Cheryl Dare

Mental Health Department

Cheryl is very proud to be one of the founding members of Levy Solicitors Mental Health
Department. She is a Senior Solicitor in the Mental Health Department.

Before qualifying as a Solicitor, Cheryl worked with the vulnerable in society and would often
advocate for their needs, and this led her to have an interest in the rights for mental health
sufferers and those lacking capacity, so it was a natural step for her to aim to work in that area of
law. Since qualifying as a Solicitor, Cheryl has over 10 years of experience as a Mental Health Lawyer
and is a member of the Mental Health Accreditation Panel Scheme which permits her to represent
clients in Tribunal hearings.

Cheryl represents clients who have been detained under the Mental Health Act, either by way of the
civil sections such as S2 and S3, but also forensic clients who have been transferred to hospital via
the criminal justice system. Cheryl legally advises clients and case manages their issues through to
completion; this can be by assisting at Care Programme Approach Meetings, After Care Meetings
under s117 Mental Health Act, to representing clients at Hospital Managers Hearings and Tribunals.
Cheryl ensures her clients rights are protected and that they are treated fairly and with dignity.
Cheryl also represents family members of detained patients who are known as Nearest Relatives in
law, and assists in explaining their legal rights in relation to their loved one’s detention, but also in
assisting them in court actions to prevent the removal of their role as Nearest Relative and in
Tribunals to prevent them from being legally barred from acting as Nearest Relatives.

Cheryl represents all types of clients, from those who are experiencing their first involvement with
mental health services, to clients who are deemed to be such a risk, that they are detained in one of
the high secure hospitals in the country such as Rampton Hospital. Cheryl works a lot with children
and adolescents who are detained under the Mental Health Act, and because of the shortages in
child and adolescent units, she represents clients all over the country, so does spend a lot of time
travelling. Cheryl understands the extra vulnerability that children have and ensures them continuity
in their legal representation and therefore builds up a trusting working relationship with her clients,
and is also now an expert at navigating the M25!

Cheryl believes in getting the best service for her clients and recently represented a deaf patient and
was able to secure three different types of sign language interpreters to enable the client to fully
participate in the Tribunal Hearing. This experience has also lead Cheryl to embark on a course
learning sign language herself.

Cheryl is about to lose most of the spare time she has, as she is going to start a part-time Post
Graduate Degree in forensic psychology and mental health. When she does get time to herself this
normally involves her exercising her 4 working spaniels and keeping up her diving quota as she is a
qualified advanced scuba diver. She is also a very keen Latin and ballroom dancer.