Tom Sharkey joins Law Society Mental Capacity panel

Tom Sharkey, Partner and head of our Court of Protection team, has been named among the first 30 lawyers appointed to the Law Society’s Mental Capacity panel of experts.

As an accredited mental capacity legal expert, Tom is recognised by the Law Society for his experience in representing the needs of vulnerable clients.

Whilst a new scheme, it is likely that as with other Law Society accreditation initiatives, membership of the Mental Capacity panel will be seen as the gold standard for Court of Protection lawyers.

As a specialist Court of Protection solicitor, Tom can help anyone who lacks mental capacity – including older people and those injured in accidents – and their relatives to apply to the Court for a deputyship which allows someone else to manage their affairs.

This can be a family member or friend, or it can be Tom himself – he is qualified to act as a professional deputy when a relative isn’t able to assume the legal burden of managing someone else’s interests.

Tom’s work in this field draws on his previous experience as a care solicitor representing children in care proceedings.

As a result of his long career in this area and his recent work with older clients, he has an acute awareness of vulnerable people’s needs and the issues they often face in welfare cases.

Further information

To get advice about applying to the Court of Protection or any issues relating to mental capacity, call us on 0117 325 2929  or complete our 
online enquiry form.