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Zimran Samuel MBE is an experienced human rights practitioner with a wide ranging practice based around children law, mental health law and international law.

He is regularly instructed in significant cases involving vulnerable adults and medical treatment decisions brought under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court and in the Court of Protection.

Acting for Local Authorities, parents and children, Zimran has had extensive exposure to care proceedings involving children who have suffered from non-accidental head injuries, long term neglect, sexual abuse and manipulated or factitious illness.

In respect of international children law, Zimran is a noted specialist on international relocation, child abduction, radicalisation cases, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

He is the author of FGM Law & Practice, LexisNexis 2017.  Click here

Zimran has an increasingly international practice and has been instructed to assist in significant cases in  Australia, Pakistan, India, Kenya and the United States.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Zimran worked at the Office of Legal Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He regularly attended meetings of the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. Zimran retains a strong interest in public international law and the international protection of human rights.

He is an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) and also serves as a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics.

Zimran is licensed to accept Direct Public Access work.

Notable Cases

M (A Child) [2010] EWCA Civ 116. Zimran Samuel appeared on behalf of the Appellant mother. Judgment can be viewed here. Press coverage in Family Law Week.

EWCA Civ 317 [2011].

O-W (Children) [2011] EWCA Civ 580. Wilson LJ (as he then was) stated – “From reading his written work, I have a very high respect for Mr Samuel”.

L and B (Children) [2013] UKSC 8 (assisted Gillian Irving QC)

WX v YZ [2013] EWHC 2877 (Fam). Zimran Samuel appeared on behalf of the Applicant (Mother) in relation to a finding of fact hearing where Father had made numerous allegations against Mother and the maternal family. These proceedings followed on from Hague Convention proceedings and extensive proceeds before the Principal Registry. Zimran was successful in ensuring that the allegations made by Father were held to be unfounded in an emotionally and technically difficult case. Judgment can be viewed here. Press coverage in Family Law Week.

Amicus curiae in the Supreme Court of Azad Kashmir in the matter of Sajid Hussain, SC AKJ [2013]. Read more here.

Akhtar v Ayoub [2013] EWHC 3840 (Fam). Judgment can be viewed here and Case Analysis in Family Law Week.

J, A , M And X (Children) [2013] EWHC 4648. Alleged non accidental head injury case before Mr Justice Cobb; local authority withdraws proceedings. Judgment can be viewed here.

RS v SS [2013] EWHC B33 (Fam).

Re P (Children) [2013] EWCA Civ 1538.

R v Mirga [2014]. Zimran Samuel represented Peterborough City Council. Multi-handed rape & inciting child prostitution case at the Old Bailey. Press coverage here.

MW v Hertfordshire County Council [2014] EWCA Civ 405. Zimran Samuel has successfully resisted an appeal against a decision to place children with their relatives in Poland, following the murder of their Mother by their Father. The appeal, brought by the local authority and the children’s Father, was dismissed and an order for costs was made against the local authority, the lead appellant in this case. The judgment of Macur LJ was handed down by the Court of Appeal can be read here and Case analysis here and here.

R v Ali & Others, Cambridge Crown Court [2014]. Representing Children’s Services in a long running child exploitation case arising from Operation Appleton.

AK & SK (Christians: risk) Pakistan (CG) [2014] UKUT 569 (IAC). Instructed as an expert witness to the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

Re P (Children) [2014] EWCA Civ 852. Successfully represented an appellant in application to remove children from jurisdiction to Germany. Judgment can be viewed here and case analysis here.

K & KT (Children) [2014] EWCA Civ 1211 (30 July 2014). Instructed by the Bar Pro Bono Unit, judgment can be viewed here.

Re S. Complex Fabricated Illness case involving extensive expert evidence.

Re L. Adoption placement breakdown case heard over 2 weeks in the High Court.

CM v Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council [2014] EWCA Civ 1479. Court of Appeal clarified the test for dispensing with parental consent for adoption. Zimran Samuel  for the First Respondent. The Court of Appeal clarified the test for dispensing with parental consent for adoption. The Judgment can be viewed here, Press coverage in Family Law Week and The Times Law Report of 2 January 2015.

Local Authority A v M & Ors [2014] EWFC B219 (26 November 2014). Zimran Samuel appeared on behalf of the Applicant the London Borough of Newham. The Judgment can be viewed here.

R v Mohammed Khubaib & Others, Central Criminal Court, [March 2015]. Represented Children’s Services in high profile Peterborough child grooming trial at the Old Bailey. Press coverage in the BBC.

G & A (Children: Habitual Residence and Article 15 Transfer) [2015] EWFC B41 (14 April 2015). HHJ Atkinson (Designated Family Judge for the East London Family Court) considered the issue of habitual residence and transfer of proceedings to Lithuania. The Judgment can be viewed here.

London Borough of Southwark v P & Ors [2015] EWCOP 40 (20 April 2015).  Interim return of passports in forced marriage case in the court of protection. Zimran Samuel appeared on behalf of the 2nd and 3rd Respondents. Interim return of passports in forced marriage case in the court of protection. The judgment can be viewed here.

Re A (honour based violence) EWCA 2015. Acted through the Bar Pro Bono Unit.

Cumbria County Council v Q [2015] EWFC 59. Care proceedings arising from alleged non accidental injuries to an infant with a bone disorder. The case, which was heard by Mr Justice Peter Jackson, involved complex medical evidence over a period of 8 days. The Judgment can be viewed here, Case analysis here, and Press coverage in the BBC.

E (Children) (Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders), Re [2015] EWHC 2275 (Fam) (24 July 2015). The Judgment can be viewed here.

F and X (Children), Re [2015] EWHC 2653 (Fam) (10 September 2015). Return of 13 year old girl who had been abducted to Sudan amid evidence  that she was at risk from Female Genital Mutilation. The Judgment can be viewed here. Press coverage in the BBCThe Independent and Family Law Week.

Southwark, (The London Borough of) v KA (Capacity to Marry) (rev 1) [2016] EWCOP 20 (23 March 2016). The Judgment can be viewed here and Case Summary on Court of Protection Hub here.

Re N (radicalisation). Citation awaited. Wardship proceedings involving British children taken to abroad amidst concerns of parental radicalisation and links to terrorist organisations.

A London Borough v B and Ors (female genital mutilation : FGM) [2016] EWFC B111 (18 October 2016). Use of Specific Issue Order to direct annual medical examination. The judgment can be viewed here.

Re M [2016]. FGMPO involving 8 year old girl; Return order from Kenya. Press coverage in the Standard.

Re S wardship. Diplomatic immunity. Press coverage in The Times and The Independent.

London Borough of Brent v C [2016] EWHC 1335. Public hearing involving end-of-life treatment declarations for a very ill child and breaches of rights under the European Convention on Human Rights  The Judgment can be viewed here.

W (A child) [2016] EWCA Civ 1140. ECHR Article 6 and/or 8, Convention Rights of Witnesses. The full judgment is available here and case analysis here.

Re D [2016] FGMPO; return order, Guinea - read more here.

Re Met. Police v FGM practitioner [2016] - Press coverage in The Guardian.

T (A Child) [2017] EWFC 19 - The role of Facebook in locating a birth parent in adoption proceedings. The full judgment is available here and case analysis here.

SL, Re [2017] EWCOP 5 (31 March 2017). Acted on behalf of the London Borough of Brent in the Court of Protection. The judgment can be viewed here.

JZ v FZ [2017] EWHC 750 (Fam). Permission to appeal hearing before Baker J relating to schooling decision for 2 children. The judgment can be viewed here.

AC - Radicalization [2017] on going. High profile radicalisation case relating to a child’s support and recruitment by ISIS. Currently being heard in private in the High Court pending permission to report.

S v S [2017] EWHC 1298 (Fam) Zimran Samuel successfully represented the mother in a Iran non Hague Convention child abduction case. Two Iranian legal experts were instructed to give evidence. A fact-finding hearing took place before Sir Peter Singer dealing with extensive allegations of physical and sexual abuse. The interim judgment is available here. The subsequent final decision of the Sir Peter Singer is available here: S v S [2017] EWHC 3184 (Fam).

Z (A Child) (FGMPO : Prevalence of FGM) [2017] EWHC 3566 (Fam) (06 November 2017). Zimran successfully led an application in the Family Division of the High Court for a British girl to be safeguarded against the risk of female genital mutilation in Guinea. The judgment of Ms Justice Russell is available here.

S & H-S (Children), Re [2018] EWCA Civ 1282 (06 June 2018). Available here.

FT v MM & Anor [2019] EWHC 935 (Fam) (12 April 2019) - International abduction of a vulnerable adult; Application by a mother for the return of an adult child lacking capacity from the USA. Zimran Samuel successfully represented the 2nd Respondent through the Official Solicitor. Judgment of Russell J available here and analysis here.

Publications

Book Review of International Human Rights Law (8th edition), Rhona Smith.

FGM Law & Practice, LexisNexis 2017

International Family Law & Practice, LexisNexis 2017 [co-author]

The Serious Crime Act 2015 The Law Society, Cris McCurley (Ben Hoare Bell LLP) & Zimran Samuel, 18 September 2015

Injuries to Infant with Bone Disorder: latest deliberations of the High Court, Family Law Week, 30 July 2015

G & A (Children: Habitual Residence and Article 15 Transfer) [2015] EWFC B41, Case Summary, The Law Society, Abigail Bridger, Zimran Samuel, 16 July 2015

Book Review of The PLO Explained, Family Law Volume 5, Jordan’s Publishing, April 2015

B and G (Children) (No 2) [2015] EWFC 3, Zimran Samuel, Thomas Haggie, Law Society Gazette, January 2015

Private Law Update: Leave to remove from jurisdiction. Practice Plus Online, Children Law Overview, Zimran Samuel, 42 Bedford Row, 10 January 2015.

Local authorities: Playing fair, Family Law 2014, 44(Sep), 1309-1310

Spotlight: MW v Hertfordshire County Council [2014] EWCA Civ 405, Law Society Gazzette, May 2014

Witchcraft Accusations and Persecution in Nepal, edited Country Report for WRIN (joint editors Z Samuel and Dr T Christou), 2014

BHRC Report to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights Inquiry into Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), 4 March 2014

UK is failing to meet international obligations on FGM, The Times newspaper, Zimran Samuel, Kirsty Brimelow QC, 26 February 2014

Female Genital Mutilation, submissions to the Parliamentary Inquiry on FGM (Home Affairs Committee), 12 February 2014

The boundaries of wardship in stranded spouse cases, Family Law ICLIP, Jordans Publishing, 24 January 2014

Children increasingly face neglect amid failing national systems, Family Law ICLIP Jordans Publishing, November 2013

Life at the modern Bar; young barristers’ views, The Times newspaper, 31 October 2013

Unicef Nigeria Child Rights Manual, [editing team], 2013

Preventing Forced Marriages, Family Law ICLIP, Jordans, 19 September 2013

Challenges for a new government in Islamabad, Minority Voices, 19 July 2013

Forced Conversions and Forced Marriages in Pakistan, BHRC, March 2013

An Interview with Mr. Justice Ryder on the Modernisation of Family Justice, Family Law Week, December 2012

International Hearing on Religious Freedom, Report from the 21st session of the UNHRC, BHRC Report,September 2012

Report of the International Committee, Bar Council’s delegation to New York, In Brief, September 2012

Age of Criminal Responsibility in Pakistan, BHRC, 21 May 2012

Adoption for Gay and Lesbian Couples, Family Law, Jordan Publishing, November 2010

The Work of the International Law Commission, United Nations Publication, 7th edition, edited chapter on international tribunals, 2008

Minority Rights in Pakistan, Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement, October 2008

Seminars

Children Law & Human Rights, LSE, 2018

Perspectives in Medicine Law & Society, Seminar at the University of Sussex with Zimran Samuel (Doughty Street Chambers)  & Dr Geetha Subramanian MBE, Honorary Consultant Gynaecologist, Bart's Health NHS Trust, Thursday 17 May 2018, from 12-2pm, Room C333

Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC), Annual Conference, Manchester, November 2017

Reblaw, Annual Conference 2017

The Inherent Jurisdiction; Extent, limits and the protection of vulnerable adults, Doughty Street Chambers, Thursday 23 February 2017, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Book Launch of FGM Law & Practice 2017 with the Honourable Mr Justice Keehan, 16 May 2017

Wardship & the Inherent Jurisdiction of the High Court, lecture at Doughty Street Chambers, Thursday 23 February 2017

International Women’s Day, Festival, Manchester, 11 March 2017

The London School of Economics, Human Rights Society, 10 November 2016

Speaker at the Bar Council Annual Conference 2016

Speaker at Jordan's Family Law Conference, 4 October 2016, Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington

Closing speaker, Annual Family Law Conference, 8 October 2015

FGM Law and Practice, Seminar with Supreme Court judge Lord Toulson, 15 October 2015, The Law Society Reading Room

FGM Protection Orders – what impact on girls at risk? Seminar alongside Seema Malhotra MP (Shadow Minister, Violence against Women and Girls), 16 July 2015, Doughty Street Chambers, London

SOAS pro bono week, Monday, 23 February, Brunei Gallery, London

International Summit on Legal Needs of Street Youth, participated in an international summit held at Barker and Mckenzie in London on 16-17 June to explore issues in which the law specifically impacts street youth, runaways and homeless youth

Keynote speaker at the Saakshi Project, Katmandu, Nepal, 13 February 2015

Update Brussels ii Revised Regulation, 42 Bedford Row, 30 October 2014

Public Law Update: Hot Topics Kent Children’s Services, Monday 21 July 2014, Sessions House, Maidstone: Childcare public law update seminar programme

Discussion with Asma Jahangir, 3 September 2013, Doughty Street Chambers Equality and Human Rights Commission

Forced Marriages: Law and Practice, 18 October 2012, Bindmans LLP in London

European Court of Human Rights, Seminar presented with Chairman of the Bar Council Michael Todd QC, 16 April 2012, New York City Bar Association, New York City

Law and Conflict in Kashmir, 31 October 2011, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 23 November 2010, University of Manchester (Samuel Alexander Theatre

The Participation of Children in the Family Courts, seminar presented at the University of Cambridge, 9 June 2010