About Us

The Irish Mental Health Lawyers Association membership is composed of solicitors on the Mental Health Commission’s legal representative panel and is a non profit making organisation run by a committee elected by its membership. The Association was set up in early 2007 by Mark Felton and Aine Hynes with the support of the panel solicitors. The objectives of the MHLA are:

- to encourage and maintain the highest standard of preparation, representation   and practice in relation to mental health law

- to promote the best interests of persons in approved centres

- to participate in discussions on developments in the area of mental health law

- to represent the interests of members of the Association

The Association has, since its inception, been very active in circulating members with High Court judgements and legal knowledge gained from Mental Health tribunal practices and has liaised with service user groups and other stakeholders in the Mental Health area in an effort to examine not only the legal view but the views of all parties involved in Mental Health tribunals and the wider mental health care community. The MHLA is committed to ensuring a broad range of voices are heard in the area of mental health law, not just the lawyers.

The MHLA has made a number of submissions to the Mental Health Commission and the government, including a recent written submission relating to the operation of the 2001 Act in the context of the proposed review of it which highlighted practical areas of concern such as, for example, the absence of any definition of capacity in the act, the lack of legal safeguards for voluntary patients under the act. MHLA members have spoken at conferences and participated in the continuing professional development of other professionals, such as psychiatrists, in the area of mental health tribunal law and been very involved in the discussions regarding how to operate the 2001 Act better and proposing positive proposals for change.

The MHLA also take their representative role very seriously and have met with and lobbied the Mental Health Commission, the government,  the Law Society and the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association on a number of areas of concern such as the recent draft quality assurance proposals of the Mental Health Commission and the scale of fees for legal representatives. Two members of the MHLA – Mark Felton and Aine Hynes were invited by the President of the Law Society to participate in its task force in this area of law and the Law Society’s Litigation Committee have listened to the input of Aine Hynes in the area of mental health law.

The MHLA organised its first seminar in July 2007 which was chaired by Mr. Justice Michael Peart; Mark Felton examined the practice and procedures in Tribunals while Feichin McDonagh S.C. looked at developments in the area of High Court litigation. The MHLA 2008 Conference took place in July 2008 and was chaired by Darius Whelan of UCC, the speakers included Kris Gledhill, Niall Nolan B.L. and solicitor and Tribunal Chairperson, Dara Robinson.

The MHLA is always interested in getting input from members or non members so please contact any committee members on their email or at their office with any comments or suggestions you may have.