Inquests

7BR’s experience of inquest work is wide-ranging and reflects the multi-disciplinary expertise of its members.

7BR’s inquests experience involves:

• clinical negligence;
• poor maternity care;
• the treatment of voluntary and detained psychiatric patients;
• product liability;
• alleged breaches of health and safety regulations;
• deaths on construction sites or by environmental poisoning;
• road traffic collisions;
• homicide;
• terrorism;
• deaths in military service or as a consequence of military action or from police shooting, pursuit or restraint;
• failures by social services;
• femicides, or;
• the deaths of children.

Members have also represented clients at inquests following major disasters or mass-casualty events, including events involving UK citizens abroad.

7BR members provide advice at all stages of the inquest process and are commonly asked to advise in relation to disclosure issues, or provide written and oral advocacy at pre-inquest reviews and inquest hearings. We provide experienced and skilled advocates who represent interested persons at inquest hearings and related civil or criminal proceedings including inter parties costs recovery. Members understand the sensitive and dynamic nature of inquests and the wider impact that they can have.

Members act for interested persons and core participants, including bereaved families, individuals, corporate entities, employees, medical professionals, statutory bodies, insurers, care home providers, police, prison service, ambulance, fire service and armed forces. They have provided advice and representation to coroners in civil proceedings and have been instructed on behalf of government organisations such as the CPS, NHS Trusts, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, and Health and Safety Executive.

They have appeared in many of the major and high-profile inquests over recent years including the inquests arising from: the Hillsborough Disaster; the Nottingham Maternity Scandal, including the leading inquest in the death of Wynter Andrews, and; the East Kent Maternity Scandal, including the deaths of Archie Batten and Samantha Mulcahy.

Members also acted in inquests into the deaths of:

• Corrie McKeague;
• Johnny Alfrey;
• Teegan Barnard;
• Susan, Joseph and Paul Talby;
• the UK victims of the Ethiopian Airlines (ET-302) crash;
• Belly Mujinga;
• Azelle Rodney, and;
• Jean Charles DeMenezes.

In addition, 7BR members have conducted inquests investigating major or fatal accidents arising from the M1 and M25 smart motorway upgrades.

Members of the team are experienced in handling complex inquests, including those held under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights and those with juries. They understand the need to handle inquests sensitively but fearlessly and are highly skilled in cases involving sensitive media or reputational issues and those with an international element. They work collaboratively with organisations such as INQUEST and those promoting healthcare and maternity safety, and equality and equity.

Members of the team write and edit Coroners Inquests; a practitioners guide published by Lexis Nexis.

For more information about our barristers, please see the links below.