Helen Cummings

I am a Solicitor in the Public Law/Court of Protection Department at Duncan Lewis. Previously, I worked as a Paralegal in another Public Law firm for a number of years.

I specialise in a broad range of public law matters including:

• Commercial, social care and environmental judicial reviews;
• Regulatory and fitness to practice cases in regulatory tribunals;
• Discrimination matters relating to the Equality Act;
• Regulatory and higher education disputes including fitness to practice tribunal matters;
• Data protection and information law;
• Disputes in the Court of Protection; and
• Human rights claims and inquests.

I have represented clients in the High Court, Court of Appeal and European Court of Human Rights. This includes large group action litigation.

Working in these areas has familiarised me in working with a range of clients, including legal aid, corporate and private clients.

Particularly, I have acted on the on behalf of the Official Solicitor, as well as regularly working with Independent Mental Capacity Advocates/Paid Relevant Persons Representatives and the families of vulnerable adults in cases in the Court of Protection under the Mental Capacity Act relating to their mental capacity, deprivation of liberty, health and welfare.

I am a Recommended Individual in the 2019 edition of The Legal 500 for my Court of Protection work.

• Level 1 accredited Caseworker under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme
• Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (LPC)
• LLB Honours- 2.1 classification

• Duncan Lewis Solicitors - Trainee Solicitor - 2016
• Irwin Mitchell LLP- Paralegal (Public Law Department) - 2014-2016
• Irwin Mitchell LLP- Litigation Assistant (Public Law Department) - 2013-2014
• Irwin Mitchell LLP- Office Assistant (Public Law Department & Personal Injury Department) - 2012-2013
• Cullen Hammond Solicitors - Voluntary Office Assistant - 2011-2012

• Recommended Individual - The Legal 500, 2019 edition - Court of Protection/London

Court of Appeal

• TN (Vietnam) -v- The Secretary of State for the Home Department

High Court

• English Bridge Union v Sport England [2015] EWHC 1347 (Admin) (currently ongoing)
• R (Hossain and Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC;
• R (Zafar) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC 1217;
• R (Wood and Turley) v Leeds City Council [2014] EWHC 2598 (Admin); and
• Kolakovic v. Malta ECHR 086 (2015)/ (application no. 76392/12).

• Charity Work - Organising fund raising work for Grace House Hospice for terminally ill children.

• Royal Borough of Greenwich v EOA [2019] EWCOP 54 – Inherent jurisdiction and welfare concerns in relation to vulnerable adults. (16 October 2019)
• Retired senior judge warns of the lack of safeguards in the power of attorney system in England and Wales (Asian Voice) (25 September 2017)
• Duncan Lewis Solicitors are offering free training sessions (13 December 2016)
• Duncan Lewis’ Helen Cummings provides advice at The Advocacy Project’s “meet and greet” (7 December 2016)
• European Court of Justice rules UK can withhold benefits to EU migrants without right to reside (30 June 2016)