3PB

Family

Overview

Omar Malik is a family practitioner and specialises in all aspects of public and private children law acting for parents, guardians, extended family members and intervenors. He has appeared at all levels of the Family Court, in the High Court, and in the Court of Appeal.

Public Law 
Omar has great experience of dealing with Care cases, primarily for parents but has also represented various Local Authorities and represented the Child Guardian. His cases have ranged from the neglect type case to those involving non-accidental injuries and physical/sexual abuse of children.

Private Law 
Omar also undertakes private law children cases involving the whole range of such applications that can be brought before the court.

Hague Convention 
Omar also has a real interest in Hague Convention cases and the development of this fascinating area of family law.

Family

Children - Public law

Omar represents clients at all stages of care proceedings. He regularly acts for parents, guardians, extended family members and intervenors.

Omar has great experience in dealing with cases involving neglect and sexual abuse but has a particular interest in NAI cases and has appeared in cases involving brain and skull injury, rib fractures, limb fractures, and extensive bruising.

Omar is experienced in representing parties in care cases involving:

• Non accidental injury / death of a child
• Expert / medico-legal issues
• Chronic neglect, drug and alcohol addiction (including cases in the FDAC / PSCM)
• Domestic violence and sexual abuse
• Serious mental health problems
• Adoption / Special Guardianship / Wardship
• Parents or children with special needs / cognitive impairment and capacity issues
• Revocation of placement orders / discharge of care orders

Reported cases:

A Local Authority v G (Parent with Learning Disability) [2017] EWFC B94 (18 December 2017)
Acted for the father in care proceedings involving chronic neglect of children and where the mother was learning disabled and partially deaf. SGO and 12-month supervision order made in respect of the eldest child, and care and placement orders in respect of the other 2 children.

Re LC ( A Child) ( Habitual Residence ) sub nom Poole Borough Council v (1) EC (2) MC (3) LC ( By his Childrens Guardian ) [2016] EWFC 31
Acted for the Guardian in proceedings as to whether the child was habitually resident in the Republic of Ireland or England for the purposes as to which country’s court had jurisdiction in matters of parental responsibility over the child.

Recent cases:

• Led in a Fact Find Hearing before the High Court where we acted for the mother of a dead baby that had suffered multiple fractures. Pool finding made re the rib fractures with the Local Authority no longer seeking findings as to who caused the death.
• Acted for a 17-year-old intervenor in a Fact Find Hearing where he was in the pool of perpetrators who may have caused severe bruising to a young girl. He was successfully removed from the pool at the end of the hearing.
• Acted for a Father in a Fact Find Hearing involving a skull fracture to a baby. Findings made against another father.
• Acted for a father in a Fact Find hearing where the mother made a late attempt to blame him for the extensive bruising to the child. Court declined to do so and made a pool finding.
• Acted for grandparents at a final hearing where the Local Authority and Guardian recommended the child should be placed for adoption. The court made an order placing the child with his grandparents.
• Acted for a father in a long running case where a number of children had made various serious allegations against both parents of sexual abuse to them including rape and forcing the children to abuse each other.

Children - Private law

Omar Malik represents clients at all stages of private law children disputes. He regularly represents parents and rule 16.4 guardians in disputes about the living arrangements for children, disputes about contact arrangements, and disputes about the exercise of parental responsibility.

Omar has acted in cases in cases involving:

• Entrenched / intractable disputes
• Parental alienation
• Split hearings / finding of fact hearings
• Domestic violence and abuse including serious sexual abuse / offending
• Mental health problems and substance abuse issues impacting on child arrangements
• Removal from the jurisdiction
• Wardship
• Abduction and international issues.

Year of call 1990