Professor Philip Fennell

Overview

Phil Fennell is a Professor of Law in Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University, where he teaches Medical Law, Public Law and Legal Foundations. He has published many articles and books on  law and psychiatry, including Treatment Without Consent: Law, Psychiatry and the Treatment of Mental Disorder since 1845, (Routledge 1996), (with Larry Gostin, Peter Bartlett, Jean McHale and Ronnie Mackay) Principles of Mental health Law and Policy (Oxford University Press 2010),  Mental Health Law and Practice (2nd Edition Jordans 2011), (with Penny Letts and Jonathan Wilson Mental health Tribunals (The Law Society 2013) . Phil has worked as specialist legal adviser to the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee on the Mental Health Bill 2004, to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, as well as to the Welsh Affairs Committee on the Draft Mental Health Legislative Competence Order 2008.

Phil is a regular speaker at conferences on mental health law and policy, and is frequently asked to give advice on policy issues to official bodies in Great Britain and Ireland. In 2009 Phil gave training lectures on the Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to judges of the High Court the Court of Appeal and the Court of Protection, and in January 2013 addressed a seminar of the judges of the Family Division and the Court of Protection at Highgate House on the Deprivation of Liberty Procedures under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.  He has provided expert legal comment on topical issues of medical and mental health law for both BBC and ITV news and current affairs programmes. He acted as specialist legal adviser to the Welsh grand Committee of the Westminster Parliament on the Legislativeoo Competence order which led to the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010. In 2009 Phil gave evidence to the Senedd Health and Social Services Committee on the measure.