Chambers Team

Matthew Stockwell

Born: 21.12.75
Called: 1998

LL.B. (Hons)
LL.M. (Dublin)

Public/Regulatory

Matthew has a growing portfolio of Local Authority clients, principally in the areas of mental health and community care provision. He regularly assists with matters of the utmost sensitivity and those involving significant financial consequences, often to give advice upon generic issues. Examples include:

• Disputed Community Care Provision
  
  Whether local authority assessments have been appropriately carried out and/or are being adequately implemented.
• Eligibility Decisions/Reviews
  
  Whether finance or other factors have properly been taken into account when adopting or refusing a particular service or package or when making changes to generic criteria.
• Welfare Declarations (now Court of Protection jurisdiction)
  
  Whether a particular care package (typically surrounding issues of long-term residence and/or family contact) is in the best interests of an incapable adult.
• Liability Adjudications
  
  Whether the costs of a package are to be paid by one authority or another (so called “Ordinary Residence” disputes) or by a health trust (so called "Coughlan" disputes).

Matthew also regularly receives instructions in the areas of data protection/freedom of information, disability discrimination, education, housing, recoupment (fraud and mistaken payments etc) and in respect of contractual disputes.

Matthew offers specialist training and seminars within his core areas of public law practice to assist with contentious areas and legislative changes.

Representative cases:

• R (J) v. Chief Constable of Cheshire Police [2005] QBD (Admin) Times, Nov. 4, 2005
  
  Matthew acted for the successful applicant for judicial review in a case of general public importance clarifying police powers under Pedlars Act 1871

Relevant Memberships:

• Constitutional & Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
• Northern Administrative Law Association (NALA) - Secretary (2008) and Founding Member

India Buildings Chambers
providing advocacy and advice in all aspects of Criminal, Civil, and Family Work