Farzana Tai

Farzana is very adept in private law cases ranging from basic contact disputes to fact-finding hearings involving serious allegations of physical and emotional harm. Farzana’s experience is significant in private law applications for changes of children’s names, disputes as to the religious upbringing of children, applications in the High Court for leave to remove from the jurisdiction, which includes consideration of foreign jurisdictions and protective orders.

Farzana has practiced in a variety of cases involving financial disputes with married/divorcing couples, cohabitees and other family members. Farzana’s logical and analytical approach makes her a robust and skilled advocate in matrimonial finance cases. However, she is also known for her pragmatism and her realistic approach to cases, including advising on alternative resolution or settlements where appropriate.

Farzana has experience of cases ranging from straightforward to complex financial remedy cases including:

• Family property including beneficial interest claims from third parties within matrimonial assets;
• Spousal and child maintenance
• Maintenance pending suit applications;
• Applications pursuant to Schedule 1 Children Act 1989;
• Overseas assets and associated jurisdictional issues;
• Applications to set aside consent orders.

In public law proceedings Farzana represents all parties whether local authorities, parents, guardians or connected persons. Farzana has extensive experience of lengthy contested hearings and fact-finding hearings, which can be cases she has had conduct of from the outset or cases involving late instructions for the purposes of upcoming hearings. Farzana’s public practice has also included appeals by local authorities to the High Court and representing local authorities in cases appealed by parents. Care cases in which Farzana has been involved regularly involve cases of neglect, physical and emotional harm, domestic violence and sexual abuse and more specialised issues such as cases including disabilities, foreign jurisdictions and highly sensitive cultural cases.