Christopher studied Ancient and Modern History at Keble College Oxford University before completing the Common Professional Exam and the Bar Vocational Course.  He was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple and lectured for many years at The University of Northumbria in Newcastle upon Tyne.  He holds a Master of Laws degree in Canon Law from The University of Cardiff.  He has taught on a broad range of courses both academic, undergraduate and postgraduate, and professional courses such as the BPTC and Professional Skills Courses for trainee solicitors.  He was the Programme Leader for the LLB incorporating the Bar Vocational.  He completed his LLM dissertation on the canonical and civil regulation of sexuality and has contributed to the Ecclesiastical Law Journal.  He also wrote regularly for the Legal Executive Journal and contributed towards Public Law texts for students.  He retains a great interest in History of many different periods, enjoys reading literature, and takes a keen interest in Church Affairs.

Since retiring from academia Christopher has moved into legal practice and now specialises in mental health law representing patients liable to be detained in hospital under civil and restricted sections of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Christopher is a keen advocate for patient’s rights and is committed to ensuring that the rights of vulnerable persons are protected.

Conference Papers and Publications:

Art and literature in the Trial of Oscar Wilde, SLSA Conference, Sussex University, Brighton, 2012

Rogers, Christopher, Mercer, Sarah, and Sandford-Couch, Clare (2011) Teaching dissent in the Law School: have students learned to disagree? Liverpool Law Review, 32(2) pp.135-148

Trials of Dissenters: Group Presentations as the primary teaching method in LLB Options, ALT, Clare College, Cambridge, 2010

Teaching Dissent in the Law School, SLS Conference, Keele University, 2009

Contributor to Public Law chapters in Smith R., Murrell, L., and Rook, D., Conversion Course Companion for Law: Cases and Principles for the CPE/GDL (London, 2008)

Rhiannon undertakes Court of Protection and Community Care work and is based in Cornwall.

Rhiannon is experienced in the Court of Protection with Health and Welfare cases including acting for the Protected party and other family members. Other work can include s21A challenges to standard authorisations (DOLS) (Welfare) cases. She often takes instructions from the Official Solicitor. Rhiannon is an Accredited Legal Representative (ALR) with the Law Society.

Community Care cases include obtaining assessments of Care and Support needs, assessments for Carers, the provision of services, challenges to Care and Support Plans and Judicial Reviews in relation to the provision of services and accommodation.

Prior to training as a solicitor Rhiannon worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau and specialised in debt advice including housing and welfare benefits.  She is dedicated to publicly funded work and is passionate about ensuring the most vulnerable in society are able to access and obtain high quality legal advice and representation.

In 2020 Rhiannon Jones was appointed as a Fee paid Tribunal Judge of the First Tier Tribunal Social Security Chamber.

– Legal 500 2021 Testimonial

– Legal 500 2022 Testimonial

Notable Cases:

NP, Re [2020] EWCOP 44

The case concerned NP, a 69-year-old man from Cornwall who has been married for 35 years to BKP. In December 2018 NP collapsed at home and had to be hospitalised. NP was diagnosed of neurological sequelae of herpesviral encephalitis and personality change due to known psychological condition. In February 2019 NP was transferred to the X neuro-rehabilitation unit where he currently resides. In September 2019 BKP was told by the X neuro-rehabilitation unit that it was considered that NP’s recovery had ‘plateaued’ and was not going to be receiving further physiotherapy or occupational therapy. He was therefore medically fit for discharge. The issue arose as to where NP should be discharged, the Council believing his needs would be best met in a residential care home and BKP wishing him to return home with a package of care. After careful consideration of the evidence the Judge agreed with BKP and the Official Solicitor, acting as litigation friend to NP, and ordered that NP should return home with a package of care on a trial basis. Included in his reasoning the Judge considered NP’s right to live independently and be included in the community, as set out in Article 19 to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006 (“CRPD”), which the UK ratified in 2009.

 Legal 500 2021 Testimonial: 

‘Rhiannon Jones is always easy to work with, helps cut through any legal jargon, and is very friendly and approachable whilst being able to fight on behalf of the protected party. Rhiannon is often on hand to talk matters through and nothing ever seems too much trouble for her‘

Awards:

2016: Shortlisted in the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards (in the ‘Newcomer’ category)

2016: Highly Commended in the Junior Lawyer category at the Law Society’s Excellence Awards.

Angela specialises in Mental Health law and Mental Capacity law and routinely provides advice in respect of the complex overlap between these two areas of law.

Angela has extensive experience in Court of Protection matters relating to health and welfare disputes over residence, care and contact and in s.21A applications challenging authorisations granted under the deprivation of liberty safeguards regime.  She primarily represents the protected party (‘P’) in welfare cases, most frequently instructed on P’s behalf by the Official Solicitor, but also represents relatives involved in disputes over their loved ones’ care and residence or disagreements about their level of contact with their relatives.

Angela also has wide-ranging experience in representing and advising both forensic and non-forensic patients and their Nearest Relatives in applications to the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health) and appeals to the Upper Tribunal.

Angela is a member of the Law Society’s Mental Capacity (Welfare) Accreditation Scheme and has fulfilled the additional quality standards for approval under that scheme as an Accredited Legal Representative (‘ALR’).  Angela is regularly appointed as an ALR by the court in appropriate cases as an alternative to a litigation friend.

Angela is also a member of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation Scheme.

– Legal 500 2022 Testimonial

Notable Cases:

Angela has been involved in a range of cases before the Court of Protection under s.16 and s.21A of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 as well as in judicial review proceedings in the Administrative Court.

LBX v K, L and M (2013) EWHC 3230 (Fam), (2013) MHLO 148:

Angela acted for a family member of ‘P’ in respect of long-running proceedings before the Court of Protection.  The case dealt with a careful break down of the core components of relevant and irrelevant information to be provided to ‘P’ in the determination of capacity on residence and contact.  The final order dealt with matters under the inherent jurisdiction.

AB v HT & Ors [2018] EWCOP 2:

Acting for a family member (P’s aunt) in these complex and difficult proceedings, Mr Justice Baker had to determine whether:

1.   P had historical capacity to marry and have sexual relations when, in August 2013, she had undergone an Islamic marriage with MS,
2.   P has capacity to make decisions as to her care, residence and contact with others and also to marry;
3.   If P does lack capacity, should the court make best interests decisions in light of its findings following a five day fact-finding hearing?

Ruling in our client’s favour, the court determined P should continue to have unrestricted contact her aunt, but P’s contact with her father should be limited and no direct or indirect contact was to take place between P and her Islamic husband.  The court declined at that stage to make final declarations as to P’s capacity or to make best interests decisions in terms of P’s care and residence as P remained detained under section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Antony qualified as a General Nurse in 1986. His NHS nursing career progressed to him moving into the management of Community and Mental Health Services at a senior level.

After leaving the NHS he became an Associate Hospital Manager, chairing and sitting as a panel member on Hospital Manager Hearings. This gave him considerable understanding of the impact that compulsory detention under the Mental Health Act has on a person’s life and on the lives of those that surround them.

Motivated by personal stories, Antony trained to become a Solicitor with the aim of practising mental health law and qualifying in 2009. Antony represents a cross section of detained and community patients, both civil and restricted. His cross practise in criminal law equipping him with specialist knowledge to represent forensic patients subject to special restrictions and those transferred from prison to hospitals. He became a Member of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation Scheme in 2011 and is a specialist solicitor representing the rights of vulnerable individuals.

Antony provides a full range of services to include advising and assisting at CPA/117 meetings, representing clients at Hospital Managers Hearings and First-tier Tribunals; and representing Nearest Relatives in displacement proceedings in the County Court.

Andrea is a leading solicitor within the field of forensic mental health law and specialises in the representation of clients detained in high and medium secure hospitals.  She conducts her own advocacy before First-tier Tribunal hearings but also works closely with specialist counsel on legally complex hearings lasting many days.

Andrea has acted on behalf of a number of high profile offenders assessed as high risk with complex needs and has a keen interest in hospital prison transfer patients and working with them and their clinical teams to ensure their successful rehabilitation and release. Andrea’s work in the field of mental health law was recognised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group when in 2010 she was a finalist for the Mental Health Lawyer of the Year Award. Andrea was also listed as a Rising Star in Super Lawyers 2013.

Andrea also has experience in Court of Protection deprivation of liberty cases and is well placed to deal with the interface between the mental health law and mental capacity law and to advise on complex issues that arise.

For many years Andrea has acted as a category supervisor training trainees and paralegals supporting them to qualify as specialist solicitors and to achieve Law Society panel accreditation. Andrea also provides training on behalf of the Mental Health Lawyer’s Association in delivering the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation course.

Andrea has also previously sat as a Hospital Manager for the East London NHS Foundation Trust and chaired hearings.

Notable Cases:

MM v Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust [2013] UKUT 107 (AAC). This case related to the service of an independent report.  The Upper Tribunal concluded that the First-tier Tribunal’s duty was to decide on the evidence available rather than to speculate on possible explanations why an independent report was not served.

May 2020 – Andrea successfully appealed the decision of a single First-tier Tribunal Judge to proceed with a hearing whereby the patient was unpresented. Andrea successful argued the Judge erred in law by failing to consider whether the patient had capacity to litigate in person.

Lara qualified as a solicitor in 2005 and is a long standing member of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation Scheme.  In 2007 Lara was made a partner of the firm she qualified with, before moving on to Head of Department at the largest provider of publicly funded services.

In 2012, Lara was appointed by the Law Society as an Assessor for candidates applying to become members of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation Scheme.

Lara is a specialist mental health practitioner, with extensive experience advising and representing a cross section of civil and restricted clients detained under the Mental Health Act, from those detained in conditions of maximum security, through to general acute settings and clients receiving treatment under Community Treatment Orders. She has successfully appealed decisions of the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health), has represented client’s in judicial review proceedings, and in nearest relative displacement proceedings before the County Court.  More recently, Lara has represented in Section 21A Court of Protection proceedings, challenging authorisations granted under the deprivation of liberty safeguards regime.

Lara is dedicated to publically funded work and representing those most vulnerable in society, with a particular interest in representing conditionally discharged patients seeking an absolute discharge.

In recognition of her work in this area of law, Lara was listed as a Rising Star in Super Lawyers 2013.

As a founding partner, Lara is appointed as the firm’s Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration.

Lara is a trust appointed school governor, she has been closely involved in a recent Ofsted inspection and the school conversion to academy status.