Connor practises exclusively within the health and social care sector, with expertise in mental capacity, deprivation of liberty, regulatory proceedings, safeguarding, medical treatment, and inquests. Connor provides advice to local authorities, regulators, Health Boards, housing associations and private care providers regarding these complex and highly sensitive issues.
Connor routinely conducts his own advocacy in the Court of Protection and the Coroner’s Courts. Connor sits as a legal advisor to regulatory Panels and receives instructions to act as an independent Counsel to cross examine vulnerable witnesses in regulatory proceedings.
Mental capacity
Connor uses his expertise to advise health and social care clients on complex mental capacity and adult safeguarding cases. This includes developing areas of law concerning capacity and best interests. Connor has a wealth of experience representing clients in contested welfare and s21a applications in the Court of Protection.
Connor frequently advises on proceedings being heard before the High Court where there are issues concerning capacity and best interests regarding contact, use of social media and the internet, engaging in sexual relations, and use of contraception, along with challenging issues involving the interface of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Mental Health Act 1983.
Connor has advised Professional Deputies on inter-related property/financial affairs and health/welfare issues before the Court of Protection.
Connor has past experience working with individuals at the centre of Court of Protection welfare disputes, instructed for protected parties by professional advocates and the Official Solicitor. This professional history, combined with having represented both health and social care organisations, means he has a well-rounded experience in this area.
Inquests
Connor is experienced in representing health and social care clients at inquest proceedings, including hearings before juries, where Article 2 is engaged, and there is significant press interest. He has advised clients at all stages of inquest proceedings. His experience includes advising on deaths in custody, deaths arising from complex medical circumstances, and deaths of young adults with mental health concerns.
Regulatory
Connor sits as a legal advisor to social care regulatory Panels, providing advice on fitness to practice rules and procedures at interim orders hearings and fitness to practice hearings. He also chairs pre-hearing review hearings.
Connor receives instructions to act as an independent Counsel to cross examine vulnerable witnesses in other regulatory proceedings. This requires the utmost sensitivity in putting questions from a registered professional to the vulnerable witness, often where there are allegations of inappropriate behaviour which is sexual in nature, or the witness is a child.
Other experience
Away from contentious work, Connor provides advice on compliance with health and social care legislation and regulation, commissioning arrangements, and ordinary residence.
Connor is often asked to provide training to legal teams and professional clients on health and social care issues.
Connor is a member of CoPPA Cymru. Mae Connor yn ddysgwr.
Education
- Queens University Belfast, Law with Politics
- Cardiff University, LPC Part-time
Career
- Senior Associate at Hugh James May 2025
- Associate at Hugh James 2023 – 2025
- Solicitor at CJCH Solicitors 2020 – 2023
- Solicitor at NWSSP Legal & Risk Services 2018 – 2020
- Solicitor at DAC Beachcroft 2017 – 2018
Experience
- Advising a local authority in contested Court of Protection proceedings that involved a fact-finding hearing, injunctions, contact restrictions, and a residence dispute Denbighshire County Council v P &Ors [2025] EWCOP 43 (T2) (24 September 2025)
- Advising a local authority on recognition and enforcement of a foreign order in the Court of Protection Argyll and Bute Council v RF [2025] EWCOP 12 (T3)
- Representing a protected party (‘P’) in Court of Protection proceedings where a High Court judge made findings that P had been coercively controlled by her husband: MB v PB [2022] EWCOP 14 .
- Advising a health board on an urgent application to seek dental treatment under restraint for a young man with a learning disability Cardiff & Vale University Health Board v P (by his litigation friend, CL)
- Representing a housing association at an inquest where concerns were raised that mould in the deceased’s property contributed to his death arising from severe COPD
- Representing a Health Board at an inquest of a man who drowned while on escorted leave from a mental health unit: Western Telegraph: Misadventure conclusion in inquest of man who drowned in Haverfordwest pond
- Representing a Health Board at an inquest of a young man with an unexplained cause of death leading to an open conclusion: BBC news: Open conclusion after man’s death
- Advising a university at an inquest of a student who took his own life