A care funding legal expert has been recruited by Thursfields to work with its Solihull team which has moved to larger offices and doubled in size.

Worcestershire-born solicitor Tracy Ashby joins Thursfields from mfg Solicitors in Kidderminster, having specialised for nearly 12 years in wills and probate, delivering advice on care funding and care home issues, arranging powers of attorney and court of protection applications.

Michelle Hetheridge, director and head of Thursfields’ Wills & Estates division, said: ’We’re delighted to have secured the services of such an experienced care funding solicitor for our Solihull office.

’With an ageing population and the inevitable increase in related illnesses like dementia, it’s crucial that the public has access to the right advice to secure the best care and funding for their loved ones. I’m sure Tracy’s presence in Solihull will quickly assist people needing advice in that area.’

Miss Ashby, who now lives in Leamington Spa with her fiancé, said: ’I was born and brought up in Worcestershire, and have known and respected the Thursfields’ brand for a long time.

’I moved to Leamington Spa recently and when I heard Thursfields was expanding in Solihull I saw it as an exciting opportunity to join the company.

‘Care funding is a hot topic and something people feel they can do nothing about, but they can. We can explain who should pay for care, what assets people can keep, and the rights that families have.’

Miss Ashby estimates that she has retrieved hundreds of thousands of pounds for families through care funding legal battles, ranging from a few thousand to as much as £60,000.

Some cases are simply stating clients’ rights with local authorities who may have initially refused to pay for care funding, while others involve more complicated arguments, such as relocating care provision to enable families to visit relatives.

She added: ’People are sometimes just paying themselves because either they feel they should or they’ve not had the right advice. It’s our role at Thursfields to make sure care funding is fair, and that people receive what’s legally theirs.’

Miss Ashby joins Thursfields’ team in its new 3,000 sq ft space at 9 The Courtyard, Warwick Road, Solihull, close to its former premises.

The new offices have a main road frontage and provide room for the firm to grow its current staff of 15 up to 30. In total, Thursfields employs 140 people across the West Midlands.

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