Neelim Sultan

Family

Neelim provides advice in all family and child related matters. She navigates seamlessly through complicated legal issues and provides clear and caring information to the parties involved.

Neelim also represents parties, primarily parents, in public law proceedings under the Children Act 1989, in adoption applications, in Hague Convention and international child abduction cases, proceedings under forced marriage protection legislation and Pakistan Protocol cases.

Cases

Neelim has been involved in a number of high profile and reported cases. Some are set out below and each raised specific European Convention Compliance arguments and principles.

• R (Children) [2011] EWCA Civ 1795 An appeal by a father against findings of sexual abuse and the reliability of ABE interviews conducted in breach of the Guidance;
• A London Borough v A and Others [2013] EWHC 96 (Fam) Care proceedings: assessment of mother’s ability to protect children from father found to be responsible for child’s death. This was a case in which earlier findings of fact by the family court that the F was responsible for the death of the middle child’s twin brother were contradicted by the coroner’s verdict that the eldest child, who was on the Autistic spectrum, had killed his brother. A second inquest is being pursued;

• Z (Adoption: Scottish Child Placed in England: Convention Compliance) Re [2012] EWHC 2404 (Fam) An application for an adoption order was opposed by the parents on the grounds that the Scottish legal procedures and system of family hearings leading to a placement order being made in England breached Articles 6 and 8 of the ECHR;

• Bedfordshire Police Constabulary v RU and Anor [2013] EWHC 2350 A case concerning whether a police force could apply for a person to be committed to prison for contempt of court for breach of a forced marriage protection order (FMPO) in circumstances where the police were not the applicants who had obtained or sought to obtain the order;

• Re A (A child- Wardship- Fact-finding – Domestic Violence) [2015] EWHC 1598 (Fam) Paufley J summarised the legal framework set out in PD 12J as to the factors to take into account when determining whether contact orders in cases that involved domestic violence noting that the court should only make an order for contact if it can be satisfied that the physical and emotional safety of the child and the resident parent can be reasonably secured before, during and after contact.

International human rights

Neelim is actively involved in the work of the International Bar Association and is currently a vice-chair of its Human Rights Law Committee.

She has represented defendants accused of a wide range of serious criminal offences and argued human rights points in her family work.

Neelim has also acted pro bono in a number of cases and campaigns. She has previously worked pro bono on issues of arbitrary detention, capital punishment and cuts in legal aid.

Crime

Neelim is an established practitioner in criminal defence work. She handles high level crimes such as armed robbery and violent crime, murder/manslaughter and drug frauds. Neelim offers a unique ability to put defendants at ease combined with a highly tuned legal mind, robust advocacy skills and a wealth of experience.

Speaking events, training & seminars

Negotiation skills – at the World Women Lawyers’ Conference, hosted by the Women Lawyers’ Interest Group of the International Bar Association

Languages

• Urdu/Hindi
• Punjabi

Memberships

• Involved in the work of the International Bar Association – Human Rights Law Working Group, the IBA’s LBGT Committee and the IBA’s Poverty and Empowerment Committee.
• Former Member of the IBA’s Presidential Task Force on Trafficking.