Year of call: 2018
Ifsa Mahmood has a fast-developing public law practice and works predominantly in the Court of Protection.
Her work spans both health and welfare and property and affairs cases. Ifsa is also experienced in matters involving the Mental Health Act 1983 and abuse and human rights claims.
Ifsa regularly accepts instructions in administrative and public law work and is a member of the Government Legal Department’s Junior Junior Panel. Her experience ranges from acting in judicial review matters in age assessment cases to advising on funding disputes between public bodies. Ifsa was recently instructed by Defra in Module 1 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Before joining chambers, Ifsa worked as a lawyer in the UK division of the European Court of Human Rights. Between 2018-19, she was the Judicial Assistant to Lord Justice Irwin at the Court of Appeal where she assisted with cases concerning a range of public law and human rights issues.
Ifsa also has a background in public international law having completed a master’s degree in the subject at Leiden University. In 2017, she completed an internship at the Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Ifsa is regularly instructed in a range of health and welfare cases including section 21A challenges and section 16 welfare applications. She accepts instructions from local authorities, NHS Trusts, Integrated Care Boards and on behalf of P. She also has experience in property and affairs matters and has worked on cases concerning deputyships and testamentary capacity.
Ifsa accepts instructions on matters relating to the Mental Health Act 1983 and has acted for local authorities in section 29 applications concerning the displacement of a nearest relative.
During her pupillage, Ifsa gained experience in judicial review proceedings on a range of matters including the many iterations of the coronavirus regulations and the Care Act 2014. She has also written and contributed to a number of articles published in the Journal of Licencing on topics including the public sector equality duty and the recent review of weddings law by the Law Commission.
In practice, she has been instructed on judicial review challenges relating to age assessments and the coronavirus regulations. She has also advised on funding disputes between public bodies.
Ifsa has continued to build on her experience in human rights work during her pupillage. She has worked on matters relating to breaches of Article 5 rights, failure to remove cases, and human rights claims arising out of Care Act assessments.
Ifsa is currently instructed as sole counsel to the British Association of Social Workers in Modules 6 and 8 of the Covid-19 Inquiry.
Ifsa has experience in advising and representing a range of clients over the course of public inquires. Prior to her current instruction, she acted as junior counsel for other core participants in the Covid-19 Inquiry, including a government department and a high-profile public figure.
Legal 500 2025
‘Ifsa is a fountain of knowledge for mental capacity law and excellent at dealing with complex and difficult Court of Protection matters.’
