Shabana Saleem

Spear's Review

When Spear's meets with Dubai-based Shabana Saleem, she's in the midst of a project centred around mediation. As chair of the family mediation chapter of the Mediation Hub (an organisation aiming to ‘empower mediators in the MENA region’), she is tasked with the responsibility of improving mediation practices in the UAE.

‘It's something the courts are increasingly focusing on,’ she says. ‘The issue is that in this region, mediation has always been used in the context of reconciliation between couples but not as a tool to assist divorcing couples.’ Now, that's looking to change, and Saleem is working with lawyers in the region, particularly local Emirati voices, to provide their input on the topic. 

In her work at Al Tamimi, she advises on prenuptial agreements, custody disputes and high-value financial settlements. It’s familiar territory for the affable lawyer who cut her teeth at top London chambers and law firms including 4PB, Charles Russell Speechlys and Forsters.