AS A young student in Glasgow, Aamer Anwar was subjected to a vicious racist attack by police officers who told him ‘this is what happens to black boys with big mouths’.
That night, in 1991, changed his life.
He successfully raised a civil action against the police, switched from mechanical engineering to law, and now heads up one of the UK’s leading human rights law firms.
Last year, he and his team in Glasgow pulled back the curtain on their day-to-day work for the docuseries, The Firm.
Now, it’s back on BBC Scotland for series two – slimmed down to just three episodes, this time, as Aamer and staff focus on representing victims whose cases speak directly to major societal issues.
“This series is more raw,” nods Aamer. “The type of work we do is deeply traumatic for the families, and I think more of that comes across in this series.
“For some of them, the fight has been going on for a long, long time. I think what the show does is let people see the impact that has on the families. We can't get that across in a 30-second soundbite outside court.
“The show is a platform that raises awareness of their campaigns, gets their voices heard, shows the extent of the lies, obstruction and cynicism often faced in the fight for justice.”
He adds: “And, I think, it gives people hope that someone, at least, is listening.”
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The first episode, available on BBC iPlayer, focused on Margaret Caldwell, mother of murdered Glasgow woman Emma Caldwell, as she tries to secure a public inquiry into police handling of her daughter’s murder.
In 2024, Iain Packer was jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years for killing Emma and it emerged during his trial that Packer had been accused of rape and violent attacks on dozens of women as far back as 1990, but police had failed to act.
Episode two, on BBC Scotland tonight (June 24) sees Aamer set his sights on abolishing crown immunity laws which prevent institutions like the Scottish Prison Service being held criminally responsible for deaths in custody.
The bereaved families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay, who both took their own lives at a young offenders’ institution, talk to Aamer in a bid to pursue a major change in the law that could bring a degree of justice and possibly help to save lives in the future.
The final episode in the series focuses on several asylum cases being handled by The Firm’s immigration team.
As well as a behind-the-scenes look at the tactical manoeuvres, setbacks and controversies involved in lengthy legal proceedings, The Firm, which is produced by STV Studios Factual, examines Aamer’s personal motivations for taking on such challenging and unrelenting cases.
“People ask us how we can keep going but the answer is that we get inspiration from these families,” says Aamer.
“The people we feature in this series are inspirational, especially the mothers. Mothers are a force of nature. They never give up.”
He adds: “This series will show you the families we are honoured to work with, who symbolise what justice should be about, not a gentleman’s club, not the vanity of wigs and gowns, but ordinary people who demand justice as a right and not a privilege.
“No lawyer should ever be afraid to raise their voice for the truth and I hope The Firm shows that is exactly what we fight to do.”
All episodes of The Firm are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer and the series continues tonight at 9pm on BBC Scotland.
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