Getting to know our board of directors – Gemma Hopper
I have been a member of The Association of Lifetime Lawyers since July 2021 and became a director in March 2023. Since then, I have taken the appointment as vice-chair of CoPPA East Midlands, and I hope to work with both memberships to bring more support to Court of Protection practitioners.
I work at Nelsons as a legal director and solicitor in the Court of Protection, Trust and Charity Administration Team. I lead a team of seven across the three areas of work in which our clients are vulnerable or they provide support to vulnerable people.
I qualified with the Office of the Public Guardian as an in-house government lawyer where I represented the Public Guardian in contentious applications to remove attorneys and deputies who were in breach of their authority and not acting in P’s best interests.
My work predominantly involved the ongoing deputyship management of clients in receipt of a large settlement following an acquired brain injury. Many of our clients have complex care needs and we work closely with care providers and case managers to ensure their needs are being met. The type of court applications we make vary but include statutory will and gifting, extension to our authority to include purchasing property, litigation on behalf of P, and trustee appointments.
We take many instructions from charity clients, and we have several grant making and almshouse charities that we provide administrative support to. This is an interesting area that provides the team with further expertise in assisting with the requirements of The Charity Commission and ensuring the board are acting within their charitable objectives.
I also volunteer as a trustee for Age UK Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, this provides me with a greater understanding of the role and obligations of a trustee with the ability to provide guidance and support to the senior leadership team of a large charity.
I would like to have more personal hobbies, but my time is taken up by my adorable daughter, who at the time of writing this bio is 5 years old and about to finish her first year of school. I have a full-time hobby in keeping on-top of her social life and ensuring I know the characters in Gabby’s Dollhouse and the ever-expanding Disney empire (we still don’t talk about Bruno!).
I applied for the role of director with The Association so that I could bring my experiences to the board and assist in the growth of the membership. My main focus is to bring more support on matters relating to the Court of Protection and the wider aspects of support our most vulnerable clients.
(Author: Gemma Hopper, Lifetime Lawyers director)