Gerald David Shamash, Baron Shamash (born 1947) is a British lawyer and

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

. 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 in Manchester to parents who came to England from Baghdad. The family moved to London when Shamash's brother-in-law Robert Sheldon was elected to Parliament in 1964. Shamash joined the Labour Party in 1969 after involvement in student politics and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Shamash attended

North Cestrian Grammar School North Cestrian School, formerly North Cestrian Grammar School, is a free school in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England, for pupils aged between 11 and 16. North Cestrian is part of the Hamblin Educational Trust. History The school was o ...

and Burnage Grammar School in Greater Manchester, and studied human and physical sciences at the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...

to become a dentist before training to become a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

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 In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

and personal-injury law. With Elaine Steel, he founded Steel & Shamash in 1981, based in

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

. One of the first firms to be granted a

Legal Aid Agency The Legal Aid Agency is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the United Kingdom. It provides both civil and criminal legal aid and advice in England and Wales. The agency was formed on 1 April 2013 as a replacement for the Le ...

contract, it merged with Edwards Duthie in 2019 to form Edwards Duthie Shamash, and Shamash heads its parliamentary, electoral and media law practice. Shamash has acted as a solicitor for the Labour Party since 1990, having worked for the party since at least 1983. He advised Labour during the Cash-for-Honours and parliamentary expenses scandals, and acted for public figures affected by the phone-hacking scandal. In the 1979 general election, Shamash stood unsuccessfully as a Labour Party candidate in the safe Conservative seat of Shoreham. He was subsequently elected a member of Barnet London Borough Council at the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

and 1990 council elections, representing the ward of Burnt Oak for two terms. Shamash has served as a magistrate in London since 1985. Shamash was nominated by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for a

age and was created ''Baron Shamash, of West Didsbury in the City of Manchester'', on 6 March 2024.

Personal life

Shamash is married to Naomi Angell, a specialist in international adoption law; they have three children who were adopted from South America. He is a supporter of

Manchester United Football Club Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...

and chaired the Manchester United Supporters' Trust from 2012 to 2021. Shamash is Jewish but not religious.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamash, Gerald Shamash, Baron 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