Vulnerable Client Care Policy

This Policy is put in place to ensure that the service we provide to our clients is competent, delivered in a timely manner and takes account of our clients’ needs and circumstances if our client is a “vulnerable person”. This would also assist us to achieve Outcome 1.5 of Chapter 1 of the Solicitors’ Code of Conduct 2011 (The service we provide is competent, delivered in a timely manner and takes account of our clients’ needs and circumstances).

A vulnerable client is described any person over the age of 18 who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of himself or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or serious exploitation (taken from the Law Commission Report – Who decides?: Making decisions on behalf of mentally incapacitated adults 1997).

Our policy is that our clients need our services to be tailored to their needs.

Clients who are at particular risk and who are therefore vulnerable include:-

• Older people, especially those with any of the following factors:
• Advanced age
• Stroke
• Dementia
• Physical, emotional or mental distress, depression
• Recent loss of spouse or divorce
• Social isolation
• Middle or upper income bracket
• Taking multiple medicines
• Frailty
• Other vulnerable adults including individuals with learning disabilities, poor mental health and those with sensory impairments i.e blind or deaf.

It is our policy that we will have proper regard to any clients’ mental capacity or other vulnerability such as incapacity or duress and we will put measures in place to assist and protect them.

In order to demonstrate our commitment to the high standards of competence and client service, it is our aim to put vulnerable and disabled clients at the heart of our distinctive service.

In order to prevent unlawful discrimination in relation to the provision of services to clients with a disability, we will make enquiries as far as we can before seeing a client as to whether or not they have any visual, communication or mobility problems i.e hearing difficulties, sight problems and physical difficulties with signing documents. We will provide large print correspondence and documents at no cost.

We have access and parking suitable for less mobile clients including a ramp and we make home visits instead of requiring the clients to come into the office.