Inquests and Inquiries

Dealing with the death of a loved one can be even harder when an inquest is required. The process is sometimes complex and attendance at a Coroner's Court can be a daunting experience. We have extensive experience acting for private families at inquests and investigations into the circumstances in which someone has died. We regularly advise on the inquest process under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, representing clients at inquests and advising in relation to potential further claims arising from the coroner’s verdict. Our long history of working with private clients as trusted advisors often places us in the heart of a family where we are entrusted to support our clients when they are most vulnerable.

Our work in this area includes representing a family following the death of an infant, acting for a high profile family following the death of public figure who died in a fatal collision and acting for a wife at her husband's inquest following his unexpected death resulting from surgery.

We are also experienced in acting for corporations and authorities including advising a private company and its directors following deaths at a number of their care homes, and in numerous high profile 'death in custody' cases, ‘blue light’ fatal road traffic accidents and cases where specialist firearms officers were involved in fatal shootings.

We have acted in a number of high profile statutory and non-statutory public inquiries which span all areas of public life, and are adept at navigating the often-complicated inquiry rules and procedures. 

Individual members of the team have been involved in many of the major public inquiries held in the UK over the past 20 years, including:

• the Leveson Inquiry;
• the Chilcot (Iraq War) Inquiry;
• the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA);
• the Undercover Policing Inquiry;
• the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry;
• the Manchester Arena Inquiry;
• the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

In those various inquiries, members of the team have acted for individual and corporate witnesses or core participants at all stages of the process. This includes advising on issues including participant status, immunity agreements and the privilege against self-incrimination; assisting with the preparation of written evidence to the Inquiry; and, making representations on inquiry management issues such as disclosure, anonymity, confidentiality, data protection and legal professional privilege.