Expert Witness Team
Hugh Jones
Founder and Director
Catherine Eassom
Catherine is the Head of our Expert Witness Team. She is a Director of the Hugh Jones Trust Corporation and a Senior Associate Solicitor and has over 13 years’ experience of Court of Protection and Deputyship matters.
Catherine has an extensive background in working with clients who have suffered catastrophic injury including serious brain injury as a result of personal injury. Catherine has worked with many clients and their families to manage large damage awards to maximise their rehabilitation and quality of life. Catherine is closely involved with the management of damages both pre and post settlement of the litigation.
As Head of the firm's Expert Witness team, she co-ordinates the work of the firm's four expert witnesses, who are instructed by 40 leading Defendant and Claimant Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence firms, in claims where significant damages awards are involved. This is in addition to acting as an expert herself and managing a caseload of complex Court of Protection work.
Catherine is a specialist solicitor with a great deal of experience in Court of Protection and mental capacity work in which includes:
Management of the professional deputyships of a large number of vulnerable people including those who have lost capacity due to catastrophic accidents or birth injury,
Advising and drafting all types of Court of Protection applications including those for the appointment of a lay or professional deputy, statutory will applications, gift applications and applications for the discharge of a Protected Party
Advising and drafting Personal Injury Trusts
Catherine is a full member of STEP.
https://www.hughjonessolicitors.co.uk/people/directors/catherine-eassom/
Jill Rushton
Jill is a Director at Hugh Jones Solicitors, joining the firm in 2022 from Stephensons LLP, where she was a partner and Head of their Court of Protection Team.
Jill is a 'Recommended Lawyer' in the Legal 500 2026:
Jill specialises in all aspects of Property and Finances Court of Protection work and has acted as an Expert Witness on Court of Protection matters in primarily high value personal injury and clinical negligence cases. Some of these matters have been looked after by Jill for a decade or more.
As a Director of the Hugh Jones Trust Corporation, Jill acts as Deputy for clients who have lost capacity and her work includes the management of significant settlements which are used to fund care and therapy packages, specialist equipment and property purchases/ adaptation projects.
Jill has a wealth of experience in the following:
Expert Witness work and litigation support
Applications to the Court of Protection for the appointment of a Deputy, the approval of Gifts, Statutory Wills and for the discharge of a protected party
Day to day management of both Deputyships and Trusts
Financial management and investment of the settlements
Supporting lay Deputies to help them carry out their role
Elderly client law
Lasting Powers of Attorney
Trusts
Wills and Probate
Jill is also a TEP, a member of Solicitors for the Elderly and a Dementia Friend.
Jill Rushton | Hugh Jones Solicitors
Rachel Duxbury
Rachel is a Senior Associate solicitor, having trained with the firm and received accelerated promotion, due to her outstanding ability. Rachel works in the Court of Protection and Expert Witness teams.
She was promoted to Hugh Jones Trust Corporation Limited Director in 2025.
Her Court of Protection work involves:
Taking decisions and giving directions as Deputy in all kinds of deputyship matters including complex deputyships;
Supporting lay deputies to help them carry out their role, including initial or renewal applications;
Working with clients, their families and any professionals involved to empower the injured person, improve their quality of life with the implementation of care/support teams, therapists and the purchase and adaptation of properties.
In the expert witness team, Rachel supports our four expert witnesses in drafting reports and statements. Rachel is meticulous in her approach to this work and has a great deal of experience in addressing the complex and technical scenarios that arise.
Prior to joining Hugh Jones Solicitors, Rachel worked as a paralegal within the areas of child abuse and clinical negligence at several different firms and she assisted solicitors on a wide range of complex and high-profile cases. Rachel has considerable experience in working with vulnerable clients and in using her skills to assist those who lack mental capacity.
Rachel Duxbury | Hugh Jones Solicitors
Team Services
Either as Directors of the Hugh Jones Trust Corporation Limited or Hugh Jones in his personal capacity acts as professional deputy for over 320 clients, supported by a multidisciplinary team of legal and financial experts. Hugh is appointed to the Office of the Public Guardian's Panel of External Deputies and is a member of the Court of Protection Court Users Group.
The Directors of the Hugh Jones Trust Corporation are instructed as an expert witness for both Claimants and Defendants in claims where significant damages awards are involved. Court of Protection costs can form a significant part of the litigation claim and therefore it is important that they are valued properly.