Mani Singh Basi

Profile

Mani is an award winning barrister described as a ‘positive force in family law’. He is the winner of the Legal Personality of the Year 2024 award (LexisNexis) and the Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year 2023 award at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards. He is works nearly exclusively in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Mani has a broad practice covering all areas of family law with a particular focus on disputes relating to children. He has been involved in a significant number of authorities which appear at the bottom of this profile.

International Child Law

Mani is a specialist in cases that have an international element relating to child abduction and was recognised as the Legal Aid Barrister of the Year 2024 winner for his work in this area of the field. Mani deals with cases concerning applications for summary return under the Hague Convention 1980, the recognition and enforcement of foreign orders relating to the Hague Convention 1996, applications concerning wardship / the inherent jurisdiction and forced marriage. Mani is known for his experience in ‘stranded spouse’ cases and is the author of ‘A Practical Guide to Stranded Spouses in Family Law’ which is available for purchase here. He also co-authored an article in The Times about this topic. Further, Mani has published a book in respect of ‘A Practical Guide to Exercising the Inherent Jurisdiction’ which can be purchased here. Mani is also regularly instructed by intervenors and other interested bodies in cases concerning international disputes and the rights of children.

Further, Mani is regularly instructed in cases where there are jurisdictional issues, applications for relocation and cases concerning surrogacy.

Mani regularly writes on the topic of international child abduction and has featured in the International Family Law Journal, the Family Law Journal and New Law Journal. He is known for representing vulnerable clients across the world in international disputes relating to domestic abuse, stranding spouses and child abduction and in 2024 won the Legal Aid Barrister of the Year award.

Private Law Children and Domestic Abuse

Mani acts in all areas of private law disputes concerning children that involve applications for child arrangement orders and enforcement proceedings. He is frequently instructed in cases considering contentious residence and contact disputes where the issues involve allegations of domestic abuse, psychological harm, parental alienation and he appears in cases involving domestic and international relocation. Mani is particularly known for his experience in private law cases where there are reported safeguarding issues and local authority input and he has produced a number of articles on this area which have been published by the Family Law Journal (LexisNexis). He has appeared in extensive fact-finding hearings in private law disputes and works across the whole of England.

Mani has extensive experience relating to applications under the Family Law Act 1996 for non-molestation and occupation orders.

Other areas of Law

Mani also has experience in Court of Protection work and cases relating to human rights and family law. He also works in public law proceedings representing all types of parties and has been involved in complex cases involving non accidental injuries. Mani is also Direct Access qualified.

Published cases:

Mani has appeared in a number of published cases such as:

Court of Appeal Cases:

• C v M (A Child) (Abduction: Representation of Child Party) [2023] EWCA Civ 1449

• Re T (Abduction: Protective Measures: Agreement to return) [2023] EWCA Civ 1415  

• Allami v Fakher (Court of Appeal) [2023] EWCA 532 

• Re H (A Child) (Recusal) [2023] 4 WLR 64

High Court Cases:

• E v The Child and Family Agency of Ireland & Ors [2024] EWHC 1778
• Re D (Wardship: Jurisdiction: Cutting Across Statutory Schemes), Re [2024] EWHC 1658
• Re G and H (Children: Return to Ghana) [2024] EWHC 1453
• Fakher v Allami [2024] EWHC 841
• Re N (A Child) (Ukraine: Art. 13 (b)) (No. 2) [2024] EWHC 1282
• Re N (A Child) (Ukraine: Art. 13 (b)) [2024] EWHC 871
• R v M (Hague Convention; Withdrawal of Application and Art. 16 (Parental Responsibility)) [2024] EWHC 720

• GM & Anor v EB & Anor (Rules of Evidence) [2024] EWHC 288

• MB v KB & Ors (Costs) [2023] EWHC 3299
• MB v KB & Ors [2023] EWHC 3177

• EC v BM [2023] EWHC 3237

• H v Usama Ikram Butt & Anor [2023] EWHC 3042
• K v E [2023] EWHC 2890 (Fam)

• Re Z  (A Child) (1980 Hague Convention) [2023] EWHC 2696 
• Re A (Minors) [2023] EWHC 3537
• Sater v Sater [2023] EWHC 3509
• Re A (Article 13b, Ukraine) [2023] EWHC 3524

• NM v SM [2023] EWHC 2209 

• Re B (A Child) (Consent; Acquiescence, Intolerability) [2023] EWHC 2162
• Re K & S (Article 13 (b)) [2023] EWHC 1883 

• C v M & Anor (No 1 Hague Abduction: Application for Re-hearing) 

• Re Y (A Child) (Abduction: Romania Article 13(b) [2023] EWHC 1676 

• Z v Z [2023] EWHC 1673

• Addou v Bennabi [2023] EWHC 2469 

• C v M & Anor [2023] EWHC 1182 

• R v P [2023] EWHC 914 

• Allami v Fakher [2023] EWFC 59 

• Re DQ (A Child) (Abduction: Defence of Consent) [2023] EWHC 891 

• Re Child E [2023] EWHC 584 
• Re T (A Child: Application to Permanently Relocate) [2023] EWHC 545 
• FB v MG [2023] 1 FLR 1151 
• T v V & Anor [2022] EWHC 2692
• Addou v Bennabi (committal) [2022] EWHC 3465 
• Re N (Abduction) [2022] EWHC 3146 
• J v R [2022] EWFC 104
• GTJ v LS [2022] EWHC 3688 
• ADK v ASI [2022] EWHC 2610 
• YP v HP [2022] EWHC 1954 
• F and S (Special Guardianship Order with Supervision Order) [2021] EWFC B19 
• London Borough of Southwark v A Family [2020] EWHC 3117 
• A City Council v A Mother & Ors (Care Proceedings Radicalisation) [2019] EWHC 3076, [2020] 1 FLR 515