Adam Mercer
Adam joined Sinclairslaw in November 2019 and currently works in the Education Law department under Christopher McFarland. Adam predominantly assists parents of children with special educational needs in navigating the special educational needs system. Adam is experienced in assisting parents both in England and Wales. In addition, Adam assists parents and young people with regards to Community Care and Judicial Review.
Prior to joining Sinclairslaw, Adam developed his Public Law experience by challenging the decisions of NHS bodies in with respect to individuals’ entitlement to NHS Continuing Healthcare. Adam also acted as a research assistant at Cardiff University in 2014 and 2015 investigating how recent policy decisions had impacted on how local authorities use the Court of Protection to resolve disputes as to a person’s welfare, where that person lacks capacity.
Adam assisted his colleagues Paul Conrathe and Christopher McFarland in bringing the case of Gardner, R (on the application of) & Ors v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care & Ors [2022] EWHC 967 in which the High Court held that the Government policy from 17 March 2020 to 2 April 2020 were irrational in failing to advise that where a patient who did not display symptoms of COVID-19 were admitted to a care home, they should have been kept apart from other residents for 14 days.
Practice Area
Panel
- Contributing Author
Experience
- Hugh James (2015 - 2019)
Qualification
- LLB (2015)
Education
- Cardiff University (2012 – 2015)
- University of Law (2021)
1 Contributions by Adam Mercer
PRACTICE NOTES
Welsh SEN and ALN law: EA 1996 and ALNET(W)A 2018 frameworks, duty to decide, IDPs, statements, assessment, tribunal appeals and transitional arrangements
This Practice Note provides a brief overview of the law of special educational needs (SEN) in Wales.
It summarises the framework under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 concerning additional learning needs (ALN), together with the transitional arrangements brought about by this reform. For coverage of SEN in England, see Practice Note: Special educational needs in England under the Children and Families Act 2014.
ALNET(W)A 2018, partially in force (with certain provisions in force from 1 September 2025), applies to the following pupils:
children with newly recognised ALN;
children who are detained;
children in Nursery Years 1 or 2, or Years 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10, already receiving additional learning provision (ALP) through school action or school action plus;
children attending a maintained school or Pupil Referral Unit who are looked after, or who are registered at more than one setting;
children who are looked after but are not looked after children who are in the area of a local authority in England.
For all other pupils within the current SEN framework under Part IV of the Education Act 1996 (EA...
Local Government
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