Our Story
From Walthamstow beginnings to a trusted legal practice
Every firm has a beginning. Ours began with a simple conviction: that outstanding legal advice should be delivered with intellect, integrity and humanity.
For more than twenty years, that belief has shaped the way Arona Sarwar the founder has practise, the way Arona St James solicitors serve and the way we build lasting relationships with our clients.
A practice founded on purpose
In 2000, Arona Sarwar established her first legal practice in Walthamstow.
From the outset, the vision was clear: to create a firm where every client would be treated with dignity, discretion and care, whatever their background or circumstances.
The practice quickly became known for helping clients with complex immigration and asylum matters, while also supporting local families and businesses with the legal issues they faced in day-to-day life. Arona also built a strong Wills and family practice early on, working with clients from blended families and with those who preferred to speak to someone who understood their culture, family background and the way this can affect decisions about succession and estate planning. It was never about volume. It was about trust, judgement and enduring relationships.
A wider perspective
In 2013, Arona moved into practice in Fleet Street, joining a respected City law firm and broadening her experience across more complex and demanding matters.
That period sharpened Arona’s strategic outlook and reinforced a principle that remains central today: clients value excellence, but they also value accessibility.
The lesson was clear. The most effective legal service is not rigid or remote. It is responsive, engaged and available when clients need it most.
Even in the City, clients from Waltham Forest continued to seek Arona’s advice. They came because they valued the relationship, the continuity and the reassurance of working with someone who understood both their community and their concerns.
Returning to East London
Arona St James Solicitors was created to bring City-quality legal service back to the heart of East London.
Our office is part of the Coach and Horses, a building with a long local history as a coaching inn and stables.
When we acquired it, the property had been left in poor condition following years of neglect and fire damage. The interior required extensive restoration. Rather than erase its character, we chose to preserve it.
The original front façade remains in place, retaining the identity of the building, while the interior has been transformed into a contemporary legal practice designed around comfort, professionalism and discretion.
The result is a space that honours heritage while reflecting the standards of a modern firm.
More than representation
Our clients come to us with matters that are often personal, significant and life-shaping.
Some need protection after fleeing persecution. Others need support in keeping families together, protecting wealth, resolving disputes or building a business with confidence.
Our role is to listen carefully, understand the wider context and deliver advice that is both technically precise and strategically sound.
Over the years, we have acted for clients seeking asylum and protection in the United Kingdom, supporting many as they rebuild their lives in safety.
As their needs evolved, they returned to us for settlement, British citizenship and family reunion matters. Later, they entrusted us with Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and estate administration.
We have also been trusted by local families in matters involving divorce, financial settlements, children and surrogacy, and by businesses across East London that rely on us for employment contracts, consultancy agreements and commercial advice.
Whatever the issue, our standards remain the same: careful preparation, clear thinking and service delivered with genuine attention.
Our philosophy
When the firm first began, its guiding principle was simple: Defending Human Rights alongside your legal claim.
That commitment remains at the heart of everything we do.
As the firm has grown, so too has the breadth of work we undertake. Today, we help individuals, families and businesses protect what matters most, resolve complex matters and plan with confidence for the future.
That purpose is captured in our enduring promise:
Protecting Rights. Supporting Lives. Building Futures.
These are not simply words on a page. They express the standard we hold ourselves to in every matter we handle and every relationship we build.
Built for the long term
Many of our clients first came to us with one concern and have remained with us for years.
A client who first instructed us on an immigration matter may later return for private client advice, estate administration or support with the business they have established. A local business that once relied on us for employment documentation may continue to do so as it grows.
Those relationships are the truest reflection of our success.
We are not here only to resolve a single matter.
We are here to become trusted advisers for individuals, families and businesses across every stage of life.
That has been true since 2000, and it remains true today.
Arona St James Solicitors
Protecting Rights. Supporting Lives. Building Futures.