SEN Legal > Bury St Edmunds, England > Firm Profile
SEN Legal Offices
3 - 4 FORBES BUSINESS CENTRE
KEMPSON WAY
BURY ST EDMUNDS
IP32 7AR
England
SEN Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings
Public sector Tier 2
SEN Legal is a highly specialised boutique practice focused solely on special educational needs and disability work. Acting for a national client base, the firm is a key adviser to appellants in SEND Tribunal appeals, disability discrimination, judicial review, deputyships, social care, personal budgets, exclusions and admissions appeals. Practice head Haley Mason and key partner Melinda Nettleton in Bury St Edmunds are acknowledged experts in the needs of families with SEN children, and clients note that they have 'genuine passion for the best interests of the children and parents whom they represent'. 'Professional and compassionate' senior solicitor Nicole Lee in Cambridge is also recommended for her 'patient, kind and understanding' approach to cases and clients.Practice head(s):
Haley Mason
Other key lawyers:
Melinda Nettleton; Nicole Lee; James Brown; Richard Nettleton; Idhren Drew
Testimonials
‘Every member of the team is an expert in the field and their expertise is combined with genuine passion for the best interests of the children and parents whom they represent.’
‘Hayley Mason – a star in the field. Melinda Nettleton – remains a force to be contended with. Nicole Lee, Richard Nettleton and James Brown are all highly recommended.’
‘The team is always approachable, friendly and professional. The billing is timely and clear and regular, very important for bills that can become quite large over time. The support through a complicated and stressful process has been appropriate and very welcome.’
‘Special educational needs issues tend to be very emotive – our case was always handled with complete care and understanding of what was a very difficult and stressful time for us as parents of an autistic child.’
‘We have always found that SEN Legal have been so supportive to us and they understand what we need and what our young person needs to have a good life and to get the right provision. Nicole Lee has been absolutely fabulous with us, she keeps in contact with us and lets us know what we need to do, what the rules are, and I know we can call her at any time and she will take the time to talk to us.’
‘Hayley Mason has dealt with my son’s case for many years and she has been excellent every step of the way. She always takes the time to explain every situation clearly and is clearly compassionate whilst remaining professional. Her breadth and depth of knowledge is excellent as is her dedication. I have complete confidence in her abilities and determination to achieve the best outcome for my son.’
‘Haley Mason is wise beyond her years and an extremely capable solicitor. She works tirelessly for her clients, securing extremely good outcomes in the vast majority of her cases. Richard Nettleton has a keen eye for detail and is kind, empathetic and patient with all of his clients. He is a pleasure to work with. James Brown is an extremely hardworking individual who has a significant amount of experience in this field. He will go far in this profession.’
‘Hayley Mason: extremely professional, prompt and clear guidance and explanations. She has been very effective in holding the local authority to account for their responsibilities.’
Public sector > Education: individuals Tier 2
Boutique firm SEN Legal is unique in its focus entirely on work related to special educational needs and disabilities, in the context of which it is ‘consistently successful‘ in achieving positive outcomes for clients in Tribunal appeals against local authorities’ school placement decisions, EHC plan rejections, exclusions, and insufficient provisions for education other than at school. The team provides also provides a significant amount of pro bono advice to the parents of children with autism and dyslexia. Cambridge-based lawyer Hayley Mason is well-regarded for her advice on school placement issues, and both Melinda Nettleton and Richard Nettleton, who are based in Bury St Edmunds, are highly recommended for their expertise in SEN Tribunal appeals.Practice head(s):
Hayley Mason
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very well-organised and forward-thinking. Consistently successful in negotiating before hearings to try and resolve matters positively for their clients.’
‘Excellent knowledge of Education Law. Good understanding of children and young people with SEN.’
‘This is a great team. Passionate and highly skilled, with a fantastic and well-tested system for prepping cases right from the moment the appeal is put in. I’m fortunate to work with many outstanding education lawyers, but as a firm this is possibly the best-coordinated in terms of internal systems and techniques for case preparation.’
‘Hayley Mason is a powerhouse. A real fighter and also a very accomplished lawyer. No one will work harder for your child than Hayley Mason. Richard Nettleton is superb, pragmatic, great with clients, very responsive. Melinda Nettleton is a legend in the field.’
‘This is the firm I would use if my own children needed this type of support. I think SEN Legal are the best out there for EHC Plan work. Their expertise is unrivalled.’
‘This practice specialises in law surrounding the needs of families of children with additional needs; in my experience families in this position are desperately in need of skilled and qualified help. SEN Legal support and advocate for families in desperate situations and most importantly, they get results that make a measurable difference to families coping in impossible circumstances. I would wholeheartedly recommend them to any family of a child or young person with additional needs who is struggling to find support.’
‘I refer to Melinda Nettleton as “my Rottweiler” because she’s very nice really, but she’s got teeth. Thankfully, she is not afraid to use those teeth to go into battle repeatedly and, in her own words, is not afraid to be disliked. She has advocated for my incredibly disabled, complex son and ensured that his needs are met.’
‘Hayley Mason has dealt with my son’s case from the very beginning of his journey. She is astute, dedicated, approachable and she leaves no stone unturned. I have no doubt that she prioritises her clients’ best interests in every situation and I consider myself very fortunate to have found her expertise at the very moment that we needed it and have recommended her to many parents in similar situations.’
SEN Legal > Firm Profile
SEN Legal are a national and highly specialist legal practice with an excellent reputation. We have over 20 years’ experience in SEN and disability work, acting on behalf of parents to solve complex problems and to secure special educational provision for children and young persons aged 0-25.
SEN Legal are one of the only law firms to provide legal advice exclusively in relation to special educational needs and disability. We do not perform any other type of law (property, wills, etc) so clients can be reassured that all of our solicitors are expert in what they do. Our team also contains people who have personal experience of SEN and disability so can understand our client’s difficulties on a personal and professional level.
SEN Legal also undertakes Court of Protection work for young people who have lifelong learning disabilities, and whose parents are seeking to become Deputies to manage their property and affairs and health and personal welfare. Health and Welfare applications to the Court of Protection are incredibly complex applications to make.
We are extremely proud of our consistent success rate of over 90% for the last decade. In 2020 we achieved a success rate of 98% (of over 200 cases).
With a national client base across England and Wales, the majority of our clients are London based. Whatever a client’s problem, we can help. We believe in achieving the best possible outcome in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. There is no job too big or small.
At SEN Legal we are approachable, client-focused and supportive. We offer a sympathetic understanding to families who feel they have been let down by their Local Authority. We offer an extremely committed, family-friendly approach to our work. Whilst we are proud of our reputation for robust representation for our clients, SEN Legal’s main aim is for every child/young person to have the right to an education and the provision of therapeutic and/or Social Services input irrespective of means.
SEN Legal also provides pro-bono talks/seminars/workshops across England and Wales for any charity/parent group/not for profit organization/school that approach us in order to spread knowledge to those that would not otherwise receive it. We offer our services at such events free of charge. Similarly, we produce a free quarterly newsletter (for parents and separately for schools/professionals) outlining current issues, key deadlines, case law updates and things to be aware of. We also provide free information and resources to parents across all of our social media channels.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Director & Principal Solicitor | Hayley Mason | hayley.mason@senlegal.co.uk | 01284 723952 |
Director & Solicitor | Richard Nettleton | richard.nettleton@senlegal.co.uk | 01284 723952 |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
James Brown | Solicitor | View Profile | |
Idhren Drew | Solicitor | View Profile | |
Kyra Harvey | Practice Manager | View Profile | |
Bethan Hone | Senior Paralegal | View Profile | |
Allys Kelsey | Trainee Solicitor | View Profile | |
Nicole Lee | Senior Solicitor | View Profile | |
Hayley Mason-Seager | Senior Solicitor and CEO | View Profile | |
Annabel Moore | Paralegal | View Profile | |
Sophie Norris | Senior Paralegal | View Profile |
Solicitor Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Richard Nettleton | Solicitor & Director | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Solicitors : 5 Trainee Solicitors : 1 Paralegals : 4 Support Staff : 3- Public sector
- Public sector > Education: individuals