With a career stretching back 50 years, human rights solicitor Peter Edwards has been recognised by the Liverpool Law Society for the outstanding contribution he has made to lives of the most vulnerable in our society.
Peter is proud to call himself a human rights solicitor and has been all his professional life. The focus of his work for the past 50 years has been to fight for the rights of mentally ill, the learning disabled and those who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves. He is also a passionate campaigner and has trained many tens of thousands who need to appreciate that interfering with the rights of others requires an understanding of the law.
Mat Kinton, the National Mental Health Act Policy Advisor of the Care Quality Commission writes of Peter:
“Over all of those years Peter has been a high-profile champion of patient rights, and a trenchant critic of systems and organisations that fail them. His work at Ashworth Hospital was central to challenging its past cultures, and as such he has had a lasting positive impact on all high secure services. He has been a visible and fearless campaigner for the rights of unpopular patient groups, especially offenders. His legal actions on behalf of patients have changed the face of the law for the good, and he remains a committed activist and lawyer.”
Peter collected his award at a prestigious event held at the Titanic Hotel Liverpool. A proud Peter said, “I am incredibly honoured to have achieved this award and I do so on behalf of the entire team at Peter Edwards Law who work tirelessly every day to protect the most vulnerable people in our society. There is still a lot of work to do and, unfortunately for many organisations, I have no intention of putting my feet up any time soon!”
Leanne Hignett, Service Delivery Director, Advocacy Focus explains a little more about Peter’s work and influence:
“He is champion for the rights of people and an expert in the field of mental health and mental capacity law. Peter has provided training and support to our 50 plus team which has focused on protecting and upholding rights of others, overcoming difficult situations, and obtaining services and support people need. Personally, I have known Peter professionally for several years and value our relationship and friendship, Peter is a true ambassador for Advocacy and what we stand for and I know I can always turn to him for support and guidance.”
Peter was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2016 and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare.
To get some idea of the impact Peter has had on peoples’ lives, one of his clients, Lisa fought 23 years to get the best care for her daughter, she was at breaking point when she came across Peter Edwards Law. Lisa said, “Peter’s expertise lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. If I emailed, I had a response within a day. He once accompanied me to a meeting where I usually felt bullied, with Peter there, I felt like finally I was being taken seriously.
“I can’t tell you what a difference Peter has made to mine and my family’s life. We now feel we have someone fighting for us.”
You can find out more about Peter and his law firm by visiting www.peteredwardslaw.com 
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