Education

experience & expertise

Susanna’s primary area of practice is the Court of Protection, where she is experienced in both serious medical treatment applications and health & welfare matters generally, but she also has years of education law experience, and continues to practise in this area. Recent education-related work includes:

Designing a process to synthesise hundreds of allegations related to the “Everyone’s Invited” website (concerning sexual abuse) for a private educational institution, as part of the institution’s internal review; synthesising the information to assist the institution in drawing out themes and priorities for further investigation and action.

Representing a Financial Deputy who acted for a young woman with severe cerebral palsy, who wished for her client to attend an institution at which she could receive further education and care. Issues had arisen with the local authority responsible for the social care element of her plan. There was a dispute concerning the deputy’s ability to apply for public funding, stemming from a Peters-style undertaking, and concerns of double recovery. The delay had already caused the young woman to miss over a year of potential further education. Susanna represented the deputy in Court of Protection proceedings, which resulted in the deputy being able to secure the relevant funding for all elements of her ongoing education and the young woman being able to take up her place at the educational institution.

Advising a local authority in relation to an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) for a young person who had been placed into the area of the local authority. The young person had an EHCP for which the originating local authority were responsible, which was out of date and wholly unsuitable. His placement was at risk and a further imminent move appeared inevitable. There was a dispute between the local authorities as to whether responsibility for the EHCP had passed from the originating local authority to the one in which the young person was currently placed. Susanna advised on this and related issues.

Representing local authorities in Section B, F and I appeals, including appeals concerning EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than at School).

Susanna has been consistently ranked as a leading junior by the directories since 2014, with clients recently describing her as ‘excellent in cross-examinations and negotiations’; in ‘complete command of the case’; and ‘meticulous’, ‘approachable’ and ‘reassuring’.

In addition to her primary practice at the Bar, Susanna sits both as a part-time fee-paid judge in the First Tier Tribunal (Mental Health), and as an Assistant Coroner for Birmingham & Solihull.