Sadia Zouq is an English-qualified barrister, Tribunal Judge and an Accredited Mediator. She practises primarily in Professional Regulatory and Disciplinary Law, with more recent experience in Employment Law, Mediation and Dispute Resolution.
Sadia currently serves as Senior Legal Counsel (Legislation & Dispute Resolution) at the Qatar Financial Centre Authority advising on the application and enforcement of the QFC Employment Regulations and supports dispute resolution through conciliation, mediation, adjudication and proceedings before the Qatar International Court and Regulatory Tribunal.
Sadia holds appointments as a Legal Adviser, Panel Member and Legally Qualified Chair. She has extensive experience advising on and determining fitness to practise cases across a broad range of professional Regulators, including healthcare, actuarial, accountancy architectural, and legal regulation.
Prior to her Regulatory appointments, Sadia held Senior Legal and presenting officer roles with the General Dental Council, General Optical Council and General Pharmaceutical Council. Earlier in her career, she worked for several years as a Senior Crown Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, conducting trials, preparing cases and providing pre-charge advice to the police, including as a specialist RASSO and Youth Prosecutor.
Sadia also has a longstanding interest in public international law, human rights and international criminal law. She worked as the Research Manager at Matrix Chambers, overseeing and conducting legal research across a range of public law and human rights matters. Sadia undertook academic research at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and BBC Monitoring on the role of public media in genocide and the monitoring of hate speech. The project's findings were presented in the UK and internationally, including by Sadia as sole presenter. Sadia also undertook an internship at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where she worked with Senior Prosecution Lawyers in a case involving war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In addition to her professional practice, Sadia is dedicated to mentoring aspiring lawyers and supports access to the profession. She has contributed to university careers events, her local sixth form, and undertakes the
annual Lincolns Inn scholarship interviews and outreach initiatives aimed at supporting the next generation of legal professionals.
Areas of Interest
Since 2017, Sadia has held appointments as a Legal Adviser, Panel Member and Legally Qualified Chair across a range of Regulators. In addition, she has held Senior Lawyer and Case Presenter roles with the General Dental Council, General Optical Council and General Pharmaceutical Council, where she advised on fitness to practise matters, directed investigations and hearings, instructed counsel and managed external law firms, oversaw High Court appeals and was involved high profile regulatory proceedings.
Sadia’s experience spans the full regulatory process - from investigating committees, through to advocacy, adjudication and appeal - giving her a distinctive perspective on the legal, evidential and procedural issues that arise in professional disciplinary proceedings. Her combined experience as an in-house Senior Lawyer, Presenting Officer, Legal Adviser and Legally Qualified Chair enables her to approach cases with an informed and comprehensive understanding of the responsibilities, challenges and considerations facing all participants in the Regulatory process.
Sadia currently serves as Senior Legal Counsel (Legislation & Dispute Resolution) at the Qatar Financial Centre Authority. She advises on the application and enforcement of the QFC Employment Regulations and handles employment disputes, from initial complaint assessment and investigation through to conciliation, mediation, and proceedings before the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC). She engages with parties, prepares legal findings, and has assisted external counsel with hearings before the QICDRC.
Practising within the Gulf region has provided Sadia with valuable experience in resolving disputes in an international and multicultural environment, often involving parties from diverse cultural, commercial and legal traditions. Her work involves applying the QFC's legal framework alongside English common law principles and international legal best practice to resolve disputes and develop practical, well-reasoned solutions, particularly where local legislation or precedent is limited.
As an Accredited Mediator, Sadia is building her dispute resolution practice and is committed to further utilising and developing these skills to support the efficient and effective resolution of workplace disputes.
Sadia has a longstanding interest in public international law, human rights and international criminal law. As Research Manager at Matrix Chambers, a leading civil liberties and human rights set, Sadia managed a team of researchers and oversaw legal research on a wide range of public law and human rights issues.
At the University of Oxford, Sadia undertook research on a project working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and BBC Monitoring where she examined the role of public media and incitement in conflict situations. She co-presented the project's findings at a roundtable event attended by stakeholders and at the Oxford Summer School. She solely presented the project at an International Media Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. Sadia’s MSc final term dissertation at the University of Oxford critically examined whether the Defence of Superior Orders should be allowed in International Criminal Law.
Sadia also interned at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, supporting the prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Sadia was also a visiting lecturer at London Metropolitan University where she taught criminal law, and civil liberties & human rights modules to undergraduate students.
Current Appointments:
Former Appointments: