Core Staff

Jaime is a lecturer in the Law School at the University of Essex. Her work focuses on healthcare law and ethics. She is particularly interested in the legal regulation of healthcare and the meaning of health and care expertise. Jaime’s interests in healthcare law span a range of areas including mental capacity, clinical negligence, reproduction, new technologies and professional regulation. Jaime has used socio-legal methods to explore these areas.

Viv completed her doctoral thesis as part of the Essex Autonomy Project. Her PhD research was particularly concerned with a tension within autonomy – between the idea of non-intervention, freedom to choose and responsibility for our own actions on one hand, and on the other, socioeconomic rights and effective choices. Prior to her research, Viv worked for many years in the social welfare sector providing legal advice and assistance to people who were homeless or badly housed.

Gareth leads the Mental Health, Ethics and Law research group in the Department of Psychological Medicine at King’s College London. He is Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s and a Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellow. He also practices as a consultant psychiatrist in a home treatment team in Lambeth. Gareth’s work focuses on decision-making capacity and he has collaborated with the EAP on several research projects.

Jill is Professor of Law in the Business School of Edinburgh Napier University. Her research focuses on European and national human rights law and mental health and she works with a number of public and voluntary sector organisations and regulatory bodies in the field of mental health, incapacity and human rights. Jill is part of the core research team for the EAP Three Jurisdictions project and works with the EAP on issues of CRPD compliance and human rights law.

Adrian is an international expert in adult incapacity law. He was closely involved in the law reform process leading to the Incapacity Act, as an external expert engaged by the Scottish Law Commission and as principal spokesperson for the Alliance which campaigned for the legislation. Adrian is a prolific legal author, whose many books and articles have spanned more than three decades. His books include the current standard Scottish texts on adult incapacity law. Adrian has been convener of the Mental Health and Disability Committee of the Law Society of Scotland since 1989 and works with the World Health Organisation and several European Governments. He was awarded an MBE for services to the mentally handicapped in Scotland. Adrian works with the EAP on mental health law and is a member of the core research team for the Three Jurisdictions project.

Alex is an experienced barrister, writer and educator. His practice is focused on mental capacity law and he provides specialist advice and representation, as well as training for front line professionals. Alex writes extensively in the field, editing and contributing to leading text books and to the 39 Essex Chambers Mental Capacity Law Newsletter. He is the creator of the website www.mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk, providing resources and expert commentary on some of the most difficult mental capacity issues. Alex is also an Honorary Research Lecturer at the University of Manchester and a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at King’s College London. He has collaborated with the EAP on several projects, most recently the Three Jurisdictions.