Regulatory & Public
Regulatory & Public Law, Inquests and Inquiries
Ranked as Tier 1 for Inquests and Inquiries in The Legal 500 (2025)
Ranked as Band 2 in Chambers and Partners (2025) for Inquests and Public Inquiries - 4 years ranked
Consistently ranked as a leading junior barrister by the leading legal directories since his transfer to the Bar in 2019, Simon’s practice and with that his professional experience continues to develop apace.
The healthcare sector remains a focus and Simon continues to represent a sector-leading prison healthcare provider in complex and lengthy Article 2 jury inquests in Coroner Area’s nationwide.
Recent highlights include a three-week inquest in Exeter involving the suicide of a prisoner in the aftermath of his conviction after trial and a two-week inquest before the Senior Coroner for Inner North London concerning the suicide of a foreign national.
Simon’s prison healthcare practice is complimented by his membership of the Attorney General’s Regional Panel which has seen Simon represent the Ministry of Justice in prison related jury inquest proceedings in “on” and “off” panel areas.
Simon has also solidified his professional relationship with a sector-leading, nationally operating provider of detained, in-patient mental health services with Simon appearing before Coroners sitting with a jury in that connection.
Recent highlights include a seven-day jury inquest before the Senior Coroner for North Manchester in which Simon’s submissions against a neglect rider were successful and a seven-day jury inquest before the Senior Coroner for Gateshead and South Shields.
Simon continues to act for clinicians of all disciplines and specialities on the instruction of two of the three main Medical Defence Organisations and for healthcare corporates in traditional inquest proceedings heard by a Coroner sitting alone.
The cases in which Simon is instructed often generate public interest and garner significant media attention and Simon is adept at strategising to take account of such interests from a reputation management perspective.
Instructing solicitors, lay clients and Simon’s peers consistently commend his unstuffy, genial and collegiate approach to his cases and an uncomplicated approach to his advocacy continues to serve him well.
Healthcare & regulatory
Simon has practised as a healthcare and professional regulatory lawyer for over a decade, during which time he has represented doctors, nurses, pharmacists and osteopaths in criminal investigations and proceedings and in fitness to practise proceedings before professional (GMC-MPTS/ GDC/ GPhC/ GOsC) and local (NHSE) regulatory bodies and in employment disciplinary investigations and proceedings (MHPS).
Much of Simon’s regulatory work has stemmed from his involvement in prior proceedings where, for example, he has represented the professional at an inquest or during a police investigation or criminal prosecution. Simon has regularly been instructed in regulatory cases with a quasi-criminal dimension involving allegations of sexual misconduct which would equally constitute a criminal offence.
Simon relies upon his extensive experience to analyse and understand how and why allegations against healthcare professionals arise and to devise the most appropriate strategy to defeat or diffuse them. His clinical knowledge and uncomplicated approach does much to gain the confidence of his clients generally and, when necessary, to accept and follow seemingly counter-intuitive advice to adopt a favourable, longer-term case strategy.
Personal injury & clinical negligence
Since his transfer to the Bar and in view of his extensive clinical knowledge of medicine and dentistry, Simon has begun to develop a clinical negligence practice to complement his inquest and healthcare regulatory practice.
Already, Simon has been involved in cases of fatal and non-fatal injury concerning GPs, surgeons and GDPs involved in general practice, general medicine, general surgery, plastic surgery, general dentistry and orthodontics.
Likewise and so as to complement his Article 2 inquest practice, Simon has begun to develop a Human Rights Act claims practice with a focus upon the custodial and healthcare aspects of rights conferred by Articles 2, 3 and 8 ECHR.
Simon’s developing experience in these areas means that he is able to strategise his inquest work to mitigate the prospect of a subsequent claim and to rely upon his experience of having acted in the inquest when called upon to defend a claim against those he has represented.
Call 2019 (Solicitor 2003)
Appointments 2021 Junior Counsel to the Crown (Panel C) (“Treasury Counsel”) regional civil panel