Nelsons has promoted three employees within its Court of Protection and family teams.

Gemma Hopper, a specialist in dealing with Court of Protection has been promoted to legal director, with George Neville promoted to senior associate within the same team. Family law specialist Emma Stamp has also been promoted to senior associate.

Gemma began her career as an in-house lawyer for the Office of the Public Guardian within the Court of Protection, dealing with applications relating to lasting powers of attorney.

After joining Nelsons five years ago as a senior associate, Gemma has been able to support the team using her enhanced knowledge from working in Government and worked her way up to legal director. 

She said: “The Court of Protection is a very niche area of law and exists to safeguard people who no longer have capacity to make decisions for their wellbeing and financial affairs. It’s a very rewarding career to help protect vulnerable adults from harm.

“We often work closely with other departments, such as personal injury and clinical negligence, to help manage settlements and financial affairs under the authority of attorney and deputy appointments.

“We’re seeing more demand for our services from case managers and social workers, and due to this, our team of seven has been steadily growing, with recruitment for an apprentice paralegal underway.

“Nelsons has a very transparent and supportive promotions process which has helped me to grow in my career and reach these goals, and I am proud to be part of such a specialist team doing important work.”

Gemma is also a Trustee for Age UK Nottinghamshire and a director at Solicitors for the Elderly. This gives her a unique perspective of the industry and emphasises her commitment to supporting and empowering vulnerable adults across the country with legal advice.  

George joined Nelsons in 2017 and qualified as a solicitor in 2021, working in the Court of Protection team alongside Gemma. His promotion comes following his experience in dealing with complex financial and property affairs deputyships, as well as the Mental Capacity Act, personal injury trusts, statutory Wills and trusts.

Emma Stamp has been at the firm since 2022, and has become a valued member of the thriving family law team. As a new senior associate, she specialises in helping clients resolve issues relating to divorce and separation, including finance and private children’s arrangements and pre-nuptial and separation agreements. 

Stewart Vandermark, chief executive at Nelsons, said: “The expertise of Gemma, George and Emma is of huge value to Nelsons and our clients. It’s always a delight to see colleagues develop and gain even more confidence in their specialisms. I’d like to congratulate the trio on their well-deserved promotions and thank them for their dedication to their teams and continuing to empower clients.”