Fatima has a broad public law and civil liberties practice, with a focus on state accountability.
Her broad practice enables her to provide effective advice and representation in cases with a crossover of areas of law. Fatima is particularly suited to instruction in cases involving complex mental health issues, because of her background and expertise in mental health research.
Administrative and Public Law
Overview
Fatima has a particular interest in systemic challenges concerning detention in prison, psychiatric hospitals and immigration detention. She is also interested in challenges against the use of police powers at protests.
Fatima is building a varied practice in judicial review claims, including challenges to the provision of asylum support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, community care provision, unlawful detention, age assessment challenges and decisions under the National Referral Mechanism.
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Inquests and Inquiries
Overview
Fatima regularly represents bereaved families in Article 2, jury inquests. She has built a specialism in inquests concerning deaths from suicide in psychiatric detention, prison and in the community. She is particularly suited to cases involving very complex mental health conditions or presentations given her background in mental health research.
Fatima is a member of the INQUEST lawyers’ group.
Fatima has a keen interest in public inquiries, in particular those concerning state powers and state detention.
Fatima was instructed in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry: Core UK Decision-making and Political Governance (Module 2), on behalf of organisations who tackle violence against women and girls. Reporting on this included:
- Lack of diversity in No 10 led to women’s deaths in lockdown, Covid inquiry told
- ‘Domestic abuse victims died as too few women decision-makers’, Covid inquiry hears
- Domestic abuse survivors tell Covid inquiry of ‘nightmare’ lockdown
- Lockdown messaging on domestic violence came ‘too late’, Covid inquiry told
During pupillage, Fatima also worked with her then supervisor, Stephen Simblet KC, on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Fatima has been ranked as a rising star in Inquests and Inquiries by the Legal 500.
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Claims Against the Police and Public Authorities
Overview
Fatima regularly represents families in claims against public authorities following deaths in state detention.
She also regularly represents Claimants in claims against the police including false imprisonment, assault, malicious prosecution, misfeasance in public office and claims under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. Fatima has acted in settlement hearings in actions against the state, for children and vulnerable adults who lack capacity. She also advises on claims relating to false imprisonment in immigration detention.
Fatima is a member of the Police Action Lawyers Group (PALG).
During her pupillage, she worked with Stephen Simblet KC on a number of highly specialist claims against the police as well as jury trials in false imprisonment and malicious prosecution claims.
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Mental Health Law
Protest Rights
Overview
Fatima has built a specialism in protest law across practice areas and has been involved in cases in the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
She regularly represents protesters in claims against the police arising from incidents of unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and assault during protests. She also represents protesters in cases where large commercial organisations are seeking civil injunctions to prohibit protests and in committal proceedings arising out of alleged breach of civil injunctions.
She regularly advises environmental charities on legal challenges and recently represented Friends of the Earth as interveners in a seminal Supreme Court case highlighting the impact of wide injunctions on protest rights and in their application to the European Court of Human Rights.
She has a particular interest in challenging the arbitrary and excessive use of police powers at protests.
Fatima is a Director of Black Protest Legal Support, where she is a volunteer Legal Observer, provides legal support and contributes to drafting bust cards explaining protesters’ rights.
Fatima contributed to the Second Edition of The Protest Handbook. She has also held a number of webinars related to defending protesters’ rights.
Notable Cases
Wolverhampton City Council and others (Respondents) v London Gypsies and Travellers and others (Appellants) [2023] UKSC 47
The Supreme Court ruled that wide injunctions have negative impact on Gypsies and Travellers’ ability to pursue traditional nomadic way of life. However, the Court allowed the use of such wide and draconian injunctions in protest-related injunctions. Friends of the Earth press release here.
Friends of the Earth have filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) challenging the use of anti-protest injunctions in the UK. Further information here.
UK Oil & Gas Plc v Persons Unknown (2021)
High Court radically scales back wide-ranging UK Oil and Gas protest injunction granted in 2018 against protesters at oil and gas sites.
Thames Valley Police v DB [2021] (Milton Keynes County Court)
Committal proceedings against HS2 protester dismissed for lack of notice of the civil injunction.
R v MM & Ors [2020] (City of London Magistrates’ Court)
Protester acquitted of criminal damage, having glued their hands to the window of an Oxford Circus store.
