Craig Hassall KC
‘His knowledge of the law and procedure relating to inquests is unparalleled. He immediately gets to and articulates the central issues'
With ‘a wealth of experience’ making up a team that can ’address all areas of inquest, inquiry and regulatory work’, Park Square Barristers‘ members have led and provided counsel on some of the most prominent public inquiries and inquests on the North Eastern Circuit. ’One of the outstanding advocates of his generation’, Richard Wright KC continues to play an important role in the Covid-19 inquiry, and Craig Hassall KC has a busy and broad workload of postmortem inquests, specialising in representing bereaved families. Key individuals at the junior level include Kirsten Mercer, who ‘has an enviable ability to put witnesses at ease’ when leading on behalf of prison healthcare providers on cases concerning deaths in custody, and with ’wide knowledge across numerous sectors’, Simon Connolly is a key point of contact for government departments in Article 2 jury inquests. Illustrating the depth of the set in inquests, Janine Wolstenholme and the ‘down to earth and exceptionally good to work with’ Kate Wilson provide counsel to inquests in to deaths in custody, Matthew Stanbury represents an array of medical professionals, and Naomi McLoughlin has led on a number of cases in which Regulation 28 reports were issued. John Jolliffe has also contributed to major public inquiries, including the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Clerks are attentive and respond swiftly to enquiries. Patrick Urbina and Madeline Gray have been extremely helpful.'
- 'Madeleine Gray and Patrick Urbina are both superb. They respond very quickly, are very approachable and always find available counsel, even at short notice.'
- 'Fantastic clerking service, always very responsive and no ask is too much.'
- 'Fabulous barristers who are all keen to also assist where they can on pro bono basis so families do not go unrepresented at inquests.'
- 'The chambers has a number of members experienced in coronial and inquest work. I would not hesitate to recommend them for other cases of this type.'
- 'The Inquests and Inquiries Team is strong at all levels and its members are sought out from all over the country.'
Lawyers
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Holly Clegg
‘Deftly tackles difficult inquests with tact and diplomacy that means her submissions are relevant for her client and alert the bench to the salient issues in a client's case.'
Simon Connolly
'His medical knowledge is exemplary and a real asset when dealing with complex inquests involving medical matters. His knowledge of prison processes and procedures is excellent and means that he can be confidently instructed in inquests arising from deaths in custody.'
Kirsten Mercer
‘She advocates clearly and eloquently to advance argument to maximise prospects for achieving the best possible outcome. Her calm, confident manner has resulted in successful outcomes in very challenging situations, which is very reassuring to clients in court observing proceedings’
Kate Wilson
‘An exemplar of her craft. She is able to articulate salient, relevant points while dissecting the complexity of the law.
Janine Wolstenholme
'Janine's advice is excellent and the level of disclosure given is complimented by coroners. Janine is excellent with witnesses and handles cases with sensitivity and compassion.'
James Wilson
'An experienced barrister, whose knowledge is evident. Very much at home in the inquest environment. He is able to look after the interests of the client while negotiating the intricacies of often complex inquest law.'
Michael Wall
'Michael is a kind, calm and empathetic advocate to his clients. He helps them understand the inquest process in a way which makes it easier for them to engage. His advocacy is a key strength and he has obtained some fantastic conclusions from inquests'
Nathan Davis
John Jolliffe
Naomi McLoughlin
‘Naomi is very approachable and down to earth and puts the witnesses at ease. She knows the coronial process really well and her experience as an assistant coroner is invaluable.'
Matthew Stanbury
‘Fantastic manner with clients and in court, which puts everyone at ease.’
Robert Stevenson
Caroline Wood
‘Caroline has a remarkable ability to analyse and synthesise large volumes of information. She is adept at identifying key issues and developing strategic approaches to address them ensuring that her clients receive the best possible representation.'
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Helena Spector
Helena is incredibly talented. She is a confident and compelling advocate and is wise beyond her year of call. She is always on top of the evidence and excellent with clients. She is a real star.’