Member profile
Member profile
Karon Walton describes her journey into law.
About the author
Karon Walton FCILEx is a partner at Tollers LLP, where she is head of the elderly and vulnerable client unit.
In November 1992, I had my first son. While I was taking a career break from Northamptonshire Police, I decided to undertake law exams. I started with GCSE Law, and then moved on to A level, both at evening classes at my local college. After passing these exams, my lecturer encouraged me to continue and to undertake the CILEx course. At this time, I had just returned to work part time, and also had another son.
I embarked on my Chartered Legal Executive course at night college, and then later studied via distance learning through CILEx College. While it was not always easy juggling my life, I am extremely grateful to my family and to one person, in particular, my late mother-in-law, who was a truly wonderful woman and always encouraged me to keep going. She looked after my boys when I needed time to study. She is sadly missed after losing her fight against cancer four years ago. As a result of her support, I passed all my exams.
... I am glad that I took the path I did, and undertook the CILEx route... [W]ould I do it all again? The answer would be a most definite YES!
In September 2000, I applied for a position at Tollers Solicitors. I was fortunate that a person in their trusts and probate team was retiring, and they needed someone to take on their Court of Protection work.
This was under the old system of Court of Protection, and was not an area that many junior lawyers really wanted to undertake. However, for me, I found a love for the work itself, and in helping and supporting clients who had varying degrees of memory issues.
I created Tollers elderly and vulnerable client unit, as I saw that, at the time, there was a lack of information being given out specifically for older people. I began to move away from general trust and estate work, and became more specialised in Court of Protection and care issues.
I worked at Tollers until 2007, and then moved to Harvey Ingram Solicitors, working in their trusts and estates team and taking on the role of dealing with their Court of Protection work, as the Mental Capacity Act 2005 had just come fully into force.
In 2011, I started up the East Midlands Solicitors for the Elderly Group as regional co-ordinator. I took on the role to bring together other professionals in this area of law to meet, to have training and to share knowledge.
I returned to Tollers, in 2013, as head of their elderly and vulnerable client unit. In the past four years, I have continued to develop this area of law for my firm and was made a partner in April 2017 (see (2017) May CILExJ p40).
In June 2013, I became a director of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), and was tasked to represent SFE at the Office of the Public Guardian Stakeholder Group and the Court of Protection User Group. Since then, this role has further developed into representing SFE on the Court Rules Ad Hoc Committee.
SFE has also developed in this time and become more public facing and, together with Stand Agency (SFE’s public relations company), Lakshmi Turner (SFE’s chief executive) and the other directors, has developed its media presence as the ‘go to’ older people’s group which speaks on various current issues, such as case law, government policy, and general older people’s issues.
For SFE, I have appeared on TV and radio, and have regularly been quoted in publications, such as the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, The Lawyer and the Times. Personally, I do not find these media interviews easy, but planning and preparation are paramount to making sure that the key messages are given out.
I can honestly say that I have found my career in law challenging, stressful and not always easy; however, looking back I feel a sense of achievement that I may have made a small difference in my law world, not only to my clients but to my firm and, hopefully, to the wider legal profession by being a voice to speak up for older people’s affairs.
So, I am glad that I took the path I did, and undertook the CILEx route. If asked, would I do it all again? The answer would be a most definite YES!
Karon is a partner in Tollers, she is a Chartered Legal Executive, and head of the elderly and vulnerable client unit, which was set up to provide expert advice to the growing problems that are faced by an ageing population. Karon specialises in Court of Protection and elderly client affairs and, in particular, contentious issues around financial and property, and the abuse of the elderly and vulnerable. Karon also works to provide advice for clients, who require care either in their own home or in a residential setting, and help to put their affairs in order by way of powers of attorney and checks to ensure that all funding assessments have been carried out and the correct benefits claimed.
Karon is a director of Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) Ltd, and she sits on the formal Court of Protection Rules Committee and on the Court of Protection User Group. She works closely with the Office of Public Guardian and the Ministry of Justice on policy and practice issues. Karon is a contributor to the SFE newsletter, providing members with legal updates and giving briefings to the media about current issues surrounding this area of law.
Karon works closely with organisations, such as the Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK, Dementia Action Alliance and UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum, and is a Dementia Friends Champion.