Our specialist team provides advice and representation to patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and to those subject to Community Treatment Orders (CTO) and Guardianship.  Assistance is also available to informal/voluntary patients, for those requiring help with aftercare, and to relatives and carers.

Our advocates are recognised experts in this field providing the highest quality and specialist advice available.

• Mental Health Tribunal Hearings
• Hospital Managers Hearings
• CPA/Section 117 and Professionals Meetings
• Mental Health Act
• Section 2 & Section 3
• Section 117 Aftercare
• Treatment Issues
• Nearest Relative
• Seclusion & Restraint
• Judicial Review
• Human Rights
• Mental Capacity & Court of Protection

Our mental health team includes Accredited members of the Law Society’s Mental Health Tribunal Panel including active members of the Mental Health Lawyers Association.  We can provide a cohesive approach across the spectrum of mental health, mental capacity, and community care matters.

Most days I’m in a hospital in the North West representing a client at a Mental Health Tribunal/Managers Hearing/CPA meeting or visiting them in the run-up to a hearing.  My specialism is representing restricted patients, some of whom are very “high profile”, and I spend much of my time at Ashworth Hospital, one of the three high-secure units in the country.  It’s fantastic to see clients’ mental states improving, their risk reduced and their lives transformed.  Progress can be slow and inevitably there are challenges.  However, it’s incredibly rewarding to assist clients in identifying a pathway forward, to encourage them as they step down the security ladder and ultimately, to represent them before the Tribunal when it is wholly realistic to argue that continued detention in hospital is neither necessary nor appropriate

We have been advising clients since 1792 and therefore we have a great reputation for understanding and getting the best results for our clients.

Speak to us about your circumstances and we will always explain your options, any fees, funding options or legal aid eligibility and tailor the advice to your individual needs.

We provide mental health advice and representation throughout England and Wales.

If you would like to speak to a member of the team to discuss your case, please contact us on 01282 422711 or email enquiries@southernslaw.co.uk

• “I would like to say Tom was absolutely brilliant and very kind and understanding throughout.”
• “Tom was absolutely amazing. It felt like a collaborative process and I never felt like I was being forced into decisions. Tom clearly put a lot of effort into the case which reassured me and made the process less stressful than it could have been. Tom was an absolute credit to the firm and I’d have no doubt recommending him to anyone.”