Aamer Anwar is a 58-year-old Glasgow solicitor and human rights campaigner, born on 30 December 1967. He founded Aamer Anwar & Co in 2006 and is best known for the Sheku Bayoh, Surjit Singh Chhokar and Covid-19 bereaved families cases. His net worth is not publicly confirmed.
That is the short answer. Below you will find his age, background, career, family, awards, controversies and the latest news as of October 2026, with sources. You will also find out why no reliable net worth figure exists.
He is in the news again after the family he represents reached a settlement with the University of Glasgow in the Ethan Brown case on 6 October 2026, and as the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry moves forward under a new chair.
Aamer Anwar at a Glance
| Full name | Mohammed Aamer Anwar |
| Date of birth | 30 December 1967 |
| Age (October 2026) | 58 |
| Birthplace | Manchester, England |
| Nationality | British, of Pakistani origin |
| Profession | Solicitor, notary public, campaigner |
| Law firm | Aamer Anwar & Co, Glasgow (founded 2006) |
| Former role | Rector of the University of Glasgow (2017 to 2020) |
| Children | Three (one son, two daughters) |
| Marital status | Not publicly confirmed |
| Net worth | No verified figure |
Source: Aamer Anwar on Wikipedia and his official firm profile.
How Old Is Aamer Anwar?
Aamer Anwar is 58 years old. He was born on 30 December 1967 and turns 59 on 30 December 2026.
Early Life and Education
Anwar was born in Manchester to Pakistani parents and lived in Liverpool before moving to Glasgow in 1986. He went to the University of Glasgow to study mechanical engineering, with the aim of joining the Royal Air Force.
He became a student activist and led a campaign against alleged racism at the city’s dental hospital. Wikipedia credits that campaign with helping to bring in anonymous marking across the university. He then switched to sociology and politics.
In 1991, while still a student, he was arrested for flyposting on Ashton Lane in Glasgow and was pushed to the ground. He took civil action against Strathclyde Police. In 1995 a sheriff found that one officer had assaulted him and awarded him £4,200. The same sheriff said the racism allegations did not influence the ruling. He became a solicitor in 2000. His official profile lists the qualifications MA (Hons), LLB and Diploma in Legal Practice, and Wikipedia lists the University of Strathclyde among his universities.
Aamer Anwar Career Timeline
1986 Moves to Glasgow to study
1991 Arrested for flyposting; later sues Strathclyde Police
1995 Sheriff finds an officer assaulted him; £4,200 awarded
2000 Qualifies as a solicitor
2004 “TC” Campbell murder conviction overturned on appeal
2006 Founds Aamer Anwar & Co in Glasgow
2014 Lodges Lockerbie (Megrahi) appeal for the family
2016 Ronnie Coulter convicted of the Chhokar murder
2017 Instructed by the Sheku Bayoh family; elected Rector of Glasgow University
2023 BBC Scotland series The Firm airs; lead solicitor for Scottish Covid bereaved
2026 New chair for Bayoh Inquiry; Ethan Brown family settlement
Landmark Cases
Anwar came to prominence campaigning for the family of Surjit Singh Chhokar, a waiter murdered in November 1998. After years of campaigning, Ronnie Coulter was found guilty in October 2016. The Crown Office said the family and Anwar had campaigned tirelessly to improve how racial crimes are handled.
| Case | Year | His role |
|---|---|---|
| Surjit Singh Chhokar | 1998 to 2016 | Led the family’s campaign; retrial ended in a murder conviction |
| “TC” Campbell (Ice Cream Wars) | 2004 | Solicitor; murder conviction overturned after 20 years in jail |
| Allan Menzies | 2003 to 2006 | Co-defence solicitor, then acted for the family at the fatal accident inquiry |
| Mohammed Atif Siddique | 2007 to 2010 | Acted at trial and appeal; one conviction overturned in 2010 appeal |
| Tommy Sheridan perjury trial | 2010 | Solicitor; later dismissed over a newspaper column dispute |
| News of the World dossier | 2011 | Handed police a dossier with Tom Watson, leading to Operation Rubicon |
| Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (Lockerbie) | 2014 | Lodged an appeal for the family, with 24 UK relatives of victims |
| Sheku Bayoh | 2017 to now | Solicitor for the family at the public inquiry |
| Emma Caldwell | 2017 to now | Represents her family |
| Glen Kamara | 2021 | Represented the Rangers player over racist abuse claims |
| UK and Scottish Covid-19 inquiries | 2022 to now | Lead solicitor for the Scottish Covid bereaved |
Source: Wikipedia and the firm’s own profile. His official profile also says his team successfully defended Catalan minister Clara Ponsati against extradition to Spain.
Years families waited
Sheku Bayoh, Covid and Other Public Inquiries
Sheku Bayoh died in May 2015 after being restrained by police in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Anwar was instructed by the family in 2017. A public inquiry was announced in November 2019, and it is meant to look at whether race played a part. Race and policing are subjects public figures such as Diane Abbott have also spoken about for years.
The inquiry has not run smoothly. Lord Bracadale stood down as chair in October 2025 after concerns over private meetings with the family, and the legal team stood down with him. Lord Colbeck was named as the new chair in January 2026 and began on 2 March 2026. The family said it was time to “restart the stopwatch”.
Anwar is also lead solicitor for the Scottish Covid-19 bereaved families at both the UK and Scottish inquiries. The families have raised questions about decisions made during the pandemic, an issue that overlaps with wider patient safety debates. His firm also acts in the Emma Caldwell case and for the families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay, who died at Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution.
Rector of the University of Glasgow
In 2008 Anwar lost the Glasgow rector election to Charles Kennedy. In March 2017 he won, with over 54 per cent of the vote, and succeeded Edward Snowden. He took office on 31 March 2017 and served until 2020, when Rita Rae, Lady Rae, followed him. The role involves representing students on the university’s governing body.
His time in the post drew criticism. The Times reported in 2018 that he had held no student surgeries in his first 11 months, and he was criticised for strong public claims about the university. For another legal and political career, see our profile of former prosecutor Keir Starmer.
Awards and Recognition
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2006 and 2014 | Criminal Law Firm of the Year, Law Awards of Scotland (his firm) |
| 2007 | Lloyds TSB Jewel Award for Professional Excellence |
| 2007 | Ranked ninth in The Firm magazine’s list of influential figures in Scottish justice |
| 2014 | Scottish Muslim Award (Al Adl Ihsan) for Public Services |
| 2016 | Solicitor of the Year, Herald Law Awards of Scotland |
| 2017 | Lawyer of the Year, Scottish Legal Awards |
| 2018 | Solicitor of the Year, Herald Law Awards of Scotland |
The Firm on BBC Scotland
Anwar and his team were the subject of The Firm, an eight-part documentary made by STV Studios for BBC Scotland. All episodes landed on BBC iPlayer on 8 October 2023. It followed what was described as the busiest year of his career, covering three public inquiries, and explored the personal story that drives him. A second series of three 45-minute episodes was commissioned for 2025.
He has also said he faces regular threats to his life, a point he made in an STV interview about the series.
Family and Personal Life
Aamer Anwar has three children, a son and two daughters. Their names and ages have not been shared publicly, and he keeps most of his family life private. A press release for The Firm described his close relationship with them.
Is he married? His marital status is not publicly confirmed. Wikipedia and the credible news sources we checked name no spouse and report no divorce. Be careful with search results that mention an “Anwar” divorce. Many of them are about other people, such as the Pakistani presenter Aamir Liaquat and his former wife Tuba Anwar.
On faith, he told The Scotsman, as reported by Scottish Legal News, that he is a “part-time Muslim” with a strong moral compass. Wikipedia lists him as a Scottish National Party member since 2015, though that may change, so check before relying on it.
Aamer Anwar Net Worth
There is no verified figure for Aamer Anwar’s net worth. We found no credible report, company filing or official statement that gives one.
Some websites quote numbers, but none show how they were worked out, and many of those pages are really about other people called Anwar. We have not used any of them. A private law firm’s profits, a solicitor’s pay, property and investments are not published, so an outsider cannot measure them.
| Question | What we can say |
|---|---|
| Verified net worth | None |
| Main income source | His law practice, Aamer Anwar & Co (inferred from his career, not a reported figure) |
| Firm accounts or his pay | Not publicly confirmed |
| Public inquiry budgets | Not his income; reports discuss costs of inquiries in general |
Reports in the Scottish Daily Express have questioned legal fees linked to public inquiries. Those stories discuss the cost of the inquiries, which run into many millions of pounds, but they do not say what he personally earns. Unlike TV barrister Robert Rinder, whose screen work is public, Anwar’s income comes from private legal practice that cannot be measured from outside.
In late 2024 he also said his firm would stop taking on criminal legal aid cases, which he blamed on what he called the “decimation” of the system. That affects how the firm earns, but no figures were given.
Controversies and Criticism
Anwar is a divisive public figure. Here is what has been reported, in date order, using neutral wording.
- Chhokar inquiry: The Jandoo Inquiry said he took on too many roles. The Chhokar family had boycotted that inquiry.
- 2007 to 2008 contempt case: After the Siddique trial he faced a contempt of court complaint. Judges did not find him in contempt, though one called his comments misleading. George Galloway was among those who argued that prosecuting him would harm free speech.
- 2018 rector criticism: The Times reported he held no surgeries in his first 11 months.
- 2021 tribunal: The Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal found him not guilty of professional misconduct on 5 November 2021. He had described the issue as a historic, technical point about the firm’s former terms of business. Read the tribunal finding.
- December 2025: The Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee asked questions about Humza Yousaf’s late declaration of his friendship with Anwar. Anwar’s firm replied that the friendship was public knowledge and that the Bayoh inquiry followed independent advice.
- July 2026: A Reform UK MSP, Thomas Kerr, reported Anwar to Police Scotland over a speech at a Glasgow Green counter-protest on 25 July. Anwar rejected the claim and called the MSP a “wannabe tartan Tommy Robinson”. The complaint came from a party whose national figures include Richard Tice.
Latest News (2026)
- 6 October 2026: The family of Ethan Brown, a Glasgow University student who took his own life after being wrongly told he had not passed, reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum. Anwar said they still want a fatal accident inquiry. Read The Scotsman report.
- 29 July 2026: Reform MSP Thomas Kerr reports Anwar to police; Anwar rejects the claim.
- March 2026: Lord Colbeck takes over as chair of the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry.
For updates, see The Scotsman’s Aamer Anwar page.
Where to Find Aamer Anwar Online
His official firm website is aameranwar.co.uk, which links to his X account, @AamerAnwar. The firm is based at 21 Blythswood Square, Glasgow. He is a member of the campaign group INQUEST and the International Bar Association, and speaks English, Urdu and Punjabi.
FAQ
Q1: What is Aamer Anwar’s net worth?
A1: There is no verified figure. His net worth is not publicly confirmed.
Q2: How old is Aamer Anwar?
A2: He is 58. He was born on 30 December 1967.
Q3: Where was Aamer Anwar born?
A3: In Manchester, England, to Pakistani parents. He later lived in Liverpool and moved to Glasgow in 1986.
Q4: Is Aamer Anwar married?
A4: His marital status is not publicly confirmed. No credible source names a spouse or reports a divorce.
Q5: How many children does he have?
A5: Three, a son and two daughters.
Q6: Is Aamer Anwar still a lawyer?
A6: Yes. He is principal solicitor at Aamer Anwar & Co in Glasgow and was acting for the Ethan Brown family in October 2026.
Q7: What is his most famous case?
A7: The Surjit Singh Chhokar campaign, which ended in a murder conviction in 2016. Today he is best known for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry and the Covid-19 inquiries.
Q8: Is he the same person as the crime writer Amer Anwar?
A8: No. Amer Anwar is a London novelist. This article is about the Glasgow solicitor.
Conclusion
Aamer Anwar has spent nearly three decades in Scottish law, from a student arrest in 1991 to leading cases at three public inquiries. He is admired by supporters and criticised by opponents, and his record includes both landmark wins and public disputes.
His net worth is not publicly confirmed, and any number you see online should be treated as a guess. What can be checked is his work, his awards and the cases he has taken on.