High Profile Cases, Mental Health & Law – Lorna Hackett & Michael Mansfield KC – S5E31

This week on the Legally Speaking Podcast, our host Robert Hanna welcomes the fabulous Lorna Hackett and Michael Mansfield QC to the show! We’re super excited about this one!

Lorna is a barrister with extensive litigation experience in judicial review and human rights. She was called to the Bar in 2003, with expertise in advising cases of a sensitive nature. Lorna is the head of legal practice at Hackett & Dabbs LLP. Lorna is a campaigner for prisoners serving imprisonment for public protection and suffering from mental health issues. She is a strong advocate for removing the stigma attached to mental health, which has been demonstrated through her work with SOS: Silence of Suicide.

Michael was called to the Bar in 1967 and joined the Queen’s Counsel in 1989. Michael has represented defendants in criminal trials, appeals and inquiries. Some of the high-profile cases Michael has represented clients include Stephen Lawrence’s family, the Birmingham Six, Mohammed Al Fayed and families of the Hillsborough Disaster and Grenfell Tower. Michael has represented submissions to the United Nations, Human Rights Council in Geneva on human rights violations and United Nations General Assembly in New York. Michael established Took Chambers and in 2015, founded the mental health charity, SOS Silence of Suicide, alongside his wife.

In this episode, we discuss the following:

• How you can create your own chambers
• What are the responsibilities of the head of a legal practice
• Challenges in starting up your own firm and chamber
• How to represent high profile cases and deal with the pressure associated with them
• Lessons everyone can learn about breaking the stigma around mental health for prisoners