Social Welfare

Associate

Monica has experience of a wide range of community care, public law, discrimination, human rights and Court of Protection cases.

Her community care work includes obtaining care packages for disabled people and obtaining accommodation and financial support for disabled destitute migrants. She also has experience of NHS continuing care disputes, mental health aftercare and care packages for prisoners. She is prepared to tackle complex cases in the High Court and damages claims in the County Court.

Monica’s mental capacity work includes applications to the Court of Protection to challenge welfare decisions of local authorities, unlawful deprivations of liberty and applications to obtain Deputy orders. Monica has recently become an Accredited Legal Representative which means she can be appointed by the Court of Protection to act for protected parties without a litigation friend.

Monica’s community care work includes representing adults experiencing serious abuse or neglect, to ensure that proper investigations are carried out.

Monica is able to use her knowledge of discrimination law, human rights and public law principles to challenge policies or decisions made by social services or the NHS. She has issued many successful judicial review challenges, obtaining emergency injunctions where necessary. She has also obtained financial compensation for people under the Human Rights Act and Equality Act where they have been abused in care homes or denied urgently needed services.

Monica has over 20 years’ experience advocating for the rights of disabled people as a caseworker, policy officer and investigator at local and national organisations including the Royal National Institute for Blind People, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She played a key role in implementing and enforcing the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010. She qualified as a solicitor in 2014.

Monica is also experienced in delivering training to external organisations.

She can undertake Legal Aid work and private work.