Karon Walton, Head of Court of Protection Hegarty LLP
Karon Walton specialises in later-life client law which includes Court of Protection, Lasting Powers of Attorney, care home and funding issues. The Court of Protection deals with applications on behalf of people who have lost their mental capacity and are therefore unable to manage their own affairs. Karon specialises in contentious issues with disputes in the Court of Protection of the management of affairs of a protected party.
Karon is a qualified Mediator and her focus is on Court of Protection disputes in particular in order to try and negotiate an agreement without the need for costly court litigation. Karon is part of the Court of Protection Mediation Pilot Scheme currently being undertaken to evaluate mediation for Court of Protection disputes.
Karon is a professional Deputy, where she manages the financial affairs of protected parties who are unable to manage their own affairs and where unfortunately there is no willing or able person who can act or if the Court requires a professional Deputy.
Karon has a wealth of experience having previously worked for Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), a national organisation, as their Chief Legal Officer. At Solicitors for the Elderly Karon worked on policy, stakeholder engagement and business development to support their members in being the gold standard lawyers in older client law.
Karon was previously a Partner and Head of the Court Protection Team at another local solicitors firm, where she gained her experience in this important area of law.
In addition, Karon has worked with the Court of Protection Rules Committee, the Court of Protection User Group and The Office of the Public Guardian on various changes to law and stakeholder engagement on policy and direction.
Karon is a fully accredited member of SFE, holds a qualification with the Care Adviser Network, is a Dementia Friends Champion ,a member of the Law Society’s Private Client Section and a member of the Civil Mediation Council.
In June 2019, Karon was appointed as Chair of the Peterborough Dementia Friendly Communities and also appointed Chair of the East Midlands Court of Protection Practice Association (CoPPA) to which she is also a member.