Rook Irwin Sweeney continues to grow as solicitor Jennifer Wright joins the firm

Rook Irwin Sweeney is delighted to welcome solicitor Jennifer Wright to the firm.

Jennifer is a public law and human rights solicitor with a particular interest in protecting and promoting the rights of disabled children, young people and adults through her work. She specialises in education law, community care, and mental capacity law, including claims for judicial review and applications in the Court of Protection.

She has significant expertise in advising on a broad range of educational issues, through acting both for parents and young people, as well as schools and colleges. She has advised on Education, Health and Care (“EHC”) needs assessment requests, the sufficiency of EHC Plans, and appeals before the First-tier (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Tribunal. Jennifer has advised schools and colleges on a range of complex matters linked to their policies and procedures, including safeguarding matters, Special Educational Needs and Disability (“SEND”) issues, issues relating to the Equality Act 2010, and more recently COVID-19 related matters and the award of centre assessed grades.

She is experienced in acting for clients with judicial review challenges, both in relation to strategic litigation and individual claims, having successfully challenged local authorities on issues linked to education and/or special educational needs provision. She also has expertise in bringing health and welfare cases relating to mental capacity, best interests and deprivation of liberty before the Court of Protection under instruction from the Official Solicitor, relevant person’s representatives and the families of disabled adults.

Jennifer worked at a number of human rights charities before entering the legal profession, and qualified as a solicitor in 2019.

Rook Irwin Sweeney has continued to grow since its launch in April 2020, and now has four Partners and four solicitors. It has been instructed in a series of landmark cases relating to transparency in government decision making, and the protection of disabled people’s rights, during the pandemic. Its innovative social justice fund has enabled more than 20 clients to access free legal advice. In October 2021 the firm won a prestigious Law Society award for Excellence in Upholding the Rule of Law, and in November 2021 was named by The Times as one of the best UK law firms for 2022.

April 2022