Position
I joined Wilsons in May 2013 as a senior solicitor and supervisor. I am also a member of the in-house advocacy team.
Before joining Wilsons I worked in a Local Authority for three years and as the senior solicitor managing the child protection team of lawyers. I have a strong working knowledge of how social services operate within care proceedings. I have first-hand experience into internal procedures, the processes involved in making decisions concerning children and the implications of policies and regulations on care planning.
I consider this knowledge as invaluable especially when I am representing parents who wish to challenge the Local Authority on their care planning decisions.
Your week
I was an accredited member of the Law Society’s Children Panel as a Local Authority Representative. However, upon joining Wilsons I wanted to prove my adaptability to private practice. I therefore sought to convert my accreditation to reflect the fact that I was now in private practice and to demonstrate that I was able to transfer my skills, knowledge and experiences to the representation of children, parents and family members in care proceedings.
For me, being a Law Society accredited specialist, in the area of law that you practice, is crucial. It demonstrates that as a solicitor you have shown, to the satisfaction of the Law Society that you have and will maintain a high level of knowledge, skills, experience and practice in your area of law.
This in turn provides clients with the reassurance and comfort that their case is being handled by a solicitor who is part of the Law Society’s list of specialist solicitors. My clients know that I will provide them with the best possible representation.
The conversion application involved a written exercise, case studies and a panel interview at the Law Society. I was examined on legislation, case law, practice and procedure.
I successfully passed the Law Society’s Children Panel application process. My Law Society Children Panel Accreditation will now reflect that I am a Children Representative in private practice.
The Future
I will continue to represent children through their Guardians. I also represent parents, grandparents and relatives of children involved in care proceedings and children law matters. I want ensure that I am able to assist in the right decisions being made for vulnerable children.