Shatha Ali: A “truly kind soul” always willing to help others
(Picture: Ali family )A cyclist killed in a HGV crash near Holborn station was on Thursday described by her family as a “truly kind soul”.
They paid tribute to Shatha Ali, who previously worked at City law firm Latham & Watkins, where she was a partner.
Ms Ali, 39, died at the scene in High Holborn after a collision involving a lorry at about 10am on Tuesday.
Her family, who live in London, said Ms Ali was always willing to help others. She was born in Bahrain and came to London with her family aged one, loved travelling and had a wide circle of friends.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, her family said that despite a highly successful career Ms Ali was not defined by her job and had many interests outside of work.
“She did very well, extremely well, at work, but that was not the focus of her life,” they said.
“She was everybody’s ‘go to’ person. We always depended on her. She travelled to so many places. Last weekend she was hiking with her sister.”
Her father Hasan Ali said: “She was extremely generous and contributed to many, many charities. She had very good, close friends.”
Ms Ali worked for Norton and Rose, now international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, prior to moving to Latham & Watkins around 2012/13. She rose to become a partner but left last summer to take a career break.
She had a younger brother and sister, was single and lived in Rotherhithe.
They described her as a “social cyclist” who knew London’s roads well, but the type of cyclist who would have ridden in jeans and a jumper rather than Lycra.
Ms Ali was cycling from Rotherhithe to Maida Vale at the time of the fatal collision.
Her childhood friend Dr Ala’a al Shehabi, of University College London, said: “Shatha should not have died in this horrific way.”
Absolutely devastated to hear the tragic news that my childhood friend Shatha Ali was killed in a horrific accident by a lorry last night in the notorious Holborn junction. @SadiqKhan why haven’t you done anything to protect cyclists there? https://t.co/A9KSurcgO7
— ala'a al shehabi (@alaashehabi) March 2, 2022
News of her death has reached Bahrain, where her father was born. She was the eighth cyclist killed on or near the Holborn one-way system since 2008.
At Latham & Watkins, she had worked in its corporate department, and was an expert on derivatives and Islamic finance. She left last summer after deciding to take a career break.
She received her law degree from King’s College London in 2003 and her postgraduate law degree from BPP Law School in 2004.
London Cycling Campaign, which is demanding safety improvements, is planning a vigil at 6pm on Friday.
Simon Munk, campaigns manager at LCC, said: Just months from our last protest at Holborn, following the death of Dr Marta Krawiec, we are forced to return to this area and to junctions known for decades to be lethally dangerous to those walking and cycling, but where year after year nothing is done.”
