News & Guides
Expert commentary, case analysis, and practical guides on divorce, children's arrangements, financial remedy, and more.
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DivorceFamily LawSKB NewsSKB Law features on Channel 4 documentary about Nikah Ceremonies
SKB Law features on Channel 4 Documentary about Nikah Ceremonies Did your nikah take place in the UK? If it did, make sure you also register your marriage. This was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary we took part in. As divorce specialists, we often support clients who are devastated to learn their marriage may not be legally recognised. To help increase awareness of the issue, our founder Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE participated in Channel 4’s documentary The Truth About Muslim Marriage. We hope it can help more women take action to protect their rights. If your nikah took place in the UK, make sure you also register your marriage. Find out what you need to do. SKB Law is a modern family law firm. Led by Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE, we advise and represent clients on a number of issues relating to divorce. Do you need to speak to someone in confidence about your legal rights, financial protection or Islamic divorce? Book your free – no obligation – 15 minute call with our legal team. We offer meetings by phone, video or in-person (at a safe distance). You can also contact us via WhatsApp Business.
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DivorceFamily LawSKB NewsRound Table Meetings – what are they?
Round Table Meetings – what are they? In this post, we explore the collaborative law approach of round table meetings. Our intention is to share different options available to reach an agreement. We are not offering a recommendation. If you need advice about your situation, please call our office on 01274 727373. We offer a free no-obligation 30 minute consultation. Combat to Collaboration Law firms use round table meetings to reach a divorce settlement outside of court. They are often used when parties are on amicable terms and need to unblock key differences. Both parties and their legal representatives sit down together to resolve their differences. Everyone can meet in the same room or in adjoining rooms. Legal represenatives may hold discussions in a third room. They can take place before, or during, court proceedings. The shared ethos is problem-solving. Parties commit to hearing each other’s point of view, shifting from a combative approach to a more collaborative one. The meeting takes place without prejudice. A legal process which means the discussions are not used against anyone in court. How Many Meetings Do You Need? The number of meetings will depend on the circumstances of your cases. You may […]
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DivorceFamily LawSKB NewsWomen & Divorce: Minreet Kaur
“I’m divorced, so Sikh men don’t want me” Minreet Kaur is a henna artist and a freelance journalist who works for the BBC. Her story originally appeared on BBC News. SKB Law: Women &Divorce Series. At 27, Minreet Kaur married a man she had met through a Sikh temple in west London. It turned out to be a disaster, and within a year she was back home with her parents. For 10 years now she has been hoping to find another husband, but has reached a bitter conclusion: most Sikh men don’t want to marry a divorcee. “If you divorce me, you will never marry again,” my husband shouted at me before I left him. He said it to hurt me, but he knew it could turn out to be true. And so did I. Divorce is shameful in the Sikh community, especially for women. To begin with I was ashamed myself. I felt dirty and used. How could I look at another man when I knew he would regard me as used goods? Other people reinforced this feeling. My grandma in London told me I should have worked at my marriage, even though she knew what I had […]
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DivorceFamily LawSKB NewsDivorce, Islam and Me: Saima Mir
Women & Divorce: Saima Mir Our Women&Divorce series features stories from women in their own words. In this piece, we’re sharing an article written by Saima Mir, a freelance journalist. The below article and image originally appeared in the Guardian on Saturday 16 February 2019. Divorce, Islam and me: ‘I will for ever be the woman who left two husbands’ When my arranged marriage ended, my parents decided to set me up again. But finding love isn’t that easy… I was 19 the first time marriage was mentioned. My mother told me about a young man whose family had expressed an interest in me, and then she promptly left the house. The realisation that I was of marriageable age was clearly as difficult for her as it was surprising to me. I was a geeky young woman who had never even shaken hands with a man, let alone had a boyfriend. I’d attended an all-girls Catholic school before opting to study science at university. My life was Malcolm X and Maya Angelou, X-Men and Spider-Man; summers were spent at my nani’s house in Karachi, and winters trudging through Yorkshire snow. Bespectacled before it was cool, I was short-sighted in more […]
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DivorceSKB NewsNikah – are you legally married?
Are you legally married? This article seeks to explain the laws relating to Islamic marriage, Nikaah ceremonies, and legally valid marriages. If you have any questions, book your free 15 minute advice session on 01274 727373. All calls treated are in confidence with appointments available by phone, WhatsApp Business or video. Are you legally married? After dealing with hundreds of divorce cases, we’ve noticed a general misconception. Too many clients are unaware of their legal position. We support people who instruct the firm to conduct their Islamic divorce, not realising a civil divorce is also required. Many people fail to recognise that a Nikah can also change your legal status. Many people believe a Nikah alone is sufficient to start married life in England. However, if your marriage breaks down, a Nikah will not provide the same level of legal protection as a registered civil ceremony. No Right to Assets In a recent case, a client’s marriage ended after 15 years. She was left with no automatic right over her husband’s assets. This is because they had not registered their marriage after performing the Nikah in the UK. Many of these clients are women who stayed at home in order to look […]
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