Mr Adil is currently studying Scots and English law, with European legal studies, at the University of Aberdeen. He hopes to pursue a masters degree and be called to the Scottish and English bars, developing a career as a cross-border advocate.

Mr Ahmed was originally born in Egypt and moved to Cyprus until 2018, when he came to Scotland to pursue a degree in law and politics at the University of Stirling. His future career aspirations are centred around the preservation of wild nature and the environment.

The competition invited students to submit their thoughts on two topics. These were ‘Now that the UK has officially left the EU, what legal changes would you recommend making over the next 10 years?’ and ‘Is the UK court system fit for purpose and what role should other, alternative forms of dispute resolution play?’.

The students are now required to send a short recording of why they deserve to be named the winner, to be in with a chance to win £1,500 towards their studies as well as the opportunity to take part in and complete a work experience placement at National Accident Helpline’s law firm, National Accident Law.

Mr Adil said: “With the word limit for the essay at 800 words, this competition was an exercise in concise argumentation and being shortlisted for the Future Legal Mind award has given me confidence in my reasoning abilities and to get my ideas across in the most concise way possible – a skill that every aspiring lawyer should hone!”

Jonathan White, legal and compliance director at National Accident Helpline, said: “We believe it’s crucial for the legal sector to evolve and in a way that inspires the next generation to build their careers in law.

“Our Future Legal Minds competition allows us to find upcoming legal stars and we’re delighted to reveal the top 10 finalists - we look forward to announcing our winners soon and wish Syed and Farid the best of luck.”

The winners will be announced on 27 June.