Bridget Dolan KC KC > Chambers of Angus Moon KC and Michael Horne KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Serjeants' Inn Chambers Offices
Serjeants' Inn Chambers
85 FLEET STREET
LONDON
EC4Y 1AE
England
- Set Profile
- Go to...
Bridget Dolan KC KC
Position
Having been a forensic and academic psychologist for 13 years before her call to the Bar in 1997, it is unsurprising that Bridget’s practice has a strong focus on matters involving psychological issues. She specialises in all aspects of law in relation to mental health (whether representing professionals or service users and their families) and so is regularly found representing parties in the Court of Protection, the Admin Court and in Mental Health Tribunals. She is often instructed by the Official Solicitor in serious medical treatment cases, involving particularly difficult end of life decision-making. The other core aspect of Bridget’s practice is coronial law. She represents families, public bodies and other interested persons at inquests as well as acting in public law challenges to Coroner’s decisions in the High Court. Bridget draws upon her wide experience from both sides of the bench, as she sits as Assistant Deputy Coroner in West Sussex. Alongside acting for IPs in high media profile ‘Article 2’ cases, Coroners often instruct Bridget as counsel to the inquest, most recently the In Amenas Inquests into the killings of Britons in Algeria by terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda (2014-15) and currently in the fresh inquest into the death at Deepcut Barracks of Pvt Cheryl James (2015-16).
Career
Call 1997; Silk 2016.
Research psychologist, Eating Disorders Clinic, St George’s Medical School 1984-1987; lecturer in forensic psychology, St George’s Medical School 1988-1997; chartered psychologist 1989; chartered forensic psychologist 1995-97; pupillage, 3 Serjeants’ Inn 1997; president, Mental Health Review Tribunal(part-time) 2007; tribunal judge (part-time) First Tier Tribunal (Health Education and Social Chamber) 2008; assistant deputy coroner for West Sussex 2010.
Education
BSc (Hons) Psychology 1st Class (1984); PhD Psychology (1989); CPE (Commendation) (1996).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Inquests and inquiries
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Bridget Dolan KC – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Bridget is a tour de force in the coroner world. She is the go-to guru for advice on difficult coronial issues and simply the best as counsel to the inquest.’
Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘boasts exceptional breadth and depth of expertise‘ across a range of practice areas, including inquests and inquiries. Its complex inquests work is exemplified by John Beggs KC‘s work on the reopened inquest into the death of Sabina Rizvi, instructed by Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis; reopened as a result of allegations of police collusion with the murderer. Bridget Dolan KC heads the team, who is instructed by the UK Health Security Agency for the first two modules of the Covid-19 inquiry. Nageena Khalique KC is instructed for the Welsh Government in module 6 of the Covid-19 inquiry, investigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the public and private adult social care sector, and Gerard Boyle KC is lead counsel for the National Police Chief’s Council in the Undercover Police Inquiry.
London Bar > Court of Protection: health and welfare
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Bridget Dolan KC –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Bridget is a go-to counsel for difficult and complex welfare matters. Her understanding of complex and developing areas of law is second to none, and she can assimilate vast quantities of material in a short period.’
Serjeants’ Inn is ‘a fantastic set and home to leading barristers with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in Court of Protection matters’. Bridget Dolan KC, in NHS Trust v LDP, represented an NHS Trust which wanted an emergency declaration to administer blood to save the life of a 13-year-old girl without her or her parent’s consent as she was refusing administration of any blood products. Michael Mylonas KC represented a client in Wessex Fertility Ltd v University Southampton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a case involving the question of whether it is lawful for a fertility clinic to request an egg donor to provide a DNA sample for the genetic analysis of a child born from her donation. ‘A very effective advocate with excellent drafting skills’, Rhys Hadden represented the official solicitor before the Court of Appeal in a case concerning whether a declaration of non-recognition remains a necessary remedy to protect an adult who lacks the capacity from the legal consequences of entering into a marriage.
London Bar > Clinical negligence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Bridget Dolan KC –Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Bridget is a powerhouse. She is so committed to her clients, the commitment and expertise shine through her advice and her written work.’