The Role of a Deputy

A deputy is appointed by the Court of Protection to manage either the property and affairs (i.e. finances) and/or health and welfare matters (i.e. decisions over where to live, what medical treatment to receive) of someone else.

The Court then monitors the deputy every year to make sure they are carrying out their role properly.

Who should be a Deputy?

 

Anyone can be a deputy – it could be a friend or family member of the person lacking capacity, or it could be a professional person. 

At BHP Law, we have three partners and five solicitors who regularly act as professional deputies for clients. 

Sometimes, this is because there is just no-one else willing and able to do it. However, in many of our cases it is because the client has been injured in an accident and they are making or have made a claim for compensation. Often the compensation in a case such as this can run to hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of pounds and therefore the family feel that having a professional, who is used to handling such large sums of money, is the best way forwards. It allows the family to get on with everything else they are doing in their lives (such as caring for the person who is making the claim) and means they don’t have to worry about looking after large amounts of money.

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Although managing millions of pounds doesn’t sound like too much of a headache, it can be a real problem! For example, some clients have a professional care regime in place which costs over £200,000 a year to run. When combined with the cost of therapies, disabled equipment and other living expenses, the money can begin to run out quickly. This is why using a professional to manage the money received in a compensation claim can be so important – the family can leave the worrying about money and budgeting to someone else.

"But I don’t like the idea of losing control over my money"

Many people are worried about using a professional deputy because they feel like they will lose control over their money. However, a good professional will make your life easier, not harder. They will sit down with you and discuss with you what you need financially, and how they can best help you. They will give you a telephone number where you can be reached at any time, plus their email address. They should make you feel like they are always on hand if you need them, and that they are part of your team working towards achieving your goals.

At BHP Law we follow these principles – we work hard with you and the people important to you, to create a supportive lifestyle that you can enjoy and an environment in which you can thrive. If you need a deputy, or are unhappy with how your current deputy manages things for you, give one of our team a ring and we will do our best to help.

If you would like to have a chat about your options or how we may be able to help you please contact a member of the team, complete our call back form or contact us directly at your local office.

Your Court Of Protection Team

Karen Pratt

Partner

Karen Stephanie Pratt is an equity partner and is head of the Court of Protection team. After being admitted as a solicitor in 1986, Karen became…

Sapna Tugby

Partner

Sapna previously worked as a mental health paralegal for Thaliwal Bridge solicitors, in Leicester. She obtained a LSC funded training contract, then worked…

Jonathan Barker

Senior Associate

Jonathan advises on all aspects of Mental Health and Court of Protection Law, alongside work in Civil Litigation. He is an Accredited Member of the Law…

Victoria Burrows

Senior Associate

Victoria joined BHP Law in December 2022 as a Senior Associate bringing over 10 years experience of working in Court of Protection (heath and welfare).…

Rachel Elliott

Associate

Rachel is an Associate Solicitor working across the Dispute Resolution/Employment and Mental Health teams. She has excellent academic credentials including…

Catrina Hall

Solicitor

Catrina is a solicitor, having completed her training contract at BHP Law. Prior to this, Catrina completed her LPC and Master's Degree in Law at Northumbria…

Emma Wood

Paralegal

Emma qualified as a paralegal and completed her police station accreditation before joining BHP Law’s Court of Protection team. …

Jennifer Baister

Trainee Solicitor

Jennifer joined BHP Law in 2022, having previously specialised in handling a variety of personal injury claims arising out of Road Traffic Accidents at…

Lisa Clark

Trainee Legal Executive

Lisa joined BHP Law in November 2003 to provide Secretarial/Admin support in the Industrial Disease team, she became a Paralegal in 2005. Lisa…

Abi McDowell

Trainee Legal Executive

Abi studied law at A-Level and went on to successfully complete an apprenticeship in Business Administration. She joined BHP Law in 2018 as a secretary…

Ben Armstrong

Apprentice Solicitor

Ben joined BHP Law in September 2022, after finishing his A-levels. Within Ben’s first year as a Solicitor Apprentice, he joined the Wills, Trusts,…

Megan Austin

Apprentice Solicitor

Megan joined BHP Law as a Solicitor Apprentice in 2022 after completing her A-levels. She attends Northumbria University one day per week and is expected…

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