Details
Having begun her legal career representing patients detained under the Mental Health Act before moving to represent psychiatric trusts, Baljit then transitioned into Adult Social care. The last four years saw Baljit employed with the Office of Public Guardian as a senior lawyer, with the final year at the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee.
Baljit has a particular interest in mental capacity, mental health and community care law. She has had the opportunity to specialise both in complex health and welfare matters (including serious medical treatment cases) as well as property and financial affairs since the inception of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. She has both the technical knowledge and the confidence to run with challenging cases.
Baljit was recently awarded a distinction in her Master’s degree; Safeguarding: Law, Policy and Practice, allowing her to delve further into the Mental Capacity Law Act.
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Experience
- Riddle -v- Public Guardian (2021) EWCOP 38 & Kambli -v- The Public Guardian [2021] EWCOP 53 (HHJ Hilder). Permission for Mr Riddle to appeal the decision of HHJ Hilder which was refused on the ground that disagreement with evaluative judgements are not grounds for appeal.
- KT et al before Mr Justice Charles, December 2016. Both Local Authorities successfully argued that it was the state’s role to secure representation for service users under s21A of the Mental Capacity Act, deprived of their liberty and not a responsibility which fell on local authorities.
- Wolverhampton Council, R (On the application of) -v- South Worcestershire CCG, Shropshire CCG (2018). Judicial Proceedings against two CCGs on a matter concerning CHC funding for an vulnerable adult.
- Re X & Others (Deprivation of Liberty) 2014 before Sir James Munby. My former local authority was one of many local authorities who sought authorisation applications as a result of the Supreme Court judgement in Cheshire West & Case.
- Walford and Worcestershire County Council (2015). Before Mr Justice Supperstone considering the question of deprivation of capital. The Secretary of State for Health was an interested party and it was a decision which I later successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal.
- Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust -v- HJ (2023) EWFC 92. The case involved considering and authorising the use of restraint for a detained patient with a physical health disorder.
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Affiliations
- Member of the Law Society
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Languages
- Hindi = Basic
- Punjabi = Conversational
- Urdu = Basic
Baljit Dhillon-Sidhu's Expertise
Health and social care
