Victoria Butler-Cole KC

39 Essex Chambers is ‘very well respected in the Court of Protection health and welfare arena’. In a high-profile matter, Vikram Sachdeva KC, Catherine Dobson, Neil Allen and Alexander Ruck Keene KC appeared for various parties in Hemachandran v Thirumalesh, a Court of Appeal case concerning capacity issues regarding making decisions for medical treatment. The Court held that an individual’s belief in the relevant information when making a decision about medical treatment was not a legal requirement of the mental capacity test. In another matter, Victoria Butler-Cole KC acted for a client in Aberdeenshire Council v SF & Ors, a case involving the question of whether a Scottish Guardianship order could authorise a guardian to deprive a person, who was residing in an English supported living placement, of their liberty. Peter Mant KC was elevated to silk in March 2025; Saara Idelbi, Alex Cisneros and Matthew Wyard joined the team in August 2025.