Court of Protection (COP)

With dedicated and experienced court of protection solicitors working in our Cardiff and London offices, we have a national presence in matters relating to the Court of Protection. We provide specialist, expert advice and assistance in this niche and complex area of law.

What is the Court of Protection?

The Court of Protection makes decisions on financial or welfare matters for people who can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made, or in other words, lack the required mental capacity.

The court decides whether someone has the mental capacity to make a particular decision for themselves based on the available expert evidence. They appoint deputies to make ongoing decisions for people who lack mental capacity or give people permission to make a one-off decision for someone who lacks capacity.

The court also deals with a range of other matters, including making decisions about lasting or enduring powers of attorney, dealing with emergency applications, considering applications for statutory wills and making decisions about when someone can be deprived of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act.

Our Court of Protection specialists

We value a multidisciplinary approach in this area. Our team comprises solicitors, a qualified social worker and a qualified accountant. This depth of experience allows us to fully understand our client’s needs, which is key to assisting them in the best way possible. The team are assisted by a number of specialist Legal Assistants who have built up excellent relationships with our clients and their families, providing a high level of support in a cost-effective manner.

Members of the team are often involved in providing training to external bodies and have previously assisted with training for social services departments, health departments and the voluntary division. The team organises and runs an annual Brain Injury Conference, and bi annual Spinal Injury Conference aimed at healthcare professionals and the voluntary sector.