Fazeela Ishmael

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 is a pragmatic and amiable advocate, practising in all core areas of family law at Harcourt, including: public and private children law, matrimonial finance, and international child abduction law. Fazeela has appeared at all levels of proceedings.
She 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

Practice Areas

Fazeela is regularly instructed in all forms of public law proceedings, on behalf of parents and interveners, as well as local authorities and guardians. She therefore has a holistic understanding of these proceedings, through different lenses. This informs her calm, robust approach in often difficult and complex circumstances.
Fazeela has appeared in cases involving allegations of serious non-accidental injuries to babies and infants, suspected fabricated or induced illness (FII), substance misuse, domestic violence and mental health concerns.

Notable Public Law Children cases

A (A Child) (Abduction from Pakistan), Re [2025] EWHC 2637 (Fam)

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.

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council v VW and others [2022] EWFC 83

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 represents parents, 16.4 guardians, and other family members in cases concerning all forms of parental dispute, alienation, and intractable contact.
Fazeela also undertakes injunction proceedings concerning applications for non-molestation and occupation orders.
Fazeela has experience conducting multi day fact-finding and final hearings concerning serious allegations of abuse, acting for both victims and perpetrators. This informs her insight into patterns and behaviours, as well as her analysis of a case.

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.

Notable International Family Law cases

D (A Child), Re (Abduction: Child's Objections: Representation of Child Party) [2023] EWCA Civ 1047

Appeal by child against return order, raising issue as to role of a “solicitor-guardian” in 1980 Convention proceedings.

Fazeela accepts instructions at all stages of finance proceedings. Fazeela often undertakes both the matrimonial finance and private children law proceedings for clients. This enables continuity and wrap-around support at a highly stressful time, as well as a thorough and nuanced understanding of her clients’ circumstances, which informs her practical and creative advice.
Fazeela has experience in cases involving hard and soft loans v gifts, complex pension entitlement, and cases involving an international element where there are concurrent finance proceedings in other jurisdictions.

 

What the directories say

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

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