Sima Najma - Puzzle Creative

The Family Court Transparency Pilot

In October 2021, the Rt Hon. Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, published: “Confidence and Confidentiality: Transparency in the Family Court, a review of the issue of transparency in family justice.” In his report, he made several recommendations for achieving better and purposeful transparency in the family courts. This echoes similar progress being … Read more

No Fault Divorce Sima Najma

No Fault Divorce – a guide to the changes

Historically, to petition (apply) for divorce, the person making the application had to provide reasons and apportion blame on their spouse in order to satisfy the court that the application should be granted. This inherently caused more conflict and made the process of legal separation more difficult and fractious than necessary. On 6 April 2022, … Read more

Pre-nuptial Agreements: A Short Guide

In this article, I explore what a pre-nuptial agreement is and why it matters when you are considering getting married or entering a civil partnership and the effect these have when you decide to separate and/or formally divorce. What is a pre-nuptial agreement? A pre-nuptial agreement is a document that is drawn up by a … Read more

Trust of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (the Act).

In this article, I explore what unmarried co-habiting couples should consider where the ownership or rights over shared property cannot be resolved without intervention. Such matters are dealt with under a piece of legislation (an Act) called the Trust of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (the Act). This is commonly referred to as … Read more

Exploring co-habitation

In this article, I explore what co-habitation means and how it can impact your rights when dealing with separation and issues of domestic violence. Co-habitation is a term used to describe the living arrangements between an unmarried couple. Partners can decide to get married and have additional legal recognition for their status as a couple, … Read more

Child Arrangements Orders and Domestic Abuse: [2023] EWHC 597 (Fam) A Case Review

Ms Najma recently acted for her client in an application for a Child Arrangements Order under s.8 Children Act 1989. Section 8 deals with all orders with respect to the welfare and contact arrangements for children. These can be for: The facts of the case: The father was making an application to spend time with … Read more

New guidance for Domestic Abuse applications and the need for Fact-Finding Hearings 

Domestic Abuse is an important area of Family Law which forms part of the foundation of the Family Courts. A recent decision in the Court of Appeal in H-N and Others (children), has provided some guidance as to evidential matters in Domestic Abuse applications.   Domestic Abuse is defined by the UK government as being “any … Read more

Applying for a Child Arrangements Order

Are you looking for help with Children Act 1989 proceedings? I am a public access Barrister who has helped many clients with applications and continue to provide support to families going through Court. In this short article I will guide you through some essential facts about Children Act 1989 proceedings. Take a look at my … Read more

In the Media – Assessing Sexual Abuse Allegations in Child Arrangement Order Proceedings

I recently represented a client in an appeal which was heavily reported in the media. (See A and D v B and C and E [2022] EWHC 3089 (Fam)) The Court case concerned two family law appeals, each involving allegations of domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault, by one parent against the other. Together with … Read more