Samara Iqbal
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UK born and raised, Samara gained her MA in Islamic Education at the University of Winchester, completing part of her formal Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria, making her an Islamic Scholar in the UK. She completed all her examinations at the Islamic Seminary in Arabic and is fluent in Arabic.
Samara is a member of the International Bar Association and has an unparalleled knowledge of Sharia law.
Relevant experiences and positions
Samara is one of the few British lawyers experienced in the niche area of divorce litigation in the UAE, mainly the Dubai Courts. Samara gained first-hand experience of assisting clients with cases in their local courts and understands the litigation process thoroughly. For this reason, as well as for her years acting as a Legal Consultant registered by the Dubai Ruler’s Court, she is greatly respected by her clients in the UAE.
Given her experience as a Sharia law expert, Samara has also set up offices in Doha, Qatar and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, establishing the brand within these regions. Samara and her team provide expatriate clients in these areas with valuable legal assistance. Her clients also benefit from the expert links the company has with the Doha International Family Institute, with whom they work closely together.
Samara has also established the brand with the addition of a Branch office in ADGM (Abu Dhabi global Market) called ‘Aramas International Lawyers’ which has its own dedicated team to assist expatriate clients within that region. This branch office’s primary aim is to assist expatriate clients in the UAE and need expert advice. Samara is recognised as a Foreign lawyer within the Abu Dhabi Judicial Court (ADJD) and assists expatriate clients at this Court.
Samara is on the Panel as a Legal and Sharia expert for the UK’s first female Sharia Council which is led by the Muslim Women’s Council. This enables her to assist her female clients with their Sharia divorce applications.
She is a Guest speaker at the University of Bradford in ‘Introduction to Law’ and the Manchester Law School for teaching students ‘how to build a successful law career’. She has also appeared on the UK Islam channel show “Living the Life”, where she discussed topics such as the importance of making a Sharia compliant will. She has given presentations on family law in the UAE, and on child abduction, and has written for Dubai’s “The National”.
She has been recently featured in Cosmopolitan Middle east as trailblazer and ‘one to watch’. She has also been featured in Hello Arabia! Esquire Middle East, Khaleej Times and is a regular on Dubai Eye radio talking about international family law.
Her team were recently nominated for ‘International Team of the Year’ at the Lexus Nexus Awards in March 2024 and she won Boutique law firm of the year last year. she has been nominated as ‘International family lawyer at the Family Law awards and ‘Family lawyer of the year’ at the Modern law awards.
She also has her own podcast called ‘Expat Experts’ in which she discusses life for expats in the Middle east. Samara is known to be personable, approachable, and professional, and she is recognised for her determination to deliver the best results for her clients. She works hard and is always contactable to her clients and listens to what they need. Samara is skilled in all aspects of family law and has specialist knowledge of international divorce in Dubai and the UAE, child abduction, international financial matters and works closely with many specialist lawyers in different jurisdictions to assist expatriate clients who need specialist advice and representation.
Some personal questions
What is your advice to parents who are thinking about relocating with a child?
Always get permission from the other parent.
What makes a child abduction case different from other cases?
Child abduction cases are unique because they often involve complex international law, treaties like the Hague Convention, and the delicate balance of protecting a child’s welfare while navigating cross- border legal systems.
What would you like to say to judges who handle these cases?
I would urge judges to prioritise the child’s best interests while ensuring swift decisions, as delays can have a profound emotional and psychological impact on the child.
What is your advice to parents dealing with international child abduction?
My advice would be to make sure you immediately contact the police in the country the child has gone and start obtaining advice in that jurisdiction. That is very important.