St John's Buildings

St John's Buildings

Region Area

Barristers

Saima Bhat

Saima Bhat

Work Department

Family - Children

Position

Saima practises in Care Proceedings involving all types of non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, neglect and emotional harm.

Saima has extensive experience in representing Local Authorities, Parents, Guardians and the Official Solicitor in Children Act 1989 proceedings. She has acted in High Court cases on several occasions involving complex issues on behalf of the Guardian.

She has regularly represented Local Authorities in the criminal courts in cases involving Public Interest Immunity.

In Private Law Proceedings, Saima has regularly represented parents and children in complex and difficult cases of Contact, Residence, Domestic Violence Injunctions and Committals, and Removal from the Jurisdiction.

Her experience includes cases involving serious findings of fact involving allegations of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, implacable hostility and international relocation issues.

Saima has a particular interest in representing expatriates in the Middle East in all children matters.

Career

Saima read Law, both LLB and LLM, at the University of Bristol and was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 1999. She undertook her pupillage at 15 Winckley Square Chambers and went on to practise for 12 years prior to moving to Dubai. She returned to the UK in 2020.