Jesse Nicholls > Matrix Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

A ‘go-to chambers for inquests and public inquiries’, Matrix Chambers ‘is a first rate public law chambers‘, benefiting from its human rights, mental health, and police law expertise in a wide range of inquests and inquiries work. Richard Whittam KC is instructed for Fujitsu Services Limited in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry; in addition, a number of set members are involved in the Covid-19 inquiry, including Jesse Nicholls acts for bereaved families in both the Covid-19 and the Thirlwall inquiries. High profile inquest work continues to be handled by Hugh Southey KC, who alongside  James Robottom, represented the family of Ruth Perry, a headteacher who took her own life after a negative Ofsted inspection, in the inquest into her death.

Matrix Chambers offers ‘excellent barristers’ for claimant related police law expertise, with those drawing upon experience in associated areas of crime, public law, civil liberties, and inquests and inquiries. In R (W80) v IOPC, Phillippa Kaufmann KC appeared before the Supreme Court on behalf of the family of Jermaine Baker, who was fatally shot by a police officer, with the judgment clarifying that the civil test of whether an honest but mistaken belief is reasonable applies to police misconduct decisions, rather than the criminal law test of self-defence. ‘Quite simply the best junior around’, Jesse Nicholls is particularly adept at handling cases where police officers have caused death or catastrophic injury. ‘All rounder’ Helen Law , whose ‘knowledge of criminal law is such an asset in this area’, continues to act for wives of undercover officers in the Undercover Policing Inquiry.