Brigid Baillie

“Ms Baillie has a rapport with the clients whom she has defended and places them at ease with the situations that they find themselves in"

Instructing solicitor 2009

Practice

Crime and mental health

Brigid is aware that difficulties in the law for the mentally vulnerable affect the conduct of criminal cases and is skilled at dealing sensitively with demanding clients particularly in these circumstances. Work with vulnerable defendants and those with mental health issues is of particular interest to Brigid. She has significant experience of cases involving fitness to plead and disposals under the Mental Health Act 2007. Much of her criminal practice has involved cases where orders under the Mental Health Act are available to criminal courts during the course of proceedings. These include fitness to plead and capacity issues, s. 37 (Hospital Orders and Guardianship Orders) and s. 41 (Restriction Orders).

Recent such cases have included:

• Case in which judge initially wanted to impose a Restriction Order (s. 41) - successfully argued for a Hospital Order without restriction (s. 37) following a finding of not fit to plead.
• Contested and successfully argued Defendant not fit to plead. Prosecution case proceeded and jury found defendant did not commit the act.
• Youth Court –prosecution did not proceed; finding of not fit to plead.
• Capacity issue - Crown dropped the case on day of trial.

Crime

Brigid has comprehensive criminal defence experience and undertakes a full range of work in the Crown Court, Youth Court, Magistrates' Court and Court of Appeal. She has been involved, both as instructing solicitor and subsequently as Junior Counsel, in a number of serious crime cases including murder, drug importation, serious sex offences and terrorism.

Brigid is regularly instructed in cases involving violence, firearms offences, sex offences, fraud, offences against the person, burglary, arson, public order, driving offences, immigration identity fraud and anti social behaviour orders.

Mental health

As an experienced criminal practitioner Brigid is skilled at dealing sensitively with demanding clients in difficult circumstances and has built up a strong practice of cases involving people with mental health difficulties. Brigid undertook MHRT work as a solicitor and since being called to the bar she continues to practise in this area. She keeps up to date with recent developments in Mental Health law and has a particular interest in Judicial Review arising from Mental Health proceedings.

Prison law

Brigid has had a longstanding interest in cases with a human rights or civil liberty dimension and has recently extended her practice to include all areas of prison law. She has a particular interest in cases involving mental health aspects.

Inquests

Keen to develop practice in the direction of inquests and is actively interested in developments in the inquest and prison system and in rights of detainees.

Background

Previously a tenant at Cobden House Chambers in Manchester.

Brigid was admitted as a solicitor in 1998 and worked for a number of years as a Solicitor and Partner in a Criminal firm in Manchester, she then gained higher rights in 2005. Brigid was the Solicitor in R v Omar Altimimi, the first case involving charges under S57 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to be tried outside London.