The Times Lawyer of the Week – Ravinder Brar
Ravinder Brar, the Director of RKB Law, has been working tirelessly for the last two years, in representing Pam and Roy Hickmott, the parents of Tony Hickmott, a 44 years old man with autism, who was detained in hospital since 2001. His parents, Pam and Roy have been seeking justice for their son in securing a home for him, so that he can be discharged from hospital. Unfortunately, Pam and Roy are not in a financial position to be able to pay legal representation and are not entitled to Legal Aid (falling just above the threshold), so they are represented free of charge, on a pro bono basis.
On this rear occasion, on an application by the BBC and Sky, the Court of Protection lifted reporting restrictions to enable the media to report on this case, so that awareness could be raised of the difficulties that Tony and his family have been facing, along with many other families in similar situations.
Ravinder Brar has been selected as the Lawyer of the Week in recognition of the important issue in the case and her hard work in representing the parents to seeking justice for Tony Hickmott.
The local authority and the CCG are yet to find accommodation for Tony but the legal team for the parents consisting of Ravinder Brar from RKB Law, barristers Oliver Lewis and Aswini Weereratne QC from Doughty Street Chambers, are maintaining their efforts to secure a suitable home for Tony close to his parents.