parents who came to England from Baghdad. [3] The family moved to London when Shamash's brother-in-law Robert Sheldon was elected to Parliament in 1964. [4] Shamash joined the Labour Party in 1969 after involvement in student politics and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. [3]
Shamash attended North Cestrian Grammar School and Burnage Grammar School in Greater Manchester, and studied human and physical sciences at the University of Surrey to become a dentist before training to become a solicitor. [2] [3]
Career
At the suggestion of his wife and her father, Shamash took up the study of law and qualified as a solicitor in 1976. His early legal career, at PR Kimber, was in criminal and personal-injury law. With Elaine Steel, he founded Steel & Shamash in 1981, based in Waterloo. [4] One of the first firms to be granted a Legal Aid Agency contract, [5] it merged with Edwards Duthie in 2019 to form Edwards Duthie Shamash, [2] and Shamash heads its parliamentary, electoral and media law practice. [6]
Shamash has acted as a solicitor for the Labour Party since 1990, [6] having worked for the party since at least 1983. [2] He advised Labour during the Cash-for-Honours and parliamentary expenses scandals, and acted for public figures affected by the phone-hacking scandal. [4]
In the 1979 general election, Shamash stood unsuccessfully as a Labour Party candidate in the safe Conservative seat of Shoreham. [2] [4] He was subsequently elected a member of Barnet London Borough Council at the 1986 and 1990 council elections, representing the ward of Burnt Oak for two terms. Shamash has served as a magistrate in London since 1985. [4]
Shamash was nominated by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for a life peerage [5] [7] and was created Baron Shamash, of West Didsbury in the City of Manchester, on 6 March 2024. [1]
Personal life
Shamash is married to Naomi Angell, a specialist in international adoption law; [4] they have three children who were adopted from South America. [3] He is a supporter of Manchester United Football Club and chaired the Manchester United Supporters' Trust from 2012 to 2021. [2] [8]
Shamash is Jewish but not religious. [3]
References
- ^ a b "No. 64342". The London Gazette. 12 March 2024. p. 5010.
- ^ a b c d e f Bowcott, Owen (16 July 2019). "Gerald Shamash: The legal aid lawyer who saved Corbyn from electoral defeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Baksi, Catherine (30 January 2020). "Labour's Jewish solicitor says next leader needs to 'mend fences'". The Times. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Reyes, Eduardo (1 October 2018). "Interview: Gerald Shamash". The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b Fouzder, Monidipa (29 February 2024). "Solicitor known for advising Labour party appointed to House of Lords". The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Gerald Shamash". Edwards Duthie Shamash Solicitors. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Political Peerages 2024". GOV.UK. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Board & Executives". Manchester United Supporters' Trust. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- Living people
- 1947 births
- People educated at North Cestrian Grammar School
- People educated at Burnage Academy for Boys
- Alumni of the University of Surrey
- Politicians from Manchester
- Lawyers from Manchester
- Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
- Labour Party (UK) councillors
- Labour Party (UK) life peers
- Life peers created by Charles III
- British solicitors
- 20th-century British lawyers
- 21st-century British lawyers
- 20th-century British politicians
- 21st-century British politicians
- Councillors in the London Borough of Barnet
- Jewish British politicians
- British people of Iraqi-Jewish descent