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Mental Capacity & Deputyship

Expert Witness Consulting Services

Christine Dyson
Christine Dyson
Partner
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Sarah Charnley
Partner
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Catrin Williams
Catrin Williams
Solicitor
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Chantae Francis
Chantae Francis
Solicitor
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Dorian Williams
Dorian Williams
Trainee
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Emily De Ruyver
Emily De Ruyver
Solicitor
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Mohan Dhadli
Mohan Dhadli
Senior Associate
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Our Mental Capacity & Deputyship team are highly experienced in dealing with professional deputyships and personal injury trusts.

This makes us uniquely placed to act as expert witnesses for other law firms with providing reports on the likely costs of having a professional deputy or trustee.

We regularly provide expert reports in personal injury compensation claims and medical negligence cases setting out the total cost of the deputyship or trust.

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Legal 500 UK - Top Tier Firm-2025

 

 

“They are exceptional at responding to queries and dealing with issues. Often quick decisions are needed or problems need to be solved and these are all dealt with efficiently and quickly by the team.” – Chambers UK, 2026

What does the report include?

It’s crucial to make sure that all the costs of the deputyship or Personal Injury Trust are included in your client’s schedule of special damages.

The report explains how legal fees are charged and assessed for Court of Protection work and provides details of past deputyship costs and annual estimates for the likely legal fees of the professional deputy for the rest of the client’s life. The report also includes details of one off expenses such as a statutory will application. The report also sets out additional expenses such as court fees and the cost of insurance.

"I have found the deputyship team at HJA to be responsive, and knowledgeable about the clients I deal with. It is really helpful when the team have some knowledge of a client when the main case handler is unavailable." - Legal 500 UK, 2026
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Supporting our clients

We can also provide evidence for the cost of setting up a PI trust and the fees of a professional trustee of a PI trust.

We also provide the following services:

  • Comment on the defendant’s report on deputyship costs.
  • Attend joint meetings with the defendant’s expert.
  • Give evidence at court.

Christine Dyson, who heads up the team, has extensive experience in this area and can be available to help you should you require assistance.

“Christine Dyson is a standout deputy with incredible experience in representing client’s with complex needs and demands both with professionalism but also, importantly, empathy.” – Legal 500, 2025

Independently ranked in Chambers UK and Legal 500 UK, legal directories.

“All the team at HJA was attentive and professional. They provided detailed analysis of the case files to achieve the right outcome.” – Chambers UK, 2026

 

Call our highly experienced Mental Capacity & Deputyship team on
0330 822 3451
or request a call back.
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Professional deputyship

Deputies are appointed by the Court of Protection to look after the financial affairs of a person who is mentally incapacitated. This covers adults with a brain injury, learning difficulties and mental health problems.

You’ll need to consider appointing a deputy if you are acting for:

  • A child who is unlikely to have capacity at the age of 18 or
  • An adult who lacks capacity

An adult may have a close family member or friend who can be trusted to act as deputy and manage their finances. However, where close family members are dependent on the injured client for their accommodation and/or income, it’s usually advisable to appoint a professional deputy instead of a family member. The deputy must keep their own finances separate from that of the injured client and must not benefit personally from deputyship funds.

In the case of a brain injured child who lives with their parents, it’s likely that the deputyship funds may well be used to contribute towards accommodation costs and household bills and maybe also to compensate the parents for the additional care they provide. This results in a conflict of interest between the child and their parents which means that it is usually not appropriate for the parents to act as deputies without the involvement of a professional deputy.

Deputies are supervised by the Office of the Public Guardian and must file annual reports and accounts. Deputies must take out a security bond so that there is insurance cover if the deputy is negligent or fraudulent.

If there’s no professional deputy, the OPG will set a higher level of supervision and the cost of the security bond will also be higher.

The legal fees charged by a professional deputy must be assessed by the court.

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Awards & Recognition
Further Reading
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Deputyship vs Lasting Power of Attorney: Who Can Deal with Property?

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Duties of A Court of Protection Deputy: Finding Balance Between Best Interests and Client’s Wishes

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Understanding the Role of a Professional Deputy in Managing Finances

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