Family Matters by SKB Law: Recent Episodes
Family Matters by SKB Law
Divorce lawyer Sarah Khan-Bashir answers questions, tackles taboos and chats to people about their experiences of separating, divorcing, moving on, the South Asian divorce experience and much more. Raw, inspirational, heartfelt and at times funny, Family Matters is a podcast for anyone in need of some advice and hope.
Sarah Khan-Bashir MBE is the founder of SKB Law, a specialist family law firm advising clients across England & Wales.
Did you know that when you make an application for a court order in relation to many types of family law disputes, you must show the court that you attended a mediation meeting?
In this episode, Sarah chats to experienced mediator, Derek Mason about the role of mediation in divorce and asks whether we need more culturally responsive mediators? They explore recurring themes in family breakdowns such as power struggles and parenting rights and offer guidance for anyone going through divorce or separation.
Learn More
Mediators facilitate a purposeful conversation. They encourage couples to share their concerns and resolve any disagreements. Once you reach an agreement, a solicitor to make any agreement legally binding.
- Derek Mason and London Mediation Service: https://www.tlms.org.uk
- What is mediation? https://www.tlms.org.uk/about-1
- My Next Step - a culturally responsive directory of services for anyone going through divorce or separation: https://skblawfirm.co.uk/mynextstep/
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Your home is often one of the biggest assets you own. And your mortgage might be your largest debt. So it makes sense that one of the biggest questions people have when they split up is…what happens to the home?
In this episode, Sarah chats to mortgage brokers Pam and Amandeep about how they help their South Asian clients buy, sell or remortgage a home. They touch on some of the practical considerations around buying your first home after a divorce, including what it means for your credit rating, advice for older buyers and whether your family can help you with a deposit. They discuss some of the most common scenarios:
- Whether you can transfer a joint mortgage into one partner’s name?
- What can you do to protect your interests if your home is only in your partner’s name?
- How to improve your credit rating?
- What happens if your child divorces their partner and you live with them?
- How can you apply for a mortgage as a first-time homebuyer?
NOTE: Please note this episode is not intended to replace legal or financial advice. It is pre-recorded so always check current mortgage rates or products with your broker or financial institution.
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, follow us on Instagram @sarahthelawyer98 and @skblaw
If you’ve listened to Family Matters, you’ll know that Sarah usually talks to guests about divorce or separation. In this episode Sarah talks to Dr. Hafeez Ahmed, a UK-based dentist about the impact of childhood trauma on his marriage. Dr Ahmed offers candid reflections about his journey and how processing his trauma started a journey of healing himself and his marriage.
Content Warning: this episode contains themes of childhood abuse, bullying and trauma.
Learn More
- Dr. Hafeez Ahmed and his book: https://thephilosophyfridge.co.uk
Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Instagram
@sarahthelawyer98 and @skblaw
With over 126million posts on Instagram alone, it's no secret, weddings and bridal make up are a huge industry. In this episode Sarah chats to award-winning make up artist Zahida Ashraf about marriage trends, life after the Lamborghinis and why you need to protect yourself financially before your wedding.
Key Points
- Nikah Nama as an Islamic pre-nup
- Protecting assets through Wills
- Pre-wedding money or property gifts from parents
- Marriage Trends
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends or family.
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@sarahthelawyer98 and @skblaw
What happens when a matchmaker meets a divorce lawyer? In this episode Sarah chats to Adeem Younis, award-winning founder of SingleMuslim.com, the world's leading matchmaking site for Muslims. Between them, they've helped thousands of couples at the start or end of their relationship. In this special conversation, they share their advice on finding love, marriage trends and why having uncomfortable conversations are so important to healthy relationships.
Learn More
- SingleMuslim - the largest Muslim owned dating app in the world
- Nikah Nama Guide - English translation of the Nikah Nama
- SKB Law - Religious Marriages and Nikah protection
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends or family.
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@sarahthelawyer98 and @skblaw
Welcome back to Season 2 of Family Matters, the podcast by Sarah Khan-Bashir. In this season, Sarah talks to some amazing guests, including a matchmaker, a make up artist and a mediator. Our first episode begins with Sarah sharing why she started the podcast and how she hopes we can shift the conversation around divorce and separation. If you’re new to Family Matters, please be sure to listen to the stories featured in our first season. Thank you for joining us.
If you enjoyed this episode, why not share with your friends or family.
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In this episode, divorce lawyer Sarah talks to Inayah Sher about her divorce journey: from child bride to city champion. Born and raised in Bradford, Inayah was married at five years old, sent to Pakistan at fourteen years old, released from two years' house arrest at sixteen years old and became a mother at eighteen years old. After raising her daughter, Inayah made the decision to leave her husband at thirty-six years old. Finding humanity in strangers, Inayah returned to education, learned to drive a car, started a business, remarried, became a grandmother and led a city-wide campaign, Bradford4Better. She talks openly about the challenges she faced along the way and shares her advice for other women. This is the remarkable story of Inayah Sher. Please be aware that this episode explores: forced marriage, child marriage, domestic abuse and suicide. ______________ If you enjoyed this episode, take a listen to our other episodes or share them with friends. About Family Matters About SKB Law My Nikah by SKB Law: a free collection of articles and guides for Muslim women
In this episode, Sarah talks to forensic accountant Zachary Iqbal about dividing finances fairly. Forensic accountants follow the money - they trace assets, value businesses and interrogate the accounts. Listen to Sarah and Zach's insights, understand what counts as marital assets and learn what steps you can take if you suspect your partner of under-valuing or hiding assets.
Zachary Iqbal is an Accredited Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants In England and Wales. He trained with Deloitte International before working with companies across the UK, including Linklaters and Mishcon de Reya. He has led some of the UK's largest audits and worked on multi-million pound forensic investigations.
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If you enjoyed this episode, take a listen to our other episodes or share them with friends.
About Family Matters
About SKB Law
SKB Law's Financial Services and Guides
In this episode, Sarah talks to documentary producer and director Sally Ogden about her experience coparenting her daughter.
Sarah and Sally first met in 2017 during the making of a Channel 4 documentary about unregistered marriages. Sally shares her journey from getting early legal advice from Sarah to avoiding family court and creating a positive coparenting relationship for her daughter. They share practical insights and tips for anyone with children who may be going through a separation or divorce.
If you'd like to learn more about coparenting, please visit our website for more information and free guides, including:
- Resolution's Parenting Through Separation Guide which aims to give parents access to information and support that helps them throughout their parenting journey, through separation, divorce and beyond.
- Parenting Plans - an introduction and overview on what to include in your parenting plan;
Sally also mentions the support she received from Relate - learn more about their work here.
If you enjoyed this episode, take a listen to our other episodes or share them with friends.
About Family Matters
About SKB Law
SKB Law's Children's Services
Everyone deals with the end of a relationship differently. Talking about your feelings or seeking professional help isn't easy. In this episode Sarah talks to therapist Imran Manzoor. Imran is the lead therapist of Breaking the Silence, an organisation he created almost ten years ago in response to the lack of mental health services for South Asian men.
Listen as they talk about fatherhood, fast cars, the relationship between sons and mothers...and living life on your terms. We hope you enjoy our conversation.
Imran is the founder and lead therapist at Breaking the Silence, a service supporting men from Asian communities who experience issues in adulthood as a consequence of childhood trauma and abuse. Breaking the Silence started as a local provision in 2012 and now has a national remit, serving on the Ministry of Justice's funded ‘Male Survivor Partnership’. If you'd like to learn more or contact their team, visit: http://www.breaking-the-silence.org.uk/?page_id=19
SKB Law is a specialist family law firm supporting clients across England & Wales. Follow us at https://skblawfirm.co.uk/familymatters/
Welcome to Episode 2 of Family Matters by SKB Law. In this episode, we chat with Laaleen Sukhera about blended families, the Nikah Nama and celebrating divorce! We hope you enjoy the episode. If you'd like to ask questions, say hello on Instagram @skblaw or @laaleensukhera
Laaleen is a Lahore-based communications consultant and the founder of the Jane Austen Society of Pakistan (JASP). JASP has chapters in all of Pakistan’s major cities and boasts an online community from more than 45 countries. Laaleen is also the editor of 'Austenistan' a collection of seven short stories which invite readers to reimagine Regency England in a contemporary South Asian context and get a peek into the lives of Pakistani women.
SKB Law is a modern family law firm with offices in Bradford and London. More information about our services, visit www.skblawfirm.co.uk
In this episode, we talk about when you know it’s over and how to deal with “lok kya kehange”. For our first episode, we're joined by Sarah's first client Fozia Naseem, co-founder of Hop-On. Fozia shares her story and how her experience helped her to build a stronger self. Before you listen to this episode, we want to let you know that Fozia shares her personal experience of domestic abuse.
A massive thank you to Fozia for sharing her story with such honesty, generosity and openness. We hope it helps others.
- Find out more about Fozia Naseem and Hop-On here: https://hopon.bike
- Follow SKB Law on www.skblawfirm.co.uk