Sian Popplewell and Anest Mathias represented a father (‘F’) in private law proceedings concerning his non-verbal, autistic son (‘T’), born in 2017 with complex health needs. After separation, F was denied contact, and his initial application was lost by the court. He re-applied in 2021, leading to the mother making domestic abuse allegations.

In September 2021, F sustained a traumatic brain injury from an assault. Unrepresented until shortly before a fact-finding hearing (FFH) in 2023, he sought their help. They immediately identified concerns about his capacity to participate, securing an urgent intermediary assessment confirming significant cognitive impairments.

They successfully applied to adjourn the FFH, protecting F’s right to a fair trial, as the court accepted his application might have been dismissed otherwise. They then secured rare LAA exceptional case funding and a cognitive assessment, which confirmed memory and processing difficulties but supported F giving evidence with adaptations. Their involvement ensured F had the necessary support for full participation, making a fair trial possible and enabling the court to make the best decisions for the children.