Soni Mandair

Soni has specialised in Mental Health law since 1994 and been a member of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation scheme since 1996.

Soni is a founding member of the committee to the Mental Health Lawyers Association and a former peer reviewer for the Legal Services Commission. Soni is passionate about quality standards in publicly funded work contributing to the second edition of the Mental Health Lawyers good guide for managing case files.

She joined Abbotstone Law in 2014 as a Consultant solicitor, prior to this Soni held senior managerial roles in other large mental health providers acting in a supervisory role.

Soni specialises in representing patients detained or being treated in the community under Part II (civil sections) and Part III (forensic sections) of the Mental Health Act including those transferred from prison to hospital. She has experience of representing complex forensic patients detained in high secure hospitals and has successfully argued a case for discharge direct from Broadmoor Hospital. Her experience as an accredited police station lawyer and knowledge of criminal practice and procedure supports her specialist knowledge of forensic mental health law.

She has advised and assisted patients in numerous Hospital Managers hearings and advised and represented nearest relatives. Soni also provides pro bono advice to healthcare providers on a regular basis.

Soni speaks Punjabi.