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Mental Health

Mental Health

A Specialist Team for Specialist Mental Health Issues

Any Legal matter can be potentially confusing and stressful and that is particularly so in the area of Mental Health. It is therefore more than ever important in this field for patients and their families to have access to professional legal advice of the highest quality given by Lawyers who understand the legal complexities involved but also the concerns of patients, detainees and their families.

We are committed to this work and have a highly experienced, dedicated Specialist Department comprising Solicitors Paul Cooper, Andrew Clark and Leanne Glover who are supported by Paralegals, Lorraine Burchett and Danielle Grice-Lowe. We hold a Franchise in Mental Health Law from the Legal Services Commission enabling work to be undertaken under free public funding when appropriate.

Mental Health Review Tribunals

Andrew Clark and Paul Cooper are both longstanding members of the Law Society’s Mental Health Review Tribunal Panel. We will be happy to represent you or your relative at such a hearing and free Public Funding is usually available if an application has already been made. It is also often available for advice about making an application.

Lack of Capacity cases

The Team can also assist clients who are detained in Care Homes or elsewhere through alleged lack of capacity rather than mental illness. Recent changes in the law give an opportunity for such people, often the elderly, to seek to review or challenge their continued detention if that seems to be appropriate. Advice can be given as to that. Representation at any ultimate application to the Court of Protection can be provided.

The Team can also give advice to concerned relatives.

Free Public Funding is often available and we will be happy to advise in any particular case whether it would be.

Out of Office visits

We are of course happy to travel to visit detained clients throughout the County and, within reason, the neighbouring area. Patients who are not detained or relatives can be seen at our various Offices.

Other Services for Patients and their Families

We are a large firm that can offer support on virtually all legal problems.

In particular we realise that people with mental health problems or their families may have financial concerns and we can assist with such issues as Enduring Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Wills, and Deputyship all tailored to meet the special problems that mental illness or lack of capacity can involve for particular clients.

The firm is also able to assist with Statutory Wills, which are valuable for people including the mentally ill who might need Wills planned to maximise tax benefits. It is often important to review Wills following, for example, divorce or the onset of mental illness.

Our Litigation Department can help if a client needs to continue existing litigation through a litigation friend or take new proceedings, for example, after losing capacity through an accident or stroke.

We also have specialist Lawyers in other fields such as Crime, Divorce or Childcare that can impact on people with difficulties of this type.

We will be more than happy to try and assist with any query if you would like to contact us.