It is good to see Anne-Marie Elliott sticking up for mental health lawyers in the face of corrosive criticisms of standards of advocacy at mental health review tribunals. I see Ms Elliott is herself an accredited representative. Complaints about poor standards, particularly those coming from the tribunal judiciary, almost always in my experience relate to representatives who are not accredited. I hope Ms Elliott would agree with me that if accreditation were mandatory for those representing detained patients at tribunals, this would get rid of those advocates who are not up to the job, thereby enhancing the reputation of mental health lawyers.

Realistically, the only way to achieve mandatory accreditation is through changes to the next LSC contract for mental health work, which is due to come into operation in 2013.

Robert Robinson, chief assessor of the Law Society’s Mental Health Accreditation Scheme; Scott-Moncrieff & Associates, London, NW5