A Wrexham mental health lawyer has warned that local authorities must adhere fully to the rules if they decide to remove dementia sufferers and other mentally incapacitated people from their homes to place them in care, or else be prepared to pay hefty compensation bills.

Q:  I live in a terraced house. Five years ago I got planning permission to extend my kitchen with the extension wall against the neighbouring property being built right up to the boundary. Now my neighbours want to do the same and have asked whether they can use my wall as a party wall to save themselves some space and money.

One of the region’s largest and longest standing law firms has won a tender to provide Legal Aid Family Mediation Services from February 2015.

Q: My husband and I are getting divorced.  The split is perfectly amicable and we have not needed to get solicitors involved. We are now ready to sort out the finances and a friend has advised us to enter into a Clean Break Order so that we will both be protected from any future claims. Can you explain what this means and if we really need to do it?

A Wrexham mental health lawyer who specialises in the complexities of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) has organised a free training event in Wrexham next month for professionals who are involved with the care of mentally incapacitated people.

Q: I was driving my 4 year old son, James, to school when another car ran into the back of me. As James was screaming with pain I took him straight to the hospital after exchanging details with the other driver and they did X-rays which showed that James’s leg was fractured. I have reported it to my insurance company but they frankly haven’t been very forthcoming with advice about the best way of making a claim for his injury. Can you tell me, should I start a claim for him or should I wait for him to reach 18?

Q: I am the owner of a property I held jointly with my widowed mother until sadly she died in hospital last year. Although I did not live permanently at the property I now need to move back as my circumstances have changed. The problem, however, is that when my mother was alive she allowed my sister to stay in the property temporarily following her splitting up from her partner and she is still there. I have asked her to leave so that I can occupy the property as my principal residence but she now refuses to move out. She says she has a “legal right of occupation”. What can I do?

Q: My partner and I have been together six years and own our house jointly.  Our relationship has always been difficult but since our son was born a year ago he has become verbally and physically abusive towards me and I am terrified of doing anything to set him off. As I am still on maternity leave and not earning I cannot move out. What can I do?