Bridget Dolan KC

experience & expertise

Bridget is regularly instructed in Inquests and Inquiries of the greatest complexity and sensitivity acting for bereaved families, individual interested persons and for public or corporate bodies. Her experience includes countless lengthy ‘Article 2’ Inquests following deaths in prison, after police contact or in psychiatric detention. She is particularly sought after when public bodies are facing difficult and searching Inquiries.

Bridget also has considerable experience of acting as Counsel to the Judge or Coroner in extremely high media profile Inquiries including the seven British Inquests that followed the murders of 40 men by Al-Qaeda linked terrorists at the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria (a role which earned her The Lawyer ‘barrister of the year’ award in 2015).

That she sits part-time as an Assistant Coroner gives Bridget a particular insight into how to approach the most challenging of cases. Her extensive legal knowledge is put to good use as the editor of the Inquest Law Reports and the popular UK Inquest Law Blog.

Bridget has extensive public law experience, both bringing and defending judicial review claims related to Coronial Law. She also provides wider operational advice to public and corporate bodies regarding coronial law, preventing future deaths and related risk management.

Cases and work of note

Inquests
Bridget’s Inquest practice covers the entire range of heavyweight cases that come before a Coroner including deaths following clinical negligence, in accidents at work or during in MOD exercises, deaths after restraint and fatal self-harm by detainees.

Examples of her standout work in this field include:

• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the deaths of the five victims of the Keyham Shootings;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Olivia Perks at RMAC Sandhurst;
• Acting for Dr Jane Harrison in the Inquest into the death of her husband, Dr Kim Harrison, after their son, who was suffering from schizophrenia, escaped from psychiatric care;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the deaths of the eleven men who died in the Shoreham Airshow Crash;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Archie Battersbee, a 12-year-old boy whose life-support was withdrawn after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury. Bridget’s expertise in both the Court of Protection and in Inquests was crucial in navigating difficult legal points, including the impact of High Court reporting restrictions on open justice in the Coroners’ Courts;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the deaths of Kamil Iddrisu and Youngson Nkhoma, two Commonwealth recruits into the British Army who collapsed and died during an ‘easy’ 2km run. Medical evidence revealed that both men had sickle cell trait (SCT). Questions arose as to why the Army, when three other recruits had similarly collapsed but survived weeks earlier, had not noted the connection to SCT;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Adam Stone who died after having been restrained by four police officers;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Katie Locke who was murdered by Carl Langdell, a man she had only just met on an internet dating site and who, unbeknownst to her, was a sexual psychopath who had been discharged from a psychiatric hospital only a few weeks before and was still making threats to kill other women. The Inquest focused on significant questions regarding the risk assessment and community supervision of her murderer by police, probation, and mental health services;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Trevor Smith, a black man who was shot dead by police during a planned arrest;
• Acting as Counsel to the Inquest into the death of Geoff Gray, the third young soldier to die in what his family believed were suspicious circumstances at Deepcut Barracks in Surrey;
• Acting for the Trust in the Inquest into the death of Alison Molyneux, a detained patient who suffered from a mental illness and who would self-harm by swallowing metal. The family alleged that her transfer to hospital had been delayed and that she had died of a potentially treatable bowel perforation.

Bridget has represented public bodies and individual stakeholders in public and other inquiries throughout her career. For example, she is currently acting for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in the first two modules of the Covid-19 Inquiry;

Judicial Review of Coroners’ decisions
Bridget is particularly sought after to advise and represent parties in challenges to Coroner’s decisions. She has represented Senior Coroners and other parties in numerous High Court cases. Decisions include:

• Shipsey v HM Senior Coroner for Worcestershire [2025] EWHC 605 (Admin): Whether new evidence from family statements, social media, psychiatric evaluations, and toxicology reports justified a fresh inquest being held where the initial inquest had recorded a conclusion of suicide.
• R (Parkin) v HM Coroner for Inner London (East) [2024] EWHC 744 (Admin): Whether a Coroner had a duty under Article 2 ECHR to investigate the circumstances of a woman’s death in a housefire where the relevant risk factors were at all times under her control, she had been resistant to State intervention, and where the authorities were dependent on her consent in order to intervene.
• Bell v HM Coroner for South Yorkshire [2023] EWHC 3533 (Admin): Whether new evidence justified a fresh inquest after a 30-year delay.
• HM Coroner for West Sussex v Secretary of State for Transport [2022] 215 EWHC (QB): Whether material deployed in public at a criminal trial may subsequently be used by a Coroner if it is covered by the regulations protecting AAIB material;
• Davison v Senior Coroner for Hertfordshire [2022] EWHC 2343 (Admin): Whether new expert evidence justified a fresh inquest.
• Mays v Senior Coroner for Kingston upon Hull [2021] EWHC 3604 (Admin): Whether a fresh inquest was required where relevant material had been knowingly withheld from the first.
• Skelton v Senior Coroner for West Sussex [2020] EWHC 2813 (Admin): Whether Art 2 obligations were engaged where police investigatory failures were alleged.
• Re Bailey [2018] EWHC 3443 (Admin): Whether a fresh inquest should be ordered four decades after the first given the new information regarding the cause of death.
• Tainton v HM Coroner for Preston [2016] 4 WLR 157: defeating the application for a fresh inquest in a case that made ground-breaking findings as to the wider scope of inquest conclusions when Art 2 duties are engaged.

Her clear and sound advice often successfully resolves matters for her client without the need for expensive litigation. In numerous cases Bridget has helped defeat a challenge to the adequacy of a Coroner’s decision by drafting a robust response to a letter before action, or the court has refused permission to bring Judicial Review after reading Bridget’s detailed response to the claim.

seminars and Lectures

Following from Bridget’s previous career as a lecturer at St George’s Medical School she is sought after to provide teaching and training for judges, lawyers and other professionals. She has been commissioned to deliver training at all levels, for High Court Judges, Senior Coroners and Mental Health Tribunal Judges through to undergraduate students. She is always happy to work with solicitors firms and public bodies to devise and present custom-made training.

recommendations

“She is very personable, good with clients and able to form easy working relationships.”
Chambers and Partners 2025

“Her advocacy is robust and informed.”
Chambers and Partners 2025

“Bridget is a go-to for all inquest matters.”
Chambers & Partners 2025

“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.”
The Legal 500 2025

“An exceptional advocate. Her knowledge of coronial process and law is second to none. Hugely impressive in court.”
The Legal 500 2024

“Bridget is hugely experienced and has a no-nonsense approach that is very much valued by clients and instructing solicitors alike.”
Chambers & Partners 2024

“Her knowledge of all things healthcare is truly impressive and reflects the dedication to her work and clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2024

“Bridget has exceptional knowledge and experience of coronial law; she is well organised and efficient in her approach.”
Chambers & Partners 2024

“She is able to break heart-wrenching material very well; her ability to be sensitive yet forceful was really excellent.”
Chambers & Partners 2024

“Bridget Dolan’s support has been excellent in every respect.”
Chambers & Partners 2023

“She has a very entertaining style and is very knowledgeable on the law.”
Chambers & Partners 2023

“Bridget is a hugely well-informed Inquest lawyer, who also possesses an incredible intellect and amazing analytical skills. Her background in psychology gives her a massive insight into mental health issues and the workings of the mental health system. She is also a very effective advocate. “
The Legal 500 2023

“Very knowledgeable on all aspects of medical law with a practical approach to inquests, and gets the participants working together sensibly. Coroners like this about her as she is a good combination of approachable and pragmatic, but can be tough when needed.”
The Legal 500 2022

“She is tenacious and does a fantastic job for her clients. She is all over the details and doesn’t miss anything.”
Chambers & Partners 2022

“She is an excellent orator and has an unparalleled ability to perceive novel solutions to difficult circumstances.”
Chambers & Partners 2022

“The experience of dealing with her is immensely reassuring due to her consummate knowledge of the law, her tactical excellence and her exceptional humanity in dealing with people who are coming to terms with a difficult process, the outcome of which is critical to them.” “Bridget Dolan is an exceptional lawyer who is highly respected in her field. Whilst she is at the top of her game she also has the ability to clearly explain complex issues in a way that everyone can understand.”
Chambers & Partners 2021

‘One of the best in her field. She offers sensible, clear, professional advice, and is available at very short notice.’
The Legal 500 2021

“An absolutely fantastic quality inquests expert. She asks tough questions when you need them and soft ones when you don’t.” “She’s extremely good at coming up with the weird and wonderful to get you out of trouble. She isn’t your usual barrister: she has a mind that works about twice as fast and then the solution that comes out is novel, original, well thought out and legally exceptional.” “She’s sensible, pragmatic and calm and clients love her.”
Chambers & Partners 2020