3PB Direct

How much experience do you have in this area?

I was called as a barrister in 2014. Both before and immediately after I gained experience working in house with some of the country’s leading solicitors in judicial review and education disputes. Consequently, I have had the privilege of being involved directly with members of the public in some of the leading education and social care cases of this decade.

When representing individuals, I pride myself on my exceptional client care skills, ensuring that clients are empowered to resolve their disputes, whilst understanding the cost implications of their actions.

When representing organisations and public bodies, alongside providing excellent client care, I seek to ensure that, as well as resolving ongoing disputes, a risk based approach is adopted to try and prevent future issues arising.

Legal Expertise

I have 9 years’ experience in advising, representing and assisting individuals, local authorities, schools, colleges and universities in a wide range of education disputes. I am also the Deputy Chair of a higher education institution. My particular areas of interest are:

  • Bringing and defending appeals to the special educational needs tribunal (both in England and in Wales)
  • Bringing and defending disability discriminations claims in the education sector
  • Advising on data protection within the education sector
  • Complaints to the OIA
  • Judicial review proceedings across the education sphere
  • Advising and preparing various types of commercial documentation in relation to governance and regulation

Outside of legal work, I am widely published having acted as a contributing editor and author on two leading education law textbooks, alongside authoring various articles across industry and legal publications.

I provide advice and representation to family members going through disputes with each other, their local authority, the Office of the Public Guardian or a healthcare provider in relation to someone lacking capacity. I particularly enjoy assisting with conflicts in relation to the appointment of deputies, lasting powers of attorney, medical treatment and the use of finances.

Alongside disputes, I am also happy to help with the variety of advisory and form filling tasks associated with the applications that may be made to the court.

I sit as a Chair (a type of judge) within the Valuation Tribunal for England and, as a result, am developing expertise in land based disputes. My particular interest is in planning and environmental issues.

I am happy to advise on obtaining planning permission, objecting to the grant of planning permission, planning enforcement, the contents of s106 agreements, hearings and inquiries before the Planning Inspectorate, applications to the Planning Court.

Recent experience includes:

  • Representing a rule 6 party in a planning inquiry, objecting to the proposed development of a new prison in the Green Belt
  • Advising on and assisting draft an objection to a proposed housing regeneration scheme;
  • Advising on a proposed challenge to a traffic management scheme;
  • Advising upon and drafting correspondence in a claim under environmental health legislation.

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