Jason Beer KC > Chambers of Jason Beer KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
5 Essex Chambers Offices
5 Essex Chambers
6 Field Court, Gray’s Inn
London
WC1R 5EF
England
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Jason Beer KC
Work Department
Jason specialises in public inquiries, inquests, public law and police law. He represents a range of clients, including central government, public authorities, police forces, coroners, and corporations.
Position
Jason is recognised as a leading silk, and specialises in public inquiries, inquests, public law and police law – representing a range of clients, including central government, public authorities, police forces, coroners, and corporations.
Jason is currently instructed in many of the high-profile cases of the day, including the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry (as Counsel to the Inquiry), the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (for NHS England), the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (for the Government), the Salisbury Poisonings Inquiry (for Counter-Terrorism Policing), and the Keyham Shootings Inquests (for Devon & Cornwall Police).
Jason has been instructed most of the significant inquests and inquiries of the last two decades, including: the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests, the Anthony Grainger Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Hillsborough Inquests, the Al-Sweady Inquiry, the Leveson Inquiry, the Baha Mousa Inquiry, the Hutton Inquiry, the Shipman Inquiry and the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.
Jason is the author of Public Inquiries, published by Oxford University Press.
Career
Jason was called to the Bar in 1992 and has always practised at 5 Essex Chambers. He is now the Head of Chambers.
He was appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel of Counsel in March 2005, and to the A Panel in 2008. He was made a silk in 2011.
Jason sits as a Deputy High Court Judge (QBD and ChD) and as a Recorder on the South Eastern Circuit.
Please visit the 5 Essex Chambers website for Jason’s profile, which sets out full details of his practice including relevant work of note.
Memberships
PIBA
ALBA
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Inquests and inquiries
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Jason Beer KC – 5 Essex Chambers ‘A heavyweight silk, incredibly knowledgeable and impressive.’
5 Essex Chambers houses a team of ‘clear leaders in the field of inquests and public inquiries‘. The group is well-known for acting for local authorities, the government and the emergency services in proceedings. Fiona Barton KC handles cases crossing over with her police law practice, having represented Devon and Cornwall Police in the inquests in relation to the 2021 Plymouth shootings, carried out by a man who had his shotgun returned to him after an assault allegation earlier that year. Jason Beer KC‘s recent track record includes instructing as counsel to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and representing the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Anne Studd KC works on cases with law enforcement elements. At a junior level, Alison Hewitt handles cases concerning deaths in custody, among others, while Beatrice Collier was one of several members of chambers instructed in the inquest into the death of Gaia Pope, who went missing in November 2016 after making an allegation of rape, which Dorset Police did not action. Francesca Whitelaw KC took silk in 2023.
London Bar > Police law (forces and constables)
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Considered the ‘go-to set for police law,’ 5 Essex Chambers chambers undertakes work ranging from judicial reviews and civil inquests to highly complex and sensitive litigation, primarily for police forces. Jason Beer KC represented the National Police Chiefs’ Council in R (YZ) v CC South Wales Police, a judicial review of the lack of total deletion of all information about an arrest after an acquittal. Turning to the set’s juniors, Andrew Waters represented the force in Lewis-Ranwell v Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall and others, a claim for damages brought by a man who killed three elderly men in their own homes and was acquitted of murder in grounds of insanity, alleging negligent treatment following a sectioning – at issue was if the claim was barred under the doctrine of ex turpi causa. Kate Cornell is now a circuit judge.