Solicitor at SEN Legal Limited

Richard Nettleton

Solicitor - Solicitor & Director

SRA ID: 655851

I joined SEN Legal in February 2018 as a Paralegal before starting my Training Contract and becoming a Trainee Solicitor. I qualified as a Solicitor in November 2020. Prior to joining SEN Legal, I obtained an LLB Second Class Honours, Upper Division (2:1) from Bangor University where I studied between 2009-2012. I then went on to work in management roles for a major retailer for 8 years primarily based in stores around East Anglia. I have always had a strong interest in Special Educational Needs which started at a young age due to my brother’s needs. This interest clearly grew further when I received my own diagnosis of Dyslexia on the 14th March 2004. My own personal journey having special educational needs, often allows me a unique insight into the minds of the young people we represent, from the perspective of having my own special educational needs and that of living with someone who has special educational needs, and the struggles they can face accessing the education system.

3-4 Forbes Business Centre, Kempson Way, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7AR

Licensed for 4 years

Practice Areas

Education

5.0/5 17 Client Reviews 17
  • Education 100%
17 Client Reviews

5.0/5

Overall experience

  • Value For Money
  • Communication
  • Initial Impressions
  • Approachability
  • Documentation Accuracy
  • Legal knowledge

Reviews summary

  • Excellent
    17
  • Very Good
    0
  • Average
    0
  • Poor
    0
  • Awful
    0

Review sources

Anonymous
Click to rate
Andrew
Andrew Added 6 months ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
June 07, 2024 20240607134921

Excellent service, clear and pragmatic advice

5

We engaged Richard Nettleton and Sarah Bearman to help us with a dispute with the Local Authority relating to a request for a repeat of one school year for our son for a number of reasons. Richard and his team were absolutely excellent in how they helped us to position the case and his application of the relevant law was exemplary. He achieved a successful outcome for us in a short space of time. I would highly recommend Richard and Sarah to any parents facing challenges relating to LA funding and EHCPs. We also felt the advice was good value bearing in mind this is a very specialist area. SENLegal are clearly a market leader in this area. Thanks

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 10 June, 2024

Dear Andrew, Thank you for your glowing review! We're delighted to hear that Richard and Sarah provided excellent support and achieved a successful outcome for your son's case. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we're proud to specialize in this area. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance in the future. Best regards, SEN Legal Limited

Was this review helpful? Yes

Michael
Michael Added 6 months ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
May 28, 2024 20240528124721

SEN Legal Ltd, Richard Nettleton ,recommended without hesitation

5

SEN Legal Ltd, Richard Nettleton , highly recommended without hesitation.

I am a strong believer of giving credit when it is due, recently I instructed Richard Nettleton of SEN Legal Ltd to represent my son for his EHCP appeal. I have worked with many solicitors in my own professional field and wanted to share my positive experience. This solicitor demonstrated a remarkable combination of professionalism and friendliness throughout our interactions. Gave me a true and accurate expectation of costs and timescales with regular updates. His attention to detail was truly commendable. His meticulously reviewed every aspect of my son’s case, leaving no stone unturned. Richard comprehensive approach instilled confidence in me that he was fully invested in achieving the best possible outcome for my son.

Richard extensive knowledge of this specialist legal field was evident. He applied his expertise to navigate through complex legal matters with ease. What truly impressed me was his ability to explain these intricate concepts in simple terms that anyone could understand. he had a knack for breaking down complicated information and making it accessible to someone not well-versed in legal terms.

In addition to Richard expertise, this solicitor's communication skills were exceptional. He was responsive, ensuring that I was always informed of any updates or developments in a timely manner. He made sure to listen attentively to my concerns and questions, addressing them with patience and clarity. his ability to effectively communicate not only put me at ease but also fostered a strong sense of trust and understanding.


Thanks to Richard friendly professional approach, attention to detail, knowledge, and excellent communication skills, I am pleased to say that Richard Nettleton achieved a successful outcome that will develop my son’s future. I am truly grateful for his dedication and expertise throughout the entire process.

I highly Richard Nettleton to anyone in need of legal assistance. His exceptional combination of skills and attributes sets him apart, making him an invaluable asset in navigating EHCP legal matters.

Mr Michael Ing

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 30 May, 2024

Dear Michael, Thank you for your glowing recommendation of Richard at SEN Legal Ltd. We're thrilled to hear about your positive experience during your son's EHCP matter. Your satisfaction and trust mean a lot to us. We appreciate your kind words and recommendation. Richard's dedication to achieving the best outcome for your son is commendable, and we're pleased to have been able to assist. Your feedback reinforces our commitment to providing exceptional legal support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need further assistance in the future. Best Regards, SEN Legal Limited

Was this review helpful? Yes

Keren Lavi
Verified Keren Lavi Added 8 months ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
April 22, 2024 20240422131948

Thank you

5

Richard and Allys, I couldn't thank you enough for the outstanding service, support and reassurance you provided throughout the appeal process. Your expertise in this field is unmatched, and you are deeply committed to advocating for the rights of individuals with special educational needs. With compassion and a thorough understanding of the legal intricacies involved, you both ensured that my son received the best outcome we could have ever hoped for.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 24 April, 2024

Thank you, Keren! We're honoured by your kind words and grateful for the opportunity to support you and your son. Your appreciation means a lot to Richard and Allys. Best Regards, SEN Legal Limited

Was this review helpful? Yes

Shelly
Shelly Added 8 months ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
April 17, 2024 20240417063110

Totally wonderful and kept us sane in an insane proses .

5

The SEN school legal proses varies from county to county and frustratingly East Sussex is one of if not the worst most unprofessional to deal with in everyone I know who has had to experience.

Richard and his team kept us in the loop enough and as balanced as we could be in the whirlwind of crazy that is this process.
I’m not going to lye this was stressful and expensive but SEN legal got us over the finish line as quickly as they could and knew exactly what to do were we would have failed just through Lack of experience on this process. My advise is do use a Lawer from the start and do use SEN legal they are friendly and professional and kind
( you will need that to get through it )
We worked with Richard,Jame and Bethan and I can’t fault any of there work it was thorough and Richard knew what to do and when to do it for the best result and also what to say when we lost the plot and talked us down several times . Thank you Richard and your team. We also talked allot with Carl in accounts who was also professional and helpful all the way through this proses and made it possible when things got tight towards the end and endured my rubbish email management without judgment
( outwardly anyway )
We are forever grateful thank you all
Shelly Gez Blue and Pepper

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 19 April, 2024

Thank you, Shelly! We're grateful for your kind words about Richard, Jamyi, Bethan, and Karl's professionalism and support throughout the challenging SEN legal process. We're glad we could assist you through the whirlwind and get you over the finish line. Your feedback means a lot, and we're here for you whenever you need us. Best Regards, SEN Legal Limited

Was this review helpful? Yes

Shazia
Shazia Added 9 months ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
March 11, 2024 20240311192055

Excellent service!

5

Richard Nettleton and the SEN Legal team are absolutely amazing!

They made what was an extremely worrying and stressful time, so much easier to deal with and we were successful!

I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 14 March, 2024

Thank you, Shazia, for your kind words. We're delighted to hear that Richard Nettleton and our team were able to support you during what can be a stressful time, and that we achieved a successful outcome for you.

Was this review helpful? Yes

Suzy
Suzy Added 10 months ago 1 found this helpful Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
February 18, 2024 20240218190013

Richard Nettledon and Annabel Moore

5

My husband and I contacted SEN legal to help us fight the LA to get our son into the correct school! Richard Nettledon was absolutely superb and explained the whole process all the way through in a manner we could understand. From our very first meeting with a Richard he filled us with confidence and managed to win our case 8 months before it was meant to go to tribunal. Annabel Moore, Richards Para Legal was very good at explaining the process and responding to emails promptly. The whole process was stress free and actually worked out to be cheaper than what we first expected.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 21 February, 2024

Dear Suzy, Thank you for sharing your experience with SEN Legal and highlighting Richard Nettledon's superb guidance and Annabel Moore's diligent support. We're thrilled to have been able to resolve your case efficiently and cost-effectively, providing you with a stress-free experience. Your satisfaction and the successful outcome for your son mean the world to us.

Was this review helpful? Yes

Dulanka
Dulanka Added 11 months ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
January 14, 2024 20240114213245

Experience with SEN Legal

5

We used SEN Legal to appeal against our atrocious Local Authority for their handling of our son’s secondary school placement. From the first day, SEN Legal with the team assigned to us - Richard Nettleton and Annabel were exceptional.

They were friendly, approachable, meticulous and methodical with their explanation of legal strategy, their production of documents and preparation of the groundwork and paperwork and took us step by step patiently through the entire process.

Their recommendations and advice at every step of the way was accurate, to the point and clear. We put our trust in them and they absolutely delivered.

It is expensive, no doubt. But my wife and I knew that it was money well spent from the quality of the work they did.

We won our case with the Local Authority settling the days before the tribunal. They didn’t have a leg to stand on. We couldn’t have achieved this result on our own. It was clear from the legal weight, approach and strategy utilised by SEN Legal, that by ourselves we would have struggled.

Thank you Richard and Annabel for all your help in our son’s case.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 17 January, 2024

Dear Dulanka, We sincerely appreciate your detailed feedback and are thrilled to have played a positive role in your son's case. Richard Nettleton and Annabel are indeed exceptional, and we're glad their meticulous approach and support were valuable to you. Your trust in SEN Legal is greatly valued, and we're delighted to have delivered a successful outcome. Thank you for choosing us.

Was this review helpful? Yes

A very happy parent
Verified A very happy parent Added 1 year ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
December 15, 2023 20231215171943

Highly recommend SEN Legal

5

SEN Legal is gold standard. They know their stuff inside and out. They are pragmatic and outcomes orientated. And their team is best in class: smart, informed, experienced, on top of their brief at all times, always available and in touch, straightforward and lovely to deal with. Most importantly: they get results.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 03 January, 2024

Thank you for your glowing feedback! We're thrilled to be considered gold standard and appreciate your kind words about Richard, Annabel and our knowledgeable and results-oriented team. If you ever need further assistance, we're here for you. Best regards, SEN Legal Limited

Was this review helpful? Yes

Holly
Holly Added 1 year ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
December 04, 2023 20231204142524

Excellence - from no school to independent specialist place

5

Before contacting SEN Legal, we were completely ignored by the local authority. Within a day of SEN Legal sending a pre-action letter, we had a response from the LA after there had been nothing but silence from them for months despite our trying to contact them repeatedly and their breaching legal deadlines. Richard skilfully navigated us through the appeal process when the LA did not name a school for our child. Without SEN Legal, our son would not be in school and not getting the support he needs. We are so very grateful to Richard, Sophie, and the SEN Legal team for making an exceedingly stressful and incomprehensibly thorny process, manageable - and most importantly, successful. Throughout the process, Richard and Sophie were fantastic at communicating our options, efficient and proactive at chasing loose ends and heading off anything that would have meant our son received less provision than he needs. Their guidance was always sound and frankly, invaluable. We truly appreciated their expertise and sensitivity when dealing with our case. We could not recommend SEN Legal more highly.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 06 December, 2023

We sincerely appreciate your heartfelt feedback. It's rewarding to know that we played a pivotal role in ensuring your child's rights were acknowledged and addressed by the local authority. We're pleased Richard, Sophie, and the entire team could guide you through the complex appeal process, making it not only manageable but successful. Your kind words about our communication, efficiency, and proactive approach mean a great deal to us. We understand the stress associated with such processes and are honored to have contributed to a positive outcome for your son. Thank you for recommending SEN Legal, and please know that we're here to support you in the future if needed.

Was this review helpful? Yes

B.SEA
Verified B.SEA Added 1 year ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
November 29, 2023 20231129122311

Expert Advice and Support

5

We are extremely grateful for the expert advice and support during what was a very anxious and stressful time for us.

We were impressed with your highly professional and competent services and found the fast response reassuring.

The process was greatly helped by your insightful and accurate expertise.

Your hard work gained many results including your attendance at the emergency annual review meeting after exclusion, resolving issues with the Local Authority regarding the Educational Health Care Plan, success in securing HLTA 1-1 in her plan, having the exclusion rescinded and ultimately keeping her in her mainstream setting. You have achieved all this and avoided tribunal and for this we are extremely grateful.

Thank you Richard!

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

A representative from SEN Legal Limited responded to this review on 04 December, 2023

Thank you so much for your heartfelt and appreciative feedback! We are thrilled to hear that we were able to provide expert advice and support during what was undoubtedly a challenging and stressful time for you. Your kind words about our services, as well as our fast and reassuring responses, mean a lot to us.

Was this review helpful? Yes

Reviews collected on

Bella
Bella Added 1 year ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
December 15, 2023
Collected on
20231215172352

Bella

5

Richard Nettleton and the SEN Legal team are gold standard. They know their stuff inside and out. They are pragmatic and outcomes orientated. They are smart, informed, experienced, on top of their brief at all times, always available and in touch, straightforward and lovely to deal with. I'm so grateful to them for their support and for the result they achieved.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

Was this review helpful? Yes

Robert
Robert Added 1 year ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
April 26, 2023
Collected on
20230426063109

Robert

5

We used Richard's firm as we had already been through a protracted, painful process to get our eldest son assessed under the EHCP with our local authority. This had been a slow process, (often outside of the statutory milestones), with poor communication and little understanding of how we would get to the right outcome for our child. Whilst we had better experience with some of the individual practitioners who assessed our child, we also had frustrating experiences including an educational psychologist who did not actually see our child in person.

This resulted in an assessment and initial plan where we simply did not have any guidance as to what the right educational placement was and significant delays in even naming a placement even after most children already had their school places decided. Richard was a recommendation from the manager of the special needs playschool our child had been attending, and was an excellent one. He quickly assessed the situation, patiently and cogently set out our options and took us through the process of issuing a pre-action letter to the local authority to force them to name a placement.

Richard then took us through the process of both appealing against the placement named by the local authority, which was blatantly inappropriate, and into the tribunal process. He was diligent, patient with us and excellent at taking us through the process step by step. He was also excellent at dealing with the local authority and identifying when they were pushing boundaries and when to push back.

As a result of Richards and Bethans input, we were able to get the right assessments done independently, identify the right placement and get our child into an excellent specialist school that is already benefiting our son. Was it cheap? Probably not, although I suspect you could spend a lot more as well. But, more importantly, was it good value for money? Completely. Whilst we are lucky we can afford to do so, I fully believe that we would not have been able to achieve the outcome we did without Richard and his team, and our son would not have the placement and package of care that he did. Highly recommended.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

Was this review helpful? Yes

Nigel
Nigel Added 1 year ago Report to admin
Collected whilst working at SEN Legal Limited
March 15, 2023
Collected on
20230315104613

Nigel

5

I only have positive things to say. Very professional and responsive and a pleasure to deal with. The LA backed down on every issue prior to Tribunal. I dealt with Richard Nettleton & Bethan Hone.

Lawyer named in this review: Richard Nettleton

Was this review helpful? Yes

About Richard Nettleton

I joined SEN Legal in February 2018 as a Paralegal before starting my Training Contract and becoming a Trainee Solicitor. I qualified as a Solicitor in November 2020. Prior to joining SEN Legal, I obtained an LLB Second Class Honours, Upper Division (2:1) from Bangor University where I studied between 2009-2012. I then went on to work in management roles for a major retailer for 8 years primarily based in stores around East Anglia. I have always had a strong interest in Special Educational Needs which started at a young age due to my brother’s needs. This interest clearly grew further when I received my own diagnosis of Dyslexia on the 14th March 2004. My own personal journey having special educational needs, often allows me a unique insight into the minds of the young people we represent, from the perspective of having my own special educational needs and that of living with someone who has special educational needs, and the struggles they can face accessing the education system.

Languages Spoken: English

Contact Richard Nettleton

Address

SEN Legal Limited

3-4 Forbes Business Centre

Kempson Way

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

IP32 7AR



Phone 1284723952

Website