Mental Health

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Doughty Street Chambers offers a highly experienced and committed team of practitioners in this rapidly developing, complex and sensitive area of law. Members of the team are available to advise and appear at every level of court, from Mental Health Review Tribunals and Coroners' Courts to the higher and appellate courts and the European Court of Human Rights. They also have extensive experience of inquiries, including inquiries after homicides.

Issues of mental health and ill health arise in a multitude of situations requiring legal advice and resolution. The jurisprudence in the field is continually developing and members of the team have been at the forefront of many of these developments and regularly deal with issues of mainstream mental health law, such as detention, guardianship, treatment, capacity and "best interests" issues in the High Court. The multi-disciplinary nature of the team means that we can deal effectively with mental health issues arising in cases across the board, from crime to prisoners, inquests, housing, community care, professional negligence, disability discrimination, immigration, children with special educational needs and cases involving institutional abuse. The team has a strong public law background and extensive experience of human rights law, and of taking cases to Strasbourg under the European Convention on Human Rights. Within the criminal sphere members of the team have experience in dealing with mentally disordered offenders at all stages of the criminal justice process. Recent appeal cases have challenged convictions and sentences in light of fresh psychiatric evidence, particularly where the appellant has been transferred to hospital following conviction.

Doughty Street Chambers is committed to the provision of quality service and representation for its clients. We understand that the nature of modern litigation requires counsel to provide a responsive service in which we work together with solicitors to maximise advantage for the client. We can offer guaranteed timetables for the return of work to ensure that your deadlines will be met. Our clerking team is always available to discuss appropriate fee levels and we are happy to provide hourly rates for our work.

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