Our work covers all areas of family law, with particular expertise in the following areas:
Call: 2018
‘Fazeela's individual strengths include her remarkable advocacy skills, she is highly articulate, persuasive, and able to present cases with clarity, even when dealing with particularly challenging or emotional situations, her approach to case preparation is meticulous, and her ability to think strategically and adapt to dynamic courtroom scenarios is particularly impressive.'
The Legal 500 UK Bar 2026
Fazeela Ishmael is a pragmatic and amiable advocate, practising in all core areas of family law at Harcourt.
Fazeela has appeared at all levels of proceedings, and is thorough in her preparation and gets to the heart of a case quickly. Fazeela represents clients from various backgrounds, and is particularly skilled at representing vulnerable clients.
Fazeela draws on her experiences prior to the Bar, including undertaking an LLM in the USA where she assisted the American Civil Liberties Union, and she has also worked with Citizens Advice specialising in social security benefits advice.
Fazeela is motivated to improve diversity at the Bar, and undertakes a range of events with students at all levels of education.
To instruct Fazeela or for more information…
Call: 020 7353 6961
Email: clerks@harcourtchambers.co.uk
Public Law Children & Care Proceedings
Care proceedings. Welfare hearing dealing with, inter alia, orders regarding younger child, where older child found to have been sexually abused by her step-father.
Care proceedings. The court considered whether a young person approaching seventeen should remain in foster care despite her clear and determined wish to return to her mother.
Care proceedings. Court considered a teenager’s allegations of serious sexual abuse by her stepfather and the resulting risk of harm to both her and his six-year-old daughter.
A fact-finding hearing concerning an application by a local authority for a care order and an application by a mother for the return of her child to the jurisdiction of Pakistan under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
Fazeela was junior to Damian Garrido KC, representing a vulnerable mother, where the local authority pursued lengthy allegations including FII, in circumstances where care and placement orders were unopposed and significant threshold concessions had already been made. The Court determined that a 5 day fact-finding hearing on the unadmitted allegations was not justified, and explored the applicable factors concerning whether or not to conduct a fact-finding exercise.
Fazeela undertakes cases at every stage of child abduction proceedings pursuant to the Hague Convention and Brussels II revised. She also has experience in applications in relation to stranded spouse cases and forced marriage protection orders.
Father’s application under the 1980 Hague Convention for the summary return of two young children to the Republic of Ireland.
Appeal by child against return order, raising issue as to role of a “solicitor-guardian” in 1980 Convention proceedings.
Family Finance & Financial Remedy
Fazeela is well known for her pragmatic, calm, and client-focused advocacy.'
The Legal 500 UK Bar 2026
'Fazeela is excellent with clients. She is hugely conscientious and always very well-prepared.'
The Legal 500 UK Bar 2025
Following findings of serious sexual abuse by her stepfather, the court considered whether a young person approaching seventeen should remain in foster care despite her clear and determined wish to…
Following a Crown Court acquittal, the Family Court considered afresh a teenager’s allegations of serious sexual abuse by her stepfather and the resulting risk of harm to both her and…
Fazeela Ishmael, instructed by Charles Strachan Solicitors, acted for the Applicant father and Emily Rayner, instructed by MSB Solicitors acted for the Respondent mother, in N v A [2026] EWHC…