“Laura knows her way around the courtroom, is extremely intelligent and well-rounded and can see an inquest from every possible angle.”
Chambers & Partners
Laura recently acted as junior counsel for The Scouts Association in high profile inquest following the death of a scout on the Great Orme in 2018. Click here for press coverage.
EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Laura primarily acts in police, coronial, disciplinary and healthcare regulatory cases. She is often instructed where there is a cross-jurisdictional impact of a case, requiring tactical advice on how best to proceed.
She regularly appears in police misconduct hearings, usually where there is a criminal element, and has become the go-to practitioner for complex or sensitive cases involving mental health or substance misuse.
In the coroner’s court Laura acts for a range of clients including Trusts, General Practitioners, surgeons, care homes and police officers. Laura is particularly well placed in acting for care providers due to her significant experience in Care Quality Commission civil and criminal enforcement action. She is often instructed in cases where there is concurrent criminal and coronial investigations, advising at an early stage about disclosure. Laura has a particular specialism in advising on section 10 offences and has a high success rate in avoiding prosecutions by the regulator.
Laura is instructed both as junior alone and as led junior. Her recent work as led counsel involves acting for a Detective accused of 19 historic rape and serious sexual assault allegations, as well as acting as junior counsel to a leading health and safety silk for The Scouts Association in a high-profile death of a scout in 2018.
Recent junior-alone cases include acting for one of three police officers involved in a death in custody. The case involved expert evidence from three medical witnesses and concluded with the jury making a specific finding of no causation by any of the officers. Laura also recently acted for the family in a psychiatric death, with the jury making a finding of neglect following basic failings to safeguard the deceased whilst in the unit.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Laura provided assistance to death row inmates in Huntsville, Texas. She also worked as a stagiaire for three months within the Moneyval directorate at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, working on cases involving financing of terrorism and money laundering. This was followed by a period working within the legal team at Trading Standards before starting pupillage.
Appointments and Memberships
- Deputy district judge (magistrates court)
- Assistant Coroner (Lancashire)
- First-tier Tribunal (HESC)
- Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
- Health and Safety Lawyers Association
RECOMMENDATIONS
Laura has consistently been ranked as a leading junior for inquests, ranked as Tier 1 in The Legal 500 and Band 1 in Chambers & Partners. She is described as “a well-regarded barrister and assistant coroner with a broad practice in inquest law. She has notable strength in police and prison matters and health and safety issues. She represents the bereaved and various individuals whose actions are under scrutiny”.
Other recent directory editorial includes:
“Laura has an in-depth understanding of regulatory proceedings and the coronial process, particularly in relation to the representation of healthcare professionals and care homes. She is able to identify the key issues in a case quickly and succinctly and formulate robust and thought-provoking defences, while also being able to advise the client of these in a concise and clear way.”
The Legal 500
“Laura is tenacious in her preparation and she is good at putting the points across.”
Chambers & Partners
“Laura is always very clear and confident; her arguments are clear and succinct.”
Chambers & Partners
“Laura knows her way around the courtroom, is extremely intelligent and well rounded and can see an inquest from every possible angle.”
Chambers & Partners
“Laura has excellent understanding of coronial law and processes. She is a highly competent advocate with excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to distil a case to its key elements without over-complicating it.”
The Legal 500
“She is able to adapt her advocacy style depending on the situation.” “She is a really good advocate, a great communicator and leaves no stone unturned.”
Chambers & Partners
“Laura’s knowledge of coronial law is exceptional and her role as an assistant coroner provides a helpful insight into the tactics and strategies to be adopted when robustly defending the client’s position.”
The Legal 500
“She sits part-time as a coroner, so she has really good knowledge of the inquest process. She’s very methodical and excellent at putting forward submissions to coroners, and her advocacy is really impressive.” “She is technically excellent, quickly establishes the trust of clients, and presents arguments in a clear and coherent manner. She will go to great lengths to consider a case from every angle.”
Chambers & Partners
“Laura is an absolute expert in the arena of inquests and enquiries. She quickly identifies the key issues in any case and instantly knows the best approach to take to address the issue. She has a pleasant but direct manner with clients and counsel alike and is firm but fair when addressing the judiciary and her instructing solicitors on what she believes to be the correct course of action.”
The Legal 500
“A clever and articulate advocate who never backs down from a fight.”
The Legal 500
“Perceptive and accomplished on her feet.”
The Legal 500
Solicitor RECOMMENDATIONS
“I have recently instructed Ms Nash in two particularly sensitive cases with press interest. Ms Nash is an excellent communicator, she routinely responds quickly to queries and commits to finding clarity in even the most novel of cases. Her written submissions are clear, concise and persuasive and she is extremely professional and fluent in both conference and at Court. I would not hesitate to recommend Ms Nash in Inquest and Health & Safety cases.”
Instructing Solicitor
“Laura is a conscientious, professional and knowledgeable barrister in both regulatory and coronial law. She is well-liked by all clients for her clear advice and sensible approach. For those instructing her, Laura is a consistently reliable Counsel and someone you know will have a positive impact throughout the case, to get the best outcome for clients.”
Instructing Solicitor
“A rare combination of diligence and fighting spirit, Laura is consistently well prepared on cases and has an exceptional presence of mind which ensures she is continually at the front line of litigation. Determined and dedicated counsel on whom one can rely and trust to excel in a case.”
Instructing Solicitor
“Laura is particularly skilled in the arena of inquests and Coronial law. Sitting as an Assistant Coroner herself, Laura takes personal pride in the accuracy of proceedings and the fairness of representation making her an invaluable asset to any legal team attending an inquest.”
Instructing Solicitor
REFLECTIONS
Clients want straightforward advice. All clients, no matter what the area of law, simply want to know what the case is they face, and what the likely outcome is. I try to put myself in their shoes and give them advice that I think I would need to hear in that situation, in accessible but sensitive terms.
I find I’m instructed in sensitive cases. With a background as a coroner and mental health judge, its perhaps not surprising that I am instructed in a range of cases where there is a type of sensitivity or a mental health element for a client. I pride myself on working with the client to ensure that the tribunal has all the information they need in order to make an informed decision about the client and their actions.
“All clients, no matter what the area of law, simply want to know what the case is they face, and what the likely outcome is.”
I once represented an international cricketer. I was misquoted in one national press article as having submitted that he was “stumped” as to how he found himself before the court.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further details of Laura’s practice please click on the links to the left or contact a member of the clerking or client care team.
Bar Council Membership No: 55934
Registered Name: Miss Laura Jane Nash
VAT Registration No: 107303163