MEET OUR TEAM
Nicola Mackintosh KC (Hon) – Founder and Director
Nicola Mackintosh KC (Hon) is the Sole Director of Mackintosh Law, having founded the firm in 2011 and having run a legal practice since 1999. Nicola is the firm’s Compliance Officer for Legal Practice.
Nicola brought the landmark ‘Coughlan’ case regarding entitlement to NHS funded continuing health care, as well as many other leading test cases for mentally ill and disabled people and their rights to community care and health services.
Nicola is Co-Chair of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and a longstanding member of the Law Society’s Mental Health and Disability Committee. She has also been a member of the Law Society Council. She is an accredited member of the Law Society’s Mental Capacity (Welfare) Accreditation scheme. She is a member of the ad hoc Court of Protection Rules Committee and the Court of Protection ‘Hive’ group.
She campaigns actively for access to justice issues, particularly for people with disabilities and those unable to represent themselves. She has co-authored the Manifesto for Legal Aid launched at the House of Lords and is profoundly committed to the right to justice for all.
In 2014 Nicola was appointed by the then Lord Chancellor as Honorary QC, recognising her extraordinary contribution to the law and its development outside usual legal practice in the Courts. She is also an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple Inn.
Nicola is regularly instructed by the Official Solicitor in the Court of Protection and has been involved in many of the test cases in the specialist and niche field of mental capacity, serving mentally ill and disabled people and championing their rights to community care services.
Nicola also took the leading case on facilitating the participation of vulnerable people in Court of Protection proceedings. Her experience and recommendations led to formal guidance being issued by the then President of the Court, Mr Justice Charles to ensure that P’s voice is heard and is always at the centre of the process. As the Guardian has reported, for Nicola, the client is the centre of everything she does.
Mark Slade – Costs and Office manager
Mark started his career at a costs drafting firm in 1993, drawing bills of costs across all types of law, funded both privately and by legal aid, and attending detailed assessment appointments as required. He moved in-house to a large legal aid firm in 1999 and became head of their costs department training staff and managing the costs team, before then heading a finance team at another large legal aid practice in 2008.
Mark joined Mackintosh Law in 2010 and has been the Costs and Office manager since that time. He deals with all aspects of the legal aid and private client billing process, monitors and maintains regulatory financial controls and advises on all aspects of costs and office management. He is the firm’s Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration and is an important part of the management team.
Annette Jones – Legal administrative assistant
Annette started her working career for a large Bank in the City when she left school going on to work in a large City law firm for many years. Annette took a break to take on the full-time role of looking after her children whilst also volunteering in a local school. Annette joined Mackintosh Law in March 2019 where she is a legal administration assistant. She takes a keen interest in the casework of the firm and providing a quality service to clients, supporting the whole team.
Gordon Gapper – Premises manager
Gordon has been involved in Mackintosh Law from its inception, having a proven track record in business and premises management. He supports the team at Mackintosh Law by doing all things practical and useful necessary. Gordon is an expert in problem resolution.