Sara Isenberg
Senior Associate & WKTL Director
Capacity, Care and Court of Protection | Compensation Protection | Private Client
About Sara
Sara is a Senior Associate in our Private Client and Compensation Protection teams, based in our London office.
Sara specialises in mental capacity and Court of Protection work with a great deal of experience working for and now as a professional Deputy. Sara is passionate about advocating for the vulnerable and ensuring their best interests are prioritised and met.
Sara is a Senior Associate within both our Private Client and Compensation Protection teams. She previously worked alongside a Panel Deputy for five years, concentrating on property and financial affairs, going on to spend two years at a niche litigation firm, where she focused mainly on welfare disputes at the Court of Protection – acting mainly for family members and the Protected Person.
Sara’s client base ranges from concerned family members, care homes and domiciliary care providers as well as acting on behalf of the RWK Goodman Trust company in its guise as professional finance Deputy for many incapacitated individuals. These vulnerable people range from elderly clients with Dementia to young children who have suffered serious brain injuries at birth.
Sara is used to dealing with both contentious and non-contentious matters regarding property and financial affairs and welfare issues. Sara also has experience of managing cases at the Court of Protection which have a multi-jurisdictional element. In addition, Sara advises families on challenging CHC (Continuing Healthcare) funding decisions and failures of Local Authorities to comply with their obligations under both the Mental Capacity Act and Care Act.
Sara's skills and experience include:
- applications to the Court of Protection in respect of property and financial affairs (ranging from Deputyship Orders with multi-jurisdictional aspects to statutory Will applications)
- applications to the Court of Protection in respect of welfare matters (including applications for best interest decisions in respect of residence, care and contact)
- applications to the Court of Protection in respect of gifting acting on behalf of Attorneys and Deputies
- acting on behalf of a professional Deputy in respect of the day-to-day management of Deputyship cases
- investigating financial abuse claims in respect of vulnerable individuals
- advising lay Attorneys and Deputies to ensure they meet their obligations
- advising care homes and care providers on ensuring they meet their obligations under the Mental Capacity Act including advising on any deprivation of liberty policies
- negotiating mediation agreements
- acting for both the protected person, professional and Panel Deputies and family members in contentious proceedings at the Court of Protection
- advising families on failures by Local Authorities to meet their obligations under the Mental Capacity and Care Acts.
Sara is often asked to speak to employees about juggling responsibilities they may have in caring for elderly relatives. In the last few years Sara has been asked to a number of large organisations including Santander UK, Anglo-American, The Northern Trust and numerous Magic Circle law firms including Herbert Smith Freehills and Norton Rose Fulbright.
Memberships
- First tier membership of Solicitors for the Elderly
- Member of the Professional Deputies Forum
- Founding member of the National Mental Capacity Forum
Learn more about Sara's areas of expertise
"The best part of my job is the people I meet. It is a privilege to work for people who often face great adversity with such dignity and courage. It is an unbelievably rewarding feeling that you might be able to make a tangible improvement to someone’s life."
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