About Georga Godwin

Georga Godwin is a solicitor and qualified barrister who specialises in mental health and capacity law. She also has experience in and regularly makes representations regarding children and family, and education law.

Georga has also worked in the fields of debt; housing; and public law. She also has experience in judicial review proceedings arising out of mental health matters. She therefore has a wealth of experience to bring to your case.

Georga went to university at 28, and pregnant, where she gained a First Class degree in ancient history. After completing post-graduate studies at Oxford University, Georga worked in publishing as editor on the Classics and Religious Studies lists at Oxford University Press. She then returned to studying, aged 40, this time the law. Georga was called to the Bar in July 2005 and admitted as a Solicitor in 2008. She has been a member of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation Scheme since 2008.

Georga is also a freelance trainer. She specialises in training all psychiatric and local authority professionals – in all aspects of mental health and capacity law, including advocacy skills for Tribunals.

Georga trains doctors to gain S. 12 MHA and Approved Clinician authority for the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She also runs the Medico-Legal Masterclasses for the college, covering different aspects of the law and how it applies to clinical practice. She has also trained Approved Mental Health Professionals on legal updates, and Best Interests Assessors regarding the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Georga regularly speaks at conferences, particularly for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, covering all aspects of mental health and capacity law. As an acknowledged leader in this field, in 2014 Georga was invited to speak by the Tribunal Judges at the Mental Health Tribunal Members Association’s Annual Conference and AGM to represent all mental health solicitors.

Accreditations / Qualifications:

• 1995 1st Class BA Honours Degree Ancient History – University of Cardiff
• 1996 Diploma (now M. St.) Jewish Studies– University of Oxford
• 2004 Graduate Diploma Law – Oxford Brookes University
• 2005 Very Competent, Bar Vocational Course – Inns of Court School of Law
• 2005 Postgraduate Diploma Professional Legal Skills – Inns of Court School of Law
• 28-7-2005 Called to the Bar – The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn (The Bar Council membership no.: 48693; The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn membership no.: 13046)
• 1-6-2008 Accredited Member of the Mental Health Accreditation Scheme of The Law Society
• 1-9-2008 Admitted to the roll of Solicitors (The Law Society of England and Wales membership no.: 425368)

Qualities:

Georga prides herself on being a legal nerd and an expert in her field. She is highly knowledgeable about the law, keeping up-to-date with case law, which allows her to constantly find ways to push the boundaries of what can be achieved within the legal framework.

Georga believes that the law is a great problem-solving tool. She thinks outside the box and looks at legal problems from more than a mental health law perspective. Georga looks at all legal angles to find a solution.

Strengths over competitors

Georga approaches her cases not as a production line where the focus is just on getting to the end of a case. She enjoys working closely with her clients, be they those working for psychiatric services or people detained under the Mental Health Act, building a strong relationship of trust. Georga has a real interest in the client as a person, she will go that extra mile to achieve what the client wants and needs.

Georga is entirely focused on a client and their issues, guiding them through the legal system to achieve the best possible outcome. She has a wealth of experience that enables her to view the client’s issues holistically, to think outside the box, in order to formulate the most appropriate long-term solution to their problem.

Strongest benefits to clients:

Georga is a highly effective advocate, both in court, at Mental Health Tribunals, and in the provision of professional legal opinions and capacity assessments, with a high success rate for clients.

Georga has particular expertise in obtaining the provision and funding for after-care services, including services provided under the Mental Health Act, and accommodation, support and education services provided by local authorities under the Children Act 1989; Children & Families Act 2014; and The Care Act 2014.

Georga is also an expert on the provision of services for people with autism, both inpatient and aftercare.

Georga’s personality traits:

• Personable and likeable
• Friendly yet professional
• Expert yet approachable
• Concise in advocacy and written opinions
• Persuasive but grounded in the law
• Forward-thinking

Publications:

Georga is one of the authors of the ‘Giving Medical Evidence to the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health)’ in BJPsych Advances (CUP, 2025), see link below.

Georga was a contributory author for the Oxford Textbook of Inpatient Psychiatry (OUP, 2019), see link below.

As a result of an interest in intellectual property law, Georga was a contributor to Engelman’s Intellectual Property Update 2004-2005 (Tottel Publishing, 2005).

Supplementary:

Georga is a proud Brummie from a council estate in Birmingham, and is a Social Mobility Ambassador for The Law Society. 

Georga has the Freedom of the City of London and in her spare time is a Court Assistant in The Worshipful Company of Cutlers, where she also sits on the Charity Committee.

Useful Links:

• Oxford Textbook of Inpatient Psychiatry (OUP, 2019)
• Royal College of Psychiatrists Medico-Legal Masterclasses
• ‘Giving Medical Evidence to the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health)’ in BJPsych Advances (CUP, 2025)
• Mental Health Lawyers Association
• The Law Society
• MHTMA Annual Conference Report 2014
• Pickup & Scott Solicitors

Georga’s CV:

View Georga’s CV (PDF 249KB)