Bridget Dolan KC

Experience and Expertise

Judicial Review
Bridget is particularly sought after to advise on judicial review of Coroner’s decisions and applications for fresh inquests under s.13 Coroners Act 1988. Examples of her recent leading work in this field include:

• 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 (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] 2813 EWHC (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] EWHC 1396 (Admin), 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.
• Chambers v HM Coroner for Preston [2015] EWHC 31 (Admin): whether alleged procedural irregularity and lack of expert evidence required a fresh Art.2 inquest.

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.

Human Rights Act & ECHR Law
A human rights theme underlies much of Bridget’s work in her specialist areas of Mental Health Law and Coronial Law. Whether appearing in the Administrative Division of the High Court, the Court of Protection, or other civil courts, she creatively uses the Human Rights Act to achieve the best outcome for her client.

Bridget acted for NHS Trust in the ground-breaking case of RC [2014] Med LR 260, regarding the extent of a doctor’s duty to prevent the death of a self-harming detained patient who was refusing a blood transfusion where the patient’s Art.9 ECHR rights to freedom of religious expression were engaged. She also appeared in GU [2012] EWHC 3531 (COP): A seminal case considering the scope of the safeguards required to preserve the Art.8 rights of persons lacking mental capacity who are subject to extremely restrictive care plans under MCA/DOLS authorisations.

Recent notable claims brought under HRA include:

• Achieving significant HRA damages on behalf of a detained psychiatric patient after a Social Worker wrongly revealed extremely sensitive confidential information about him to his neighbour, in breach of his Art.8 rights.
• Representing a disabled client wrongly removed from the care of her husband in breach of her Art.5 and the couple’s Art.8 rights: the couple achieved £27,000 damages under HRA.
• Negotiating a substantial payment for breaches of Art.2 and Art.3 ECHR for the family of a young woman who killed herself after being wrongly denied admission to a psychiatric unit.
• A large settlement in a claim for misfeasance in public office and breach of Art.3 and Art.5 on behalf of a patient who was knowingly unlawfully ‘re-sectioned’ and secluded in a psychiatric unit after his discharge by a criminal court.
• Achieving HRA damages of £10,000 for a man with Down’s syndrome who was wrongly denied sex education and required to cease sexual relations with his wife.

Bridget also acts and advises in Mental Health Act cases; she represented the NHS Trust in the first mental health case heard in the Upper Tier Tribunal: an appeal against a MHT decision relating to the disclosure of documents which considered the issues of the UTT’s jurisdiction and established the procedure to be adopted for disclosing confidential records in MHTs.

Bridget often advises in cases involving challenges to the adequacy of the judicial reasoning – and in 2014 and 2015 was commissioned by the JSB to teach seminars for Senior Coroners and for Mental Health Judges on how to write proper reasons for their decisions.

Inquests and Inquiries
Bridget regularly appears 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 of managing countless heavyweight ‘Article 2’ inquests means 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 / Coroner in some very high media profile Inquests and Inquiries. In 2015 she was Counsel to the Coroner for the seven British inquests following 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 ). More recently she acted as Counsel to the Inquest in the series of fresh inquests into the deaths at Deepcut Barracks of Privates Cheryl James, Sean Benton and Geoff Gray (completed in 2019), as well as Counsel to the Inquests into the eleven men killed by the Shoreham Aircrash.

PRO BONO AND DIRECT ACCESS WORK

Bridget accepts pro bono mental health, Court of Protection and Inquest cases, including providing representation for families at inquests, via the Bar Pro-Bono Unit and mental health charities. She is also Direct Access accredited and accepts direct access work in the Court of Protection and Coroners’ Courts.

recommendations

“Bridget is a powerhouse. She is so committed to her clients, the commitment and expertise shine through her advice and her.”
The Legal 500 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

“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.”
The Legal 500 2025

“Bridget has superb ability, speed and interpretation of the law.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025

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

“Her technical knowledge is exceptional and her advocacy, both between parties and on her feet, is impressive.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025

“Bridget knows the law and is able to manage sensitively emotional and delicate cases.”
Chambers & Partners 2024

“Bridget is a formidable and fearless advocate.”
The Legal 500 2024

‘Bridget is extremely experienced and authoritative.’
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

‘An exceptional advocate. Her knowledge of coronial process and law is second to none. Hugely impressive in court.’
The Legal 500 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 has a tremendous presence in court.”
Chambers & Partners 2023

“She is absolutely formidable in terms of what she can achieve.”
Chambers & Partners 2023

“Bridget is on top of the issues straight away and handles matters with a huge level of sensitivity and care.”
Chambers & Partners 2023

“Bridget’s knowledge of the Court of Protection is second to none. Her written work is outstanding too, she knows the path through any case.”
Chambers & Partners 2023

“Bridget is simply brilliant.”
The Legal 500 2023

“Her knowledge of the relevant case law and legislation is encyclopaedic, and her advocacy is clear, elegant and highly persuasive.”
The Legal 500 2023

“Her knowledge is second to none and she is a brilliant counsel to have on your side.”
The Legal 500 2022

“Her court presence is calm, yet she commands attention. She has a good and quick eye for the salient points of a case.”
The Legal 500 2022

“Very knowledgeable on all aspects of medical law with a practical approach to inquests, and gets the participants working together sensibly”
The Legal 500 2022

“A good combination of approachable and pragmatic, but can be tough when needed”
The Legal 500 2022

“Her level of service and quality of work are of a very high standard.”
Chambers & Partners 2022

“She is brilliant with clients and able to manage them well, even when they are forthright with their views.”
Chambers & Partners 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

“She has deep sector knowledge and is really easy to work with. She’s extremely good at assimilating immense quantities of information, knowing what the judge will be interested in and identifying how to present a case to a judge.” “She is excellent in court and commands the judges’ attention.”
Chambers & Partners 2021

“She is very sharp, has great analytical skills and is very popular with clients. She’s also a persuasive advocate.”
Chambers & Partners 2021

“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

‘Is able to assimilate vast quantities of information very quickly and identify the nub of the problem quickly. She notes and discards irrelevancies, concentrating on the things that will matter to the judge.’
The Legal 500 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

‘A dedicated advocate with great knowledge.’
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

“Bridget is able to get to the crux of a matter swiftly and succinctly. Her expertise in complex matters in the Court of Protection, particularly with regards to sexual relations, is outstanding. She is accessible, responsive and provides clear and helpful advice.” “She is really down to earth, gets things really quickly and thinks outside the box.” “She’s fantastic on her feet – an excellent advocate.” “She’s extremely client-friendly and is very knowledgeable in this area.” “She is incredibly grounded, down to earth, empathetic and always goes the extra mile.”
Chambers & Partners 2020