Barrett & Thomson

Family

Senior Solicitor

Miss Rizwana Khan is a member of The Law Society's Children Panel - The Children Law Accreditation Scheme which covers all types of children law work. Members of this panel will have shown, to the satisfaction of the Law Society that they have and will maintain a high level of knowledge, skills, experience and practice in the area of children law.

Riz was admitted as a solicitor on 15th September 2004 and on 1st August 2011 became a Member of Law Society’s Children Panel enabling her to represent children in both private law and public law cases. Riz has a wide range of expertise within all family law matters specialising in care proceedings. Since becoming a Member of the Law Society’s Children Panel she has represented children and their Guardians in care proceedings and has also been instructed in private law rule 16.4 appointments.

Riz regularly attends County Courts and Family Proceedings Courts to carry out her own advocacy on her own cases and acting as an agent for other solicitors. Riz has represented clients at all levels of the family court system and has expertise of representing clients who are vulnerable and have mental health difficulties and learning difficulties. Riz has also dealt with proceedings where she has been instructed by the Official Solicitor

Riz has dealt with some very complex cases involving non-accidental injury, sexual abuse and cases involving trafficking of children. Miss Khan has dealt with many vulnerable clients in relation to domestic violence issues.

Riz is very passionate about her cases and is able to provide her clients with realistic and constructive advice, delivered with empathy and respect, Riz does also accept instructions of complex cases on pro-bono basis, in order to protect the access of justice. Riz is instructed by clients who are personally referred to her on a regular basis. Riz is regularly instructed to conduct cases in the Court of Appeal and has successful track record in succeeding in her appeals. This includes a recent case in which she represented a mother at the Court of Appeal to appeal a decision made by a Circuit Judge in the County Court. The mother was able to keep her child in her care. If the decision had not been appealed the child would have been adopted.

Riz deserves to be recognised for her tireless work on behalf of children in the public law arena.

Riz has more recently had a case in the Court of Appeal where she was successful in getting a fact finding judgement against her client overturned. This is reported at: Re A (Children) (Pool of Perpetrators) [2022] EWCA Civ 1248 :The Court of Appeal allowed the father’s appeal in respect of a fact-finding judgment of a CJ. The proper approach in cases with a pool of perpetrators was considered.

Law Society

Resolution

Association of Lawyers for Children