Sophie specialises in Court of Protection and Community Care. She has a background in Public Law, Housing, and Immigration & Asylum.
Her broad practice enables her to provide holistic advice to clients.
Court of Protection
Overview
Sophie accepts instructions in all areas of Court of Protection work, primarily in health and welfare and deprivation of liberty cases. She regularly acts for the Official Solicitor, Accredited Legal Representatives, Rule 1.2 representatives, and other professional advocate litigation friends, as well as family members, local authorities, and health bodies.
Sophie is able to advise clients holistically, drawing on her multi-disciplinary knowledge of other practice areas, including education, housing, and immigration & asylum.
Sophie’s current caseload includes:
- Acting for the Official Solicitor for P, a young person with complex physical and mental health conditions, in proceedings seeking authorisation of their deprivation of liberty concerning care, residence, and medical treatment.
- Acting for a family member in proceedings concerning their child’s proposed deprivation of liberty within a residential educational setting, involving complex behavioural issues requiring a multi-agency approach.
- Acting for the Official Solicitor in a section 21A challenge where P seeks to move abroad, advising on country expert and psychiatric evidence.
- Acting for the Official Solicitor in cases where P seeks to regularise their immigration status whilst being without recourse to public funds.
- Acting for the Official Solicitor where P, diagnosed with a hoarding disorder, faces an injunction application by the local authority to enter the property for repair works.
- Acting for the Official Solicitor in section 21A proceedings brought by a person with a complex traumatic brain injury, where parallel personal injury proceedings impact the funding and provision of rehabilitation.
- Acting for the Official Solicitor in section 16 proceedings concerning a disabled young person in receipt of a personal injury compensation claim, where there are allegations of misuse of funds by property and affairs deputies.
Sophie has a particular interest in cases involving complex mental health and neurological conditions, the restraint of neurodivergent people, and transitions from children’s to adult services.
Contact Sophie
Community Care Law
Overview
Sophie is experienced in community care work. She has most recently advised on judicial review cases involving looked-after children and care leavers, challenges to unlawful assessments under the Care Act 2014, and access to Disabled Facilities Grants. She welcomes instructions across the broad spectrum of community care, including cases where the client lacks mental capacity to litigate and requires a Litigation Friend.
Sophie contributed to Garden Court Chambers’ response to the Law Commission Consultation on Disabled Children’s Social Care and previously to the Review of Civil Legal Aid, insofar as it relates to community care work.
