New Court of Protection Solicitor for BHP

Jemma Morland will support the firm’s Court of Protection Deputies, who have legal responsibility to manage the property, affairs and financial commitments of vulnerable people.

 

Clients are typically referred following successful personal injury or clinical negligence claims, often running into millions of pounds.

 

Jemma, 26, has brought expertise gained since she graduated in law and worked for Dawn Advice, a not-for-profit Northumberland-based company that provides publicly funded community legal services.  

 

As supervisor of the housing team, she managed case workers and provided advice on a range of housing issues.

 

More recently she qualified as a solicitor with a firm in Wallsend, where she worked in debt and housing, family law, wills and Court of Protection.

 

“I’ve been very lucky to gain some really useful experience since leaving university and my background working on housing and welfare issues is already proving useful with BHP,” explained Jemma, who lives in Bedlington, Northumberland.

 

“Court of Protection work is a really interesting area and one where not that many people are working. It’s a legal area that includes making necessary applications on clients’ behalf, advising them on their legal position and acting as their advocates.

 

“But you’re also heavily involved in all aspects of clients’ lives, many of whom have significant vulnerabilities, from paying their bills to arranging adaptations to their home and liaising with their therapists and carers.

 

“I did maths A level so helping to manage clients’ finances, trust accounts and investment portfolios to maximise their income opportunities is particularly interesting for me.”

 

Clients may have become incapacitated in a road traffic accident or following a fall at work, suffered a severe head injury or been brain damaged through clinical negligence at birth.

 

Although currently based at BHP Law’s Darlington office, Jemma will soon move to the firm’s Durham office with head of department Emma Gaudern.