Caroline provides a broad practice with a strong crossover knowledge with health and social care. – Chambers & Partners 2023, Up and Coming, Education
She is calm in a crisis and gives sensible advice. – Chambers & Partners, 2020
Caroline Barrett is singled out for her expertise in health and social care, as well as her Court of Protection practice. – Legal 500, 2020
Next generation Partner – Caroline Barrett – Rook Irwin Sweeney LLP – Legal 500, 2023
Named in Legal 500 2020 as a ‘rising star’, Caroline specialises in education law, community care, and health and welfare cases before the Court of Protection. She has taken cases to the High Court, Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. She has a particular interest in cases involving young people with Education, Health and Care plans, and in the overlap between education, health and social care law, and mental capacity law. She also regularly acts for parents in complex appeals before the First Tier Tribunal and is an Accredited Legal Representative under the Law Society’s Mental Capacity (Welfare) Scheme.
Caroline was named The Times Lawyer of the Week in October 2017, for her work in a complex medical treatment case before the High Court.
Caroline has acted in many reported cases; here are just a few of the most noteworthy:
- Re X (Court of Protection Procedure) [2015] EWCA Civ 599 – a Court of Protection case heard in the High Court and Court of Appeal, which established for the first time the process for authorising a deprivation of liberty in a community setting
- R (WX & Ors) v Northamptonshire County Council Libraries [2018] EWHC 2178 (Admin) – a successful judicial review claim against the closure of libraries in Northamptonshire
- R (AD & Others) v London Borough of Hackney [2020] EWCA Civ 518 – a Court of Appeal case concerning cuts to special educational needs funding in Hackney
- R (MI & Ors) v London Borough of Waltham Forest – a judicial review challenging significant cuts to special educational needs funding in Waltham Forest
- M v A Hospital [2017] EWCOP 19 – a serious medical treatment case before the High Court which established for the first time that cases involving the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment no longer needed to be referred to the High Court, where the parties agree
- RF & Ors v Essex County Council [2015] EWCOP 1 – a Court of Protection case which resulted in the award of significant damages for breaches of a client’s human rights, when unlawfully deprived of his liberty in a care home
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