In a milestone that underscores both personal resilience and expanding professional pathways between The Gambia and the United Kingdom, Omar Saine, Esq., has graduated with a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Law and Legal Practice (Solicitor). He is also the first Gambian lawyer to be exempt from the Solicitors Qualifying Examination Part 2 (SQE2), a rigorous practical skills assessment required for admission as a solicitor in England and Wales.
Saine’s achievement arrives after a career already marked by determination in The Gambia, where he is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court. His path, however, began under stark circumstances. He lost his biological father at the age of four and his mother when he was seventeen. To support himself and fund his education, he took on a series of odd jobs before qualifying for practice. He later built a practice that included work at Crown Chambers under Borry Touray and at TAF Africa Global, where he served as Legal Officer and continues as Legal Consultant. He has represented high-profile clients while also handling numerous pro bono matters for individuals unable to afford counsel.
When his wife enrolled in a master’s program at the University of Oxford, Saine relocated to the United Kingdom to support her studies. Only afterward did he pursue his own postgraduate qualification, believing his Gambian degree, professional training, Bar admission, and five years of post-call experience could open a route into English legal practice. The University of The Gambia’s law degree did not meet the university’s stated equivalency requirements, so his initial application was rejected.
Rather than accept the outcome, he submitted a detailed response documenting his qualifications, training, admission, and experience. His persistence paid off, and he was offered a place.
Throughout the LL.M., Saine continued full-time work, paid his own tuition at international student rates, and met his responsibilities as a husband and father. After the family moved to London, he commuted regularly between London and Manchester, turning long train journeys into study sessions. He worked in libraries and seized every available hour. At the same time, he advanced several entrepreneurial ventures. He founded Apex Legal Consulting to provide legal services and guidance, launched InsureTech to insure electronic devices in The Gambia, and co-founded PeakPoint Travels, SaiMar Academy (focused on communication skills, teaching, and mentoring), and SaiMar Investments Limited, a real estate company. He also wrote the first book by a Gambian lawyer to guide buyers through the process of acquiring land in The Gambia, aiming to reduce exposure to fraudulent transactions.
The SQE2 exemption is particularly significant. While such exemptions are granted on an individual assessment basis, Saine’s success illustrates a possible route for other qualified Gambian lawyers seeking to practice as solicitors in England and Wales. It offers a concrete example that professional experience and postgraduate study can bridge differing legal systems.
Those who know Saine describe him as humble, generous, and relentlessly hardworking—a devoted family man and dependable colleague who approaches obstacles with resourcefulness and integrity. From financing his own early education after profound personal loss, to building a practice in The Gambia, supporting his wife’s Oxford studies, and now completing an LL.M. while managing multiple businesses and family life, the trajectory reflects sustained sacrifice and focus.
His graduation and exemption represent both a personal victory and a point of pride for the Gambian legal community. They encourage younger lawyers considering international qualifications and others navigating the practical and financial demands of further study abroad. Colleagues and well-wishers have already begun offering congratulations, noting that the milestone is unlikely to be the last.
Omar Saine, Esq., has shown that academic and professional excellence is achievable even under demanding circumstances. His example will likely resonate well beyond this graduation.
