News & Guides

The Prosecutor: In Conversation

The Prosecutor: In Conversation On Sunday 19th April, our founder Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE hosted an in conversation with Nazir Afzal OBE.  “Nazir Afzal knows a thing or two about justice. As a Chief Prosecutor, it was his job to make sure the most complex, violent and harrowing crimes made it to court, and that their perpetrators were convicted. From the Rochdale sex ring to the earliest prosecutions for honour killing and modern slavery, Nazir was at the forefront of the British legal system for decades.” The Prosecutor is his memoir of struggle and survival as well as crime and punishment.” Find out more: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/1084662/nazir-afzal.html Nazir was Chief Crown Prosecutor for NW England and most recently the Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners. During a 24 year career, he has prosecuted some of the most high profile cases in the country. His prosecutions of the so called Rochdale grooming gang was groundbreaking and drove the work that has changed the landscape of child protection. The acclaimed BBC Film ‘Three Girls’ is based on his case. This event was part of the Concordia Forum’s ‘Distant Socialising’ series. Sarah Khan-Bashir is a solicitor and founder of SKB Law. She was named Lawyer of the […]

Finalist – Inspirational Women In Law Awards

Finalist – Inspirational Women In Law Awards Our founder Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE is announced as a finalist in the Solicitor of the Year at the 2019 Inspirational Women in Law Awards. The Awards seek to identify the trailblazers of the legal profession in the lead up to the centenary of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919, which paved the way for women to practise law. They are run by the First 100 Years, a project charting and celebrating the journey of women in the legal profession. The fourth edition of the awards and held at County Hall on the 19th of November 2019. It was hosted by Legal Week as part of their Women, Influence & Power in Law 2019 forum.  Both Sarah and our CIO Mandip Sahota enjoyed a wonderful evening meeting with all of the finalists and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award: Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws QC.

Global Legal Tech firm Clio visits Bradford’s SKB Law

Last month SKB Law welcomed Clio, the global leader in cloud-based legal technology, to its Bradford offices. The visit marked the start of SKB Law’s ‘Clio week’ and signals a growing partnership between the two companies. Discussing the move to Clio’s case management software, SKB Law’s founder Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE said: “Choosing Clio has been the best decision I’ve made as a sole practitioner. Twenty years ago, I remember setting up my employer’s first email address. At the time it was hard to imagine a paperless law firm. I’m glad to say things have changed. Clio has transformed how we work. With clients across the country, we’re always looking for ways to improve how we deliver our services. Our new secure client communication portal means we can share updates and documents that need signing immediately with clients — helping us to be quicker and more environmentally friendly. For me, the best thing is being able to access our files securely from anywhere. As a busy practice, I can keep updated and also support my team to work more flexibly when necessary. This matters as I want SKB Law to help more people to enter or return to the legal profession […]

SKB Law Top 3 Family Law Firm!

SKB Law is delighted to be listed as one of the Top 3 Family Law firms in Bradford! Awards are independently made by Three Best Rated employees – checking a business’s reviews, reputation, history, complaints, ratings, satisfaction, nearness, trust, cost, general excellence, etc., using 50-Point Inspection. Businesses do not pay to be listed.

Finalist: Community Contribution Award 2019

Finalist: Bradford Means Business Awards 2019

We’re pleased to announce SKB Law is a finalist for Community Contribution of the Year in the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Means Business Awards 2019.  Finalists in this category will have: “demonstrated considerable dedication to corporate, social and ethical responsibility, providing the community with the many positive outcomes of their commercial activity.”

Parental Responsibility

Parental Responsibility Parental Responsibility is derived from the Children’s Act 1989. It refers to: “all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authorities which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property.” The emphasis is on a parents’ responsibilities over the child, rather than the parents’ rights of the child. Parental Responsibility is a right given automatically to the mother and the married father. However, it is not an automatic right given to an unmarried father, step-parent or grandparent. An unmarried father can acquire Parental Responsibility in two ways: i) If the child was born after 1 December 2003, an unmarried father can acquire Parental Responsibility by having his name on the child’s birth certificate. ii) enter into a written Parental Responsibility Agreement with the mother or by order of the court. Travelling Abroad Would you like to take your child abroad? Before you book your tickets, read the following. If you do not have parental responsibility towards the child, you will need to gain permission from everyone that has parental responsibility over the child. You can do this through a document signed by the parents of the child. Remember, Immigration Authorities in […]

Women & 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 […]

The SKB Law Academy

The SKB Law Academy We’re thrilled to launch the SKB Law Academy – our exciting new leadership platform for future leaders. In addition to in-house training for the SKB Law team, The Academy will prepare more young people for the world of work. Over the last ten years, the firm’s Managing Partner Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE has supported young people to unlock their potential. In 2018 Sarah co-created the Unwritten Rules, an employability programme for young people aged 15-18 years old from Bradford. Participants were talented, eager and ambitious, but ultimately ill-prepared to apply for work placements, or interviews. We believe law firms are well-placed to support and train future leaders. The SKB Law Academy will invest in skills-based training for young people – providing structured work placements for those interested in a legal career, and delivering employability training at schools.

Say Hello to SKB Law

We’ve got some exciting news! From March 2019, the firm’s name will change from Shire Solicitors to SKB Law. It’s still us, but over the next few months, you’ll notice some changes. A fresh new logo. New colours. New contact details.  The new identity will reflect our three key areas of work: Family Law Specialists The Academy – developing future leaders. Legal Clinics + Training – increasing access to legal advice + strengthening women’s rights. The changes don’t stop there. We’re working on ways to improve how we communicate with our clients, deliver our services and incorporate online payment systems. Our new website will help us share more stories, events and updates. We hope you like the changes.

YBS partners with SKB Law

SKB Law Academy partners with  Yorkshire Building Society to equip students with employability skills. The below article originally appeared in the Telegraph & Argus on 26 March 2018.  Students in Bradford are being equipped with the key skills to thrive in the workplace through a pioneering programme with Yorkshire Building Society. The Unwritten Rules programme run by the Baroness Warsi Foundation and Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE, founder of Shire Solicitors saw the Society take part in a two-day workshop with pupils aged 16-18-years-old from five schools in the Dixon Academies Trust. Baroness Warsi, chair of trustees at the Baroness Warsi Foundation, said: “We’d like to thank all of the staff and volunteers at Yorkshire Building Society for supporting our two day employability programme, The Unwritten Rules. We know that creating positive connections between students and employers early on is important for building confidence and motivation in young people and it’s a joint effort. That’s why we’re connecting local schools with local businesses to equip young people aged 16-18-year-olds, with the key practical, emotional and social skills they need to enter the workplace.” On the first day of the programme Yorkshire Building Society colleagues spoke to pupils about what they look for during […]

EU Nationals: Know your rights

Since the referendum, there has been confusion about the rights of EU Nationals in the UK. EU Nationals become an initial qualified person by exercising their treaty rights in the UK through employment, self -employment, as a jobseeker for six months, studying in the UK or being economically self-sufficient. The last 2 categories require Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) that must cover the EEA National and their family members when in the UK. A student with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) can rely on their EHIC card but they must declare that they do not intend to make the UK their home, otherwise CSI will be needed. For those in employment, it is essential that they are in ‘genuine and effective’ employment. The Home Office measures this based on an applicant’s salary. The current minimum earnings threshold is £155 per week but this is reviewed every year in April. If an applicant is earning less than the minimum threshold, the Home Office may find that an EEA National is not exercising their treaty rights as a worker. A retired person may be able to rely on their previous employment to claim a right to reside in the United Kingdom. This […]