Maha Sardar

A barrister working in human rights, immigration, and asylum. Cared for and helped guide her mother through her journey with gallbladder cancer. 

Maha is a human rights barrister in the immigration team at Garden Court Chambers, where she works on all immigration and asylum matters, serving a wide variety of clientele. Her specialism is vulnerable clients: refugees, unaccompanied minors, victims of torture and trafficking. She provides representation at all levels in court including First Tier, Upper Tribunal, High Court, and Court of Appeal. Her practice includes a particular focus on vulnerable women and children. She is very experienced with domestic and international jurisprudence on the Refugee Convention, European conventions (including ECHR, Istanbul Convention and ECAT) and international Human Rights conventions and standards. She is regularly invited to speak and provide training on asylum, human rights, trafficking, and immigration issues. 

Maha lost her mother to gallbladder cancer in January 2023. Whilst she cared for and guided her mother throughout her illness, she became acutely aware of the lack of information, resources, and support to cancer patients and those who care for them. She experienced first-hand the de-humanising effect of the current system, and wanted to ensure that in future others have the tools, information, and resources they need to navigate this incredibly difficult period of their lives.

As a trustee of the Cancer Awareness Trust, Maha felt that she could channel her grief into something positive; to help create a platform which will make a real difference in the lives of cancer patients by giving them agency and dignity.