Tim Spencer-Lane Tim Spencer-Lane

Tim is a lawyer who specialises in mental capacity, mental health and social care law. He is the legal editor at Community Care Inform and senior lecturer at Kingston University.

At the Law Commission he led the reviews of adult social care, health and social care professional regulation and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. He currently works as a lawyer at the government legal department (Department of Health and Social Care) where he advises on mental capacity and mental health law.

All posts by Tim Spencer-Lane

Deprivation of liberty, disabled children and Cheshire West: Re SM [2024] EWHC 493 (Fam)

Capacity and accommodation – giving the person options and avoiding the protective imperative: CC v KK and STCC [2012] EWHC 2136 (COP)

Q&A: the legal framework for safeguarding adults

Explores legal issues that commonly arise in the context of adult safeguarding, covering England and Wales

The Court Report with Tim Spencer-Lane: adult safeguarding transcript

Answers some of the legal issues that commonly arise in the context of adult safeguarding.

The Court Report with Tim Spencer-Lane: adult safeguarding

Answers some of the legal issues that commonly arise in the context of adult safeguarding.

Mental capacity in relation to sexual relations, contact, contraception and conception: Re EE (Capacity: Contraception and Conception) [2024] EWCOP 5

The Care Act, asylum seekers and Article 3 ECHR: R (TMX) v London Borough of Croydon & Anor [2024] EWHC 129 (Admin)

The Mental Capacity Act and care and support decisions

The relationship between the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the legislation governing care and support, and the impact the MCA has on care and support decisions, and vice versa.

Community deprivation of liberty and objective medical expertise: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council v KB & Ors [2023] EWCOP 58

Legal glossary: court terminology and abbreviations explained

A-Z list of legal terminology used in case law, by the Court of Protection and mental health tribunals and other aspects of court work that social workers may be involved in