Richard Nettleton > SEN Legal > Bury St Edmunds, England > Lawyer Profile

SEN Legal
3 - 4 FORBES BUSINESS CENTRE
KEMPSON WAY
BURY ST EDMUNDS
IP32 7AR
England

Work Department

Education

Position

Solicitor & Director

Career

I joined SEN Legal in February 2018 as a Paralegal before starting my Training Contract and becoming a Trainee Solicitor. I qualified as a Solicitor in November 2020.

Prior to joining SEN Legal, I obtained an LLB Second Class Honours, Upper Division (2:1) from Bangor University where I studied between 2009-2012. I then went on to work in management roles for a major retailer for 8 years primarily based in stores around East Anglia.

I have always had a strong interest in Special Educational Needs which started at a young age due to my brother’s needs. This interest clearly grew further when I received my own diagnosis of Dyslexia on the 14th March 2004.

I was always acutely aware of the difficulties that I faced as a child particularly in relation to reading, writing & spelling, which other children did not seem to experience. A school was a place I went to everyday and just tried to survive the workload and either blend into the background of a mainstream class or create enough of a distraction that my academic struggles would not be noticeable and therefore I would not be criticised. The diagnosis of Dyslexia was truly one of the best things that has ever happened to me, as it allowed for tailored strategies to be put in place which began to make school more enjoyable for me and I doubt I would have gone to University without it.

My own personal journey having special educational needs, often allows me a unique insight into the minds of the young people we represent, from the perspective of having my own special educational needs and that of living with someone who has special educational needs, and the struggles they can face accessing the education system.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Public sector > Education: individuals

Boutique firm SEN Legal is unique in its focus entirely on work related to special educational needs and disabilities, in the context of which it is ‘consistently successful‘ in achieving positive outcomes for clients in Tribunal appeals against local authorities’ school placement decisions, EHC plan rejections, exclusions, and insufficient provisions for education other than at school. The team provides also provides a significant amount of pro bono advice to the parents of children with autism and dyslexia. Cambridge-based lawyer Hayley Mason is well-regarded for her advice on school placement issues, and both Melinda Nettleton and Richard Nettleton, who are based in Bury St Edmunds, are highly recommended for their expertise in SEN Tribunal appeals.