Bridget Dolan KC KC > Chambers of Angus Moon KC and Michael Horne KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Chambers of Angus Moon KC and Michael Horne KC
Serjeants' Inn Chambers
85 FLEET STREET
LONDON
EC4Y 1AE
England
Bridget Dolan KC photo

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 > Court of Protection and community care

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1

Bridget Dolan KCSerjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Bridget is extremely experienced and authoritative.’

Serjeants’ Inn Chambers is ‘one of the strongest sets with excellent counsel at all levels’ who handle a range of Court of Protection work, often with a focus on medical treatment-related matters . Bridget Dolan KC has extensive experience of representing clients with limited capacity, while Bridget Dolan KC and Emma Sutton KC (the latter a 2023 silk appointment, alongside Neil Davy KC) represented the official solicitor in Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust v Verden, defeating an NHS trust’s objections to a media campaign seeking a live kidney donor for a seventeen-year-old boy with autism – weeks after the litigation, he successfully received the organ from the donor found. Turning to the set’s juniors, Rhys Hadden, in AH/HH v Hywel Dda Health Board & Carmarthenshire County Council, represented a woman who wanted to move to the same care home as her occasionally aggressive husband of over half a century who also lacked capacity – at issue was if the Mental Capacity Act allowed their cases to be considered together by the same judge. Nageena Khalique KC represented the official solicitor in University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust v Livewell CIC, successfully resisting an application to anaesthetise a pregnant young woman at her home and use forcible restraints owing to her diagnoses of anxiety and agoraphobia, which led her to miss antenatal appointments.

Serjeants’ Inn Chambers is ‘one of the strongest sets with excellent counsel at all levels’ who handle a range of Court of Protection work, often with a focus on medical treatment-related matters . Bridget Dolan KC has extensive experience of representing clients with limited capacity, while Bridget Dolan KC and Emma Sutton KC (the latter a 2023 silk appointment, alongside Neil Davy KC) represented the official solicitor in Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust v Verden, defeating an NHS trust’s objections to a media campaign seeking a live kidney donor for a seventeen-year-old boy with autism – weeks after the litigation, he successfully received the organ from the donor found. Turning to the set’s juniors, Rhys Hadden, in AH/HH v Hywel Dda Health Board & Carmarthenshire County Council, represented a woman who wanted to move to the same care home as her occasionally aggressive husband of over half a century who also lacked capacity – at issue was if the Mental Capacity Act allowed their cases to be considered together by the same judge. Nageena Khalique KC represented the official solicitor in University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust v Livewell CIC, successfully resisting an application to anaesthetise a pregnant young woman at her home and use forcible restraints owing to her diagnoses of anxiety and agoraphobia, which led her to miss antenatal appointments.

London Bar > Clinical negligence

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4

Bridget Dolan KCSerjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Bridget is a formidable and fearless advocate.’

London Bar > Inquests and inquiries

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2

Bridget Dolan KCSerjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘An exceptional advocate. Her knowledge of coronial process and law is second to none. Hugely impressive in court.’

Serjeants’ Inn Chambers garners praise for its ‘extensive experience and strength-indepth‘ in the inquests and inquiries arena. John Beggs KC is representing the Wiltshire Police in the inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died in July 2018 following exposure to the nerve agent Novichok used by Russian agents in their attempted murder of double agent Sergei Skripal. Bridget Dolan KC is regularly instructed in high-profile inquests, specialising in lengthy Article 2 cases, and Nageena Khalique KC acts for local authorities, bereaved families and the NHS in inquest proceedings. Turning to the set’s juniors, Edward Pleeth is instructed by government departments in inquest proceedings, while Rachel Spearing represented the Tavistock Gender Identity Clinic in an inquest into the suicide of a prospective patient; the inquest took place a few days after a judicial review concerning the clinic’s waiting times.