Mental Health and Mental Capacity

Coodes’ specialist mental health and mental capacity team provides expert legal advice and support to patients and their families throughout the South West and further afield. If you or a loved one are struggling to find your way through the maze of mental health and community care legislation and bureaucracy, we can help.

Our mental health and mental capacity team provide legal advice and representation across the full spectrum of issues in this area, including:

• Legal representation of clients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
• Assisting and advising clients in respect of the Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Helping clients access appropriate support in the South West
• Advising families of those with mental health disorders on legal rights, mental health care and support available
• Legal representation of vulnerable adults and family in respect of Deprivation of liberty safeguards
• Legal representation of clients before the Court of Protection
• Advising and assisting families following suicide
• Legal representation of clients at inquests

We recognise that issues around mental health and capacity can be both distressing and exhausting, whether you are trying to preserve or regain your own liberty and rights or access the care and protection that a loved one needs. We also know that they are far more common than most people imagine, and when mental health issues enter your life, they can become all-consuming.

Our experienced team of mental health and mental capacity law experts combine detailed knowledge of the latest developments in mental health law with a sympathetic and personal approach. We are experienced in championing and advocating for the rights of vulnerable people and will fight to ensure that their rights and needs are always at the centre of any legal matter affecting them.

We understand that issues of mental health and capacity are about achieving a balance between protection and liberty, safety and autonomy. We work closely with individuals and their families to find solutions that help vulnerable people live in safety and dignity, with the support and protection they need and the freedoms they can manage.

We will take the time to understand your specific circumstances. We’ll help you make sense of the complex law in this field – including breaking down the legal jargon – and we’ll help you to understand your options and the best approach for you to achieve the best outcome.