A blog by Shabana Saleem on parenting and parting from a family mediator and barrister in the Middle East.
Welcome to Family Reframed
Families don’t have to be broken to be rebuilt.
If you want the picture-perfect family, you can have it: sometimes it just needs to be reframed.
It is time for a fresh approach. As a family mediator, I offer expert family mediation with care, integrity and a commitment to working with you, and those you love, to achieve the best outcome with complete cost transparency.
Aim
Every family is unique - your family’s needs are unique - and discussions around family matters should be tailored to suit your specific goals: whether that means growing your family through surrogacy or adoption; navigating discussions about finances and co-parenting in pre-nups or post-nups or Islamic agreements before / after marriage; or pursuing a healthy (or 'good') divorce through mediated discussions.
I work closely with clients to offer personal care, creating a collaborative and respectful discussion that prioritizes achieving the best outcome for parent(s) and children, by fostering constructive communication around sensitive financial and parenting matters.
Approach
I have three guiding principles:
I approach mediation (and if necessary, litigation) through a respectful and structured dialogue. The same holds true in mediation: studies have shown that respectful dialogue significantly increases the likelihood of voluntary agreement and long-term compliance, especially when parties feel they’ve been treated fairly and given space to express themselves.
Family change is complex, often layered with both loss and hope. From marriage to divorce, research in restorative practices and family systems theory shows that couples and families with structured dialogue are more likely to share experiences and listen to one another, process difficulties, and move forward with greater resilience.
Restorative approaches that are rooted in dialogue, accountability, and emotional recognition can support couples and families to reframe their perspectives, especially in times of transition.
Resolution is not about winners or losers: it’s about moving forward.
When people have the opportunity to be heard and help to shape the outcome, the results are more likely to be fair, lasting, and accepted by everyone involved.
Feeling heard and engaged throughout the process is essential—not only to achieve satisfaction with the outcome but also to build a stronger foundation for the future.
Why I started this blog?
With over a decade of cross-border family matters, I know that family conflict doesn’t have to be a battle ground. With an approach and process based on research and experience, I believe deeply in the power of family mediation to help couples reach lasting resolution.
Helping individuals achieve an amicable resolution is not the courts’ job; a judge will not work with you to pursue a respectful and restorative solution. Family mediation however offers a healthy approach, ensuring couples are better prepared for hard conversations and can work towards implementing lasting solutions.
While courts can play a valuable role in the process by helping you find closure when an agreement otherwise seems impossible, litigation should not be Plan A. Too often, an imbalance in legal advice and a lack of clear information drives couples into litigation they neither want nor need. Family Reframed bridges that gap.
In this blog, I share:
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Resources that may help you to pursue conversations.
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Legal Insights from the courtrooms and legal practice.
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Reflections on parenting, culture, and family life abroad.
All views shared here are personal, based on empirical knowledge, and most importantly, my own. It is not an alternative to getting legal advice from someone that understands your unique situation. Please remember this website is a blog: sharing resources, legal insights and personal reflections to help individuals, couples and families on their journey.
ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Shabana Saleem.
I believe that family conflict doesn’t have to be a battle. I understand that family disputes are deeply personal and I approach every mediation with the compassion, expertise and a commitment it deserves to secure the best outcome for you and your family.
With over a decade of cross-border family matters, I am passionate about offering couples a fresh approach to separation.
As a mediator, I guide couples through marital, fertility, separation, divorce and parenting transitions, supporting them to communicate clearly and rebuild stability in deeply personal and uncertain times.
My approach combines my litigation experience and legal expertise with the specialist mediation training and emotional understanding that family matters deserve. Balancing respect, restoration, and resolution — to help families reframe conflict into an opportunity for clarity, growth, and renewal.
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I studied law for 5 years (for my LLB, year abroad studying European Law, MA in legal practice in the Middle East and Bar Professional Training Course to qualify as a barrister). I then spent over 10 years working full time within private practice in London.
I am a Family Mediation Council (UK) registered mediator with over a decade of experience helping families navigate complex cross-border transitions involving complex custody and/or financial issues.
I am Chair of the Family Mediation Committee at The Mediation Hub (MENA) where our content focuses on the strategies and practices that help promote amicable dispute resolution for couples and families experience conflict.
The content that I share is led by clients and queries received online to help share relevant and reliable information that helps to better support expat couples and families.
Quick Facts About Me
I started my Blog in 2025 while working as a family barrister and mediator in Dubai when I felt the lack of legal commentary or knowledge sharing in the general market.
Since 2008, I’ve researched and published on family law and mediation in the Middle East. My work has been cited in the UK Court of Appeal (Akhtar v Khan [2020] EWCA Civ 122), and I’ve contributed evidence to the UK Parliament with the Home Affairs Select Committee review of Sharia Councils.
My content these days focuses on the strategies, books, ideas, and tools that can help couples and families find more productive and intentionally ways to navigate change.
I began working in Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE in 2016 and moved permanently to Dubai in 2022 with my husband and son.
Shabana stands out as an exceptional lawyer, combining deep technical knowledge in prenuptial agreements and wealth structuring with genuine empathy and sound commercial judgment.
~MFS
I would like to sincerely thank Shabana for her immense support and professionalism throughout the entire process of preparing my prenuptial agreement. It was not an easy time for me, as I was simultaneously preparing to move to the UAE and get married - a period that was both challenging and filled with uncertainty. Shabana took the time to listen carefully, explain every detail, and guide me through the legal implications of the process, particularly how UAE law applies to me as a British citizen and expatriate. She handled everything with confidence, calmness, efficiency, even when working under significant time pressure. I am extremely grateful for the care and diligence Shabana demonstrated in ensuring my rights and interests as a foreign woman entering marriage in the UAE were fully protected. Her professionalism, emра-thy, and passion for her work really set her apart.
~Client
She brings a rare balance of intellectual rigor and human understanding navigating sensitive family and wealth matters with discretion, clarity, and tact. Her advice is always pragmatic and forward-looking, grounded in both legal precision and strategic awareness of the broader financial landscape.
Shabana gave me exceptional support and guidance through one of the most difficult periods of my life. During a grueling 8-hour mediation, she remained calm, professional, and incredibly focused. What truly sets her apart is her integrity—she always advised me on what was right for me and my children, even when it wasn’t in the best interest of her firm. That honesty and courage showed me she genuinely cared. Because of her expertise, persistence, and strategic approach, I achieved the outcome I desperately hoped for: 100% custody of my kids. - FC
I am deeply grateful and would recommend Shabana without hesitation to anyone looking for a lawyer who is not only highly skilled, but also truly committed to her clients and their families. - Former Client
I visited Shabana for a consultation, I must say how comfortable she made me feel, as it was an emotional time. In this brief consultation, she gave me enough to think about. I will definitely continue using Shabana. - Former Client
Shabana supported me through a high-stakes divorce process, where the future of my company was at risk depending on the outcome. Throughout, she demonstrated professionalism, empathy, and a focus on constructive and practical solutions. - Director
... the pragmatism and 'can do' attitude is phenomenal with advice wrapped up in 'client first' service. - Solicitor in London
Shabana has been my go-to person for handling international private client and family law work with the UAE cross-over for years. She genuinely cares about her clients. - Advocate in South Asia
Shabana's attention to detail and incredible determination definitely set her apart from anyone else I have come across and most definetlye someone you need when going through a tough time. - South Asian Client
LATEST RESOURCES
Couples and Families, particularly living abroad as expats such as in the Middle East, face unique challenges navigating family change across borders.
LATEST INSIGHTS
The UAE has introduced Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024, enhancing protections against domestic violence.
LATEST REFLECTION
The day before I was called to the Bar — a milestone I had worked years to reach — my father passed away.