Caroline Sims

Following completion of my Law degree I worked for John Lewis on their Central Graduate Scheme. After deciding that a career in retail was not for me, I completed a Masters degree in Healthcare Ethics and Law at Manchester University and began working at J Keith Park & Co, Solicitors, in 2000. I worked in a number of areas of public law, specialising in Mental Health, Community Care and Education.

From an early stage in my work there I was involved in a number of reported cases, including R v Ashworth Hospital, ex parte E [2001> EWHC Admin 1089, and R v Partnerships In Care Ltd, Ex Parte A [2002> EWHC 529 (Admin). I was also instructed in relation to early proceedings brought by the parents of Mrs H, prior to proceedings being issued by the responsible NHS Trust regarding withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration of a PVS patient and compatibility with the ECHR in NHS Trust A v Mrs M : NHS Trust B v Mrs H (2001) 1 All ER 801.

I completed the Legal Practice Course at Liverpool John Moores University whilst working full time at this firm, and was awarded a Distinction and the Student of the Year Award from the University, together with an Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Law Society, presented by Peter Williamson. In 2004 I was appointed as Acting Franchise Supervisor for our LSC Franchises in Mental Health, Community Care and Education.

I left J Keith Park & Co to work at Weightmans in 2005, shortly after qualifying as a Solicitor. My time spent at Weightmans Solicitors included both working as a Solicitor for the NHSLA, and also as a specialist advisor to a number of NHS Trusts in mental health matters and best interest cases, including medical treatment cases. I also provided specialist training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to various bodies including NHS Trusts and legal and social work practitioners.

I was then offered the opportunity to work at Hogans Solicitors in the Mental Health Department. I was already aware of Hogans as a Specialist firm in the areas of family law (Adoption, Divorce, Injunctions, Seperation etc) and mental health, and after meeting with the Partners was convinced that the firm was the ideal place to further develop my skills and knowledge. Since joining this firm I have benefited not only from the genuinely impressive level of knowledge and expertise of my colleagues, but also their professionalism, support and down-to-earth approach to the work that we do.

The work itself is also incredibly rewarding. We represent some of the most vulnerable sections of society, and I believe that it's vital that we do a first-class job. The ethos at Hogans is that our clients deserve to be represented by hard-working, committed lawyers and that we will go the extra mile to ensure that we do this.

The firm also consider that it is extremely important to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in this area of law and practice. To that end, I am honoured to be able to state that I was the first person to issue Administrative Court proceedings at the District Registry of the High Court at Manchester, after the opening of the Administrative Court's Regional Offices on Tuesday 21 April 2009.