Eilish Ferry-Kennington

Director and Head of Court of Protection - Health & Welfare

Job Role at EMG

I am a Director in the Court of Protection team. My role includes representation of clients in Court of Protection health and welfare and property and affairs matters. My work involves disputes about any aspect of a person’s welfare, e.g. care, residence, contact or medical treatment and capacity to consent to sexual relations or marriage. I regularly deal with cases relating to a person’s deprivation of liberty. I make applications to the Court in relation to property and financial affairs and provide support to our deputyship team. I represent clients who lack capacity to instruct a solicitor. This means taking my instructions from a litigation friend (often the Official Solicitor or a professional advocate). On other occasions, I represent family members of an incapacitated person. I advise patients in relation to the Mental Health Act and represent them at Mental Health Tribunals to appeal against detention. I also advise in relation to community care matters, such as the provision of care by local authorities. I undertake expert witness work for both claimants and defendants in personal injury and clinical negligence matters, providing reports on the likely future costs relating Court of Protection health and welfare matters.

Experience

I have been a member of the Law Society Mental Health Accreditation Panel since April 2014. In October 2017 I attained Accredited Legal Practitioner status on the Law Society Mental Capacity (Welfare) Accreditation Scheme, being amongst the first people to receive this accreditation. I qualified as a solicitor in 2016. I joined EMG Solicitors in July 2017 having previously trained and practised at a legal aid firm with offices across the north east. I am a member of the Law Society Committee for Mental Health & Disability.

What do you like about working at EMG?

The people. The lawyers, management and support staff are all really supportive and no-one is afraid of a challenge. My work is varied and I’m never bored.

Outside of EMG?

Mostly live music with some amateur gardening thrown in.

Eilish qualified in March 2016.

News & Articles posted by Eilish Ferry-Kennington

Navigating Deprivation of Liberty Posted: 9th October 2024
Blog

It’s ten years since the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in the case of “Chesh…

Court of Protection Welfare Issues and Costs Posted: 17th July 2024
Blog

It is commonplace for a schedule of loss to include costs arising from a conclus…