Sarah Westoby
Senior associate solicitor
Sarah Westoby is a senior associate solicitor in the human rights department.
Sarah is a senior associate solicitor working with Emma Jones in the human rights department.
Legal expertise
Sarah works on a range of areas within the human rights department, focusing on cases involving the care and treatment afforded to vulnerable adults in health and social care settings.
Sarah has worked on the Infected Blood Public Inquiry representing over 300 core participants for the past four years.
Sarah also represents clients in best interests and deprivation of liberty cases, acting for clients in proceedings in the Court of Protection on issues including withdrawal of treatment, choice of treatment, residence, contact and care for people who don't have capacity to decide on these issues for themselves. Her clients include children, parents, relatives and the Official Solicitor.
Sarah also acts in Human Rights Act damages and negligence claims, including cases which involve emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect, and unlawful deprivations of liberty. Her work includes acting for families in inquest proceedings and civil claims arising as a result.
Currently, Sarah is investigating allegations, by social care services, of parent blame and fabricated and induced illness (FII) involving families where parents and/or their children have disabilities. Sarah advises on legal routes open to families who have been falsely accused of FII instead of being provided with much needed support.
Sarah Westoby cases
- Sarah represented the AIRE Centre in their intervention in the seminal deprivation of liberty case of Cheshire West in the Supreme Court in 2014.
- She currently represents DY, by her litigation friend the Official Solicitor, in ongoing proceedings in the Court of Protection. DY is a young woman with a moderate learning disability for whom the court has considered capacity issues including residence, care and treatment, contact, sexual relations and contraception. The case has considered the complex issue of how fluctuating capacity applies in the context of sexual relations. Re DY [2021] EWCOP 28 (Knowles J).
- Sarah is currently acting in a damages claim on behalf of an individual where the local authority may have been negligent in failing to remove the individual from the family home to protect them from abuse, and then, once in the care of the local authority, potentially liable for the tortious acts of the foster carers.
Sarah joined the firm in 2007 as a trainee, qualifying in 2009.
What the directories say
The solicitor that I rate most highly from Leigh Day is Sarah Westoby. She is extremely intelligent and dedicated to her clients.
Legal 500 2024
Sarah Westoby in the news
- Tragic fall: Inquest reveals housing authority failures led to woman’s death Voice 5.12.23
- Balcony fall death sparks coroner criticism of housing provision BBC 24.11.23
- Herefordshire parents to hear about 'fabricated or induced illness' Hereford Times 9.2.23
- Police sued over 'missed chances' to save disabled woman killed by boyfriend Mirror 31.1.21
- GMP being sued by family of woman stabbed to death by boyfriend days after police failed to act on horrendous abuse claims Manchester Evening News 1.2.21
Coroner finds failings by housing authority and housing association caused the death of an epileptic woman who fell from the balcony of her London flat
An inquest into the death of 39-year-old Marwo Kassim, who fell from the balcony of her third floor flat in west London after an epileptic seizure, has found that the failure of the local housing authority and housing association to provide her with safe accommodation was a cause of her death.
Infected blood inquiry lawyers call for immediate payments following delay to final report
Lawyers representing hundreds of people affected by the NHS infected blood scandal have voiced their disappointment at the delay to the report of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Parent and Carer Alliance Gloucestershire to meet FII academic and human rights lawyer
The Parent and Carer Alliance CIC (Alliance) will hold a meeting with a legal academic and a human rights lawyer on Tuesday 14 March to share their concerns about significant numbers of allegations, by Gloucestershire County Council, of parent blame and fabricated and induced illness (FII) involving families whose children have disabilities.
Herefordshire families to meet human rights lawyer and research academic over FII concerns
A human rights lawyer and research academic will be meeting families to discuss their concerns about allegations of FII (Fabricating or Inducing a child’s illness) in Herefordshire.
Court of Protection and best interests
Actions against the Police
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