Court of Protection solicitors

Specialist Court of Protection solicitors

Our team of Court of Protection solicitors has an exceptional reputation for expert, efficient and sensitive support to families having to make important decisions for a vulnerable person through the Court of Protection. Read what our clients say about us.

We have teams based in Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Southampton, Taunton, London and Birmingham, ready to help you.

What is the Court of Protection?

The Court of Protection makes decisions for people who lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs for any reason, such as an injury, dementia, a disability or learning difficulty. The decisions the Court of Protection can make include who should manage the person’s finances.

How our Court of Protection solicitors can help

Whether you have a disabled child or are caring for a vulnerable adult or elderly relative, our dedicated Court of Protection solicitors can help you make the right decisions to safeguard and protect their financial interests. We can support you with:

Applying to be a Court of Protection Deputy

A Court of Protection Deputy is authorised by the Court of Protection to manage a person’s affairs. The process of applying to be a Deputy can often be time consuming and confusing. We can support you through the application process or make the application on your behalf.

To become a Court of Protection Deputy there are a number of forms that you must complete and return to the Court. During the application process, there are several people that you must formally notify about your application process – including the person that you are applying to make decisions for and other interested parties, such as friends or relatives. If your application is successful, the Court will grant you a court order, which outlines your powers and responsibilities.

Acting as a Court of Protection professional Deputy

If there is no-one willing or able to act as the Deputy, we can act as a professional Deputy instead.

A professional Deputy is someone pre-approved by the Court to act on behalf of people that don’t have the mental capacity to make important decisions for themselves.

Anthony Fairweather and Anne Minihane senior partners at Clarke Willmott, are two of only 75 Court of Protection panel Deputies in the country. Both have a wealth of experience in Court of Protection matters both in the UK and internationally.

Our Court of Protection solicitors have established such an exceptional reputation that people often switch to Clarke Willmott having been disappointed by their original choice of Court of Protection Deputy.

Support for Deputies or Attorneys

Our Court of Protection team has specialist knowledge in all the areas Deputies or Attorneys often need support in. We can also provide support with:

• Administration – completing Court of Protection forms, tax returns or returns to the Office of the Public Guardian
• Advice on financial planning, investments and inheritance tax
• Managing disputes with families or carers about a vulnerable person’s finances, and best interests.
• Applying to the Court of Protection to make a Statutory Will

A Statutory Will is a will that is made and ratified by the Court of Protection on behalf of an individual who lacks capacity. Once made, a statutory Will is legally binding. Applications for Statutory Wills can be complex.

If the person for whom you’re acting for has no Will or an out-of-date Will, we can help you apply to the Court of Protection to make a Statutory Will.

Why clients choose our Court of Protection Solicitors

We are experts

We are a dedicated team of Court of Protection specialists. Our singular focus means we understand the issues inside out and can provide pragmatic and effective solutions.

Unlike many firms, we have extensive experience dealing with international Court of Protection matters where clients with foreign assets, may need assistance dealing with foreign legal or financial institutions. We can also help clients based outside of the UK, deal with UK financial or legal institutions.

We are responsive

We won’t leave you waiting for an answer. You will receive the support you need promptly, so decisions can be made quickly. Our aim is to respond to requests within 24 hours and we normally make payments on the same day.

We are supportive and inclusive

We take time to get to know you, so we understand how best to support you in the moment. We will involve you in decisions. And we won’t cut you out. We’ll encourage you to do what you can, and want, to do to help – whether that’s to save money or you just want to be more involved in the process.

Court of Protection costs – we are efficient and cost effective

Wherever possible, we look for ways to keep our Court of Protection costs down. For example:

• As many Court of Protection forms are repetitive, we use specialist software to make the data entry process more efficient.
• We always select the most appropriate team member for each task. Our very capable paralegals assist families with more straightforward tasks whilst our senior lawyers concentrate on more complex matters.
• The involvement of willing family members can also help keep costs down. If you want to be involved in the process, we are always happy to delegate appropriate tasks or responsibilities to you.
• Most of our work is done from our Bristol office and charged accordingly. So if you’re based London you’ll benefit from seeing us in person, without having to pay London rates.

But don’t just take our word for it, if you would like to speak to one of our clients to hear their experience directly, please contact Anthony Fairweather.

What our clients say about us

Contact a Court of Protection solicitor

We’re confident you’ll be impressed by the way we work – but to make sure we’re the right fit for you, we offer a free and confidential initial consultation.

We have specialist Court of Protection lawyers in London, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Southampton and Taunton. Call us now on 0800 652 8025 or contact us online.