Visions of the National Covid 19 Inquiry

Sir John Goldring QC

Sir John Goldring is the President of the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands and was appointed from January 2016.

He is also the Chair of the Appeal Panel for the Lambeth Children’s Homes Redress Scheme and the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner (having been Intelligence Services Commissioner).

Sir John Goldring was previously a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, as well as acting as coroner in the Hillsborough Inquests.

To view Sir John Goldring QC full website profile, please click here.

Mr Steven Ford QC

Steven Ford QC is a specialist in child abuse and other psychiatric injury.

He acts in a wide range of personal injury claims, appears at public inquiries and represents institutions and individuals before disciplinary and other tribunals. He advises public sector, corporate and voluntary bodies on institutional liability for deliberate injury and compliance issues associated with his areas of practice, both in England and Wales and in other jurisdictions.

He represents local authorities and private social care providers, independent and state schools, universities and other education providers, health trusts and medical practitioners, voluntary organisations, charities, sports clubs and sports regulators, police forces and religious bodies of all denominations in claims concerning assault, abuse and neglect and in social care, health care and educational negligence claims.

He appeared for core participants in 6 of the investigations conducted by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse representing, among others, Barnardo’s, Chethams School of Music and several local authorities.

To view Mr Steven Ford QC full website profile, please click here.

Christina Lyons

Christina is a highly experienced barrister with sound judgment and expertise in civil group litigation, public inquiries and family law.

Christina has a well-developed practice specialising in civil claims arising out of recent and non-recent sexual and physical abuse. Christina represents claimants in group and multi-party actions. She is respected by clients for her strategic sense and ability to build rapport and trust with clients experiencing stressful life events. She is currently instructed as junior counsel by the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Service in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, chaired by Sir John Mitting.

To view Christina Lyons full website profile, please click here.

Helen Brown

Helen joined Weightmans in November 2016, heading up the rapidly expanding casualty and local government team in the Leeds office. Helen was previously the Regional Head of the Leeds office for a number of years before taking up her current role as National Head of Local Government claims.

With over 25 years’ experience in dealing with the full spectrum of employers’ and public liability claims, Helen has acted for numerous local authorities, insurers, Lloyd’s syndicates and listed companies for a significant number of years. Her particular areas of expertise means she is adept at dealing with all types of claims and particularly those concerning social care, HRA, GDPR, stress, bullying and harassment.

Martin English

Martin’s specialism is representing organisations, insurers, NHS Trusts and individuals designated Core Participant status in public inquiries or Interested Person status at inquests. He has used his excellent knowledge and understanding of the inquisitorial process for both public inquiries and inquests to represent clients in cases involving major incidents, fatal road traffic collisions and major health & safety incidents, as well as on numerous healthcare inquests involving complex medical care.

Henry Bermingham

Henry is a public sector specialist with over 20 years’ experience in advising public sector bodies. He specialises in social care claims, highways, human rights, occupiers’ liability, employers’ liability, stress, public rights of way and ‘power and duty’ cases. His work includes recovery of indemnities under outsource contracts and contributions from abusers. With particular experience in CSE (Child sexual exploitation), he is used to ‘press cases’ and is media trained.