Shabina Begum
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I am a Senior Associate at Dawson Cornwell, a specialist international family law firm.
I am a UN recognised authority on child, early and forced marriage. I am an expert in domestic violence, honour based violence, forced marriage, stranded spouse and female genital mutilation cases; and additionally I have specialism in children disputes, with expertise in Shariah law; both family law and Islamic financing.
I am a Resolution accredited Specialist in Child Abduction & Forced Marriage and Honour-based Violence and I have worked as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate handling high risk cases and extremely vulnerable clients.
Relevant experiences and positions
I practice in both domestic and international family law and I specialize in international child abduction matters and a majority of my practice is in high court work. I have been in practice for almost 10 years and I have an overall of 17 years of experience in the field of gender based violence. As an international family lawyer I specialize in domestic violence, honour based violence, forced & child marriage, stranded spouse matters, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) matters and children disputes. I have also worked on both international and domestic projects which focus on gender based abuse. I am UN recognised expert on child, early and forced marriage. I am also a member of Resolution.
I was part of the pro bono legal team of the “Safeguard Futures Ban Child Marriage” campaign and I was actively engaged in drafting and shaping the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022. This legislation has criminalized child marriage in the UK and also safeguards children by removing the exception of allowing under 18s to get married with “parental consent”. I was recently recognized as a legal hero by the Law Society for my contribution to the legislation.
I was formerly a part time lecturer in law: she taught Sex & Gender in the Legal Process, a module led by the prominent Dr Jocelynne Scutt, and Legal Skills & Procedure at the University of Buckingham and I also taught Advocacy & Professional Ethics at the University of Greenwich. I am regularly invited as a speaker or guest lecturer.
I have been described as an “exceptional lawyer” and a “pioneer in her field“, I have been featured in Management Today’s “35 Women Under 35, 2020 ” List of Britain’s Brightest Young Business Leaders.
Some personal questions
What is your advice to parents who are thinking about relocating with a child?
It can be an overwhelming and emotionally challenging decision; this is why it is important to speak to a lawyer to understand the process to navigate the journey in a manner which causes the least amount of disruption to the child’s life.
When did you first handle a child abduction case?
2013
Why is it interesting for you as a lawyer to work on these cases?
Child abduction cases usually have various layers to them, but at the heart of it, they place the interest and welfare of the children at the front of center.
What makes a child abduction case different from other cases?
It is one of the very few areas of law where families are divided in emotional choices and by borders, however in spite of these challenges it is possible for courts to assist children in maintaining a relationship with both parents.
Which cases are you most concerned with?
Wrongful removal from Hague and Non-Hague signatory contracting States.
I also specialize in cases where there are additional issues such as children being removed from England and Wales to be subjected to female genital mutilation or for the purpose of a child and forced marriage. I further deal with matters where a parent is subjected to transnational abandonment.