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Samantha Jones

“An exceptionally dedicated and thorough barrister: you can count on her to leave no stone unturned and to get to the bottom of any problem you may have. She is bright, talented, and extremely committed to her cases. A natural leader, and a real asset to any legal team.”  The Legal 500 2023 (Tier 3)

Samantha is a highly regarded and in-demand multi-disciplinary barrister who practises in personal injury and clinical negligence, health and safety, construction, commercial, regulatory and disciplinary law and public law. She is recognised in the legal directories for her thoroughness, forensic analysis of the evidence and her personable ability to lead and work as a team. Samantha is regularly led by silks in high-profile, complex matters. She frequently acts as sole counsel. She acts for a range of clients from individual claimants and companies to insurers, government departments, local authorities, and quasi-governmental bodies. She is a strong advocate and tactician, benefitting from extensive court and trial experience. Samantha was appointed to the Treasury Panel of Junior Counsel (C Panel) in 2018.

Before joining the Bar, Samantha achieved a distinction in her LLM from McGill University and, most notably, undertook a Judicial Assistantship at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Areas of expertise

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

“Her knowledge of the area is remarkable, and her client care abilities are second to none.” The Legal 500 2022

Samantha is a much sought-after personal injury and clinical negligence barrister, representing claimants and defendants. Samantha acts in complex, high-value matters as sole counsel and being led by senior members of chambers. She undertakes work in all areas of personal injury, with a particular focus on group actions. Samantha’s clinical negligence practice continues to grow from strength to strength. She frequently acts in high-value, multi-party matters concerning a range of clinical negligence issues including delayed diagnosis, negligent treatment and failures in front-line and tertiary care. Samantha acts in all medical matters such as orthopaedics, cancer, gynaecology and fertility, brain injury, pharmaceutical, cosmetic surgery, and fatal injuries, among others.

Samantha is a contributor to the clinical negligence chapter of Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Precedents of Pleadings.

Samantha’s practice is strengthened by her frequent inquest work, expertise in healthcare regulatory proceedings and keen eye for costs.

Samantha undertakes work on a conditional fee agreement (CFA) basis.

Cases of note:

  • Archer and Others v Ministry of Justice; Freitas and Others v Ministry of Justice - Led by Colin Thomann in claims for breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 brought by 32 prisoners who suffered physical and psychiatric injuries during a fire in a prison.  Samantha was significantly involved in advising on quantum, procedure and costs. Case settled.

Health and Safety

Samantha has a developing health and safety practice as a result of her in-depth focus on health and safety practice, management and compliance of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Samantha is instructed as lead junior counsel to the Inquiry being led by Richard Millett QC and Andrew Kinnear QC. Samantha acts in all health and safety matters, with a particular focus on fire safety and breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

She is a member of the Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association. She welcomes speaking opportunities. 

Cases of note:

  • The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Instructed as lead junior counsel for the Inquiry led by Richard Millett and Andrew Kinnear QC.
  • Archer and Others v Ministry of Justice; Freitas and Others v Ministry of Justice - Led by Colin Thomann in claims for breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 brought by 32 prisoners who suffered physical and psychiatric injuries during a fire in a prison.  Samantha was significantly involved in advising on quantum, procedure and costs.  Case settled.

Inquiries and Investigations

“An exceptionally dedicated and thorough barrister: you can count on her to leave no stone unturned and to get to the bottom of any problem you may have. She is bright, talented, and extremely committed to her cases. A natural leader, and a real asset to any legal team.” The Legal 500 2023 (Tier 3)

"She is incredibly thorough, personable and very good at encouraging the team and keeping everyone on top of their work.” “She is an exceptionally hard-working barrister and never misses any detail.”  Chambers and Partners 2022 (Up and Coming)

Samantha is a highly regarded and formidable Inquiry barrister.  She has been instructed across a number of high profile Inquiries since 2017 for core participants and as counsel to the Inquiry.  Most recently, Samantha has been instructed as a leading junior on the COVID-19 Inquiry by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).  She has advised on the non-statutory Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry.  Most significantly, Samantha has acted as one of the most senior juniors on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry since 2018, being led by Counsel to the Inquiry, Richard Millett KC, and Andrew Kinnear KC. Samantha has been at the forefront of the inquiry’s work concerning fire safety, health and safety and the actions of the London Fire Brigade and other fire and rescue services, leading two teams of junior barristers, questioning witnesses and preparing cross-examination. She possesses in-depth knowledge and experience of all aspects of the Inquiry process and the Inquiries Act 2005, from disclosure to core participant participation, witness handling and publication of rule 13 letters, and recommendations.  Prior to that, Samantha was instructed on the Undercover Policing Inquiry by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Samantha has risen through the ranks of the legal directories over the last four years in inquests and inquiries. She is now one of the most junior barristers recognised in Tier 3 of The Legal 500 for Inquests and Inquiries and she was recognised in Chambers and Partners 2022 in the ‘Up and Coming’ category.

Cases of note

  • The Grenfell Tower Inquiry - instructed as lead junior counsel for the Inquiry led by Richard Millett and Andrew Kinnear QC.
  • The Undercover Policing Inquiry - instructed by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Inquests

She is incredibly thorough, personable and very good at encouraging the team and keeping everyone on top of their work.” “She is an exceptionally hard-working barrister and never misses any detail.”  Chambers and Partners 2022 (Up and Coming)

“Super bright, able to handle vast amounts of information and material, and grasps issues quickly. Always cuts through to the heart of a matter, is concise and with punchy written work. Works extremely hard and never seems to run out of energy.”  The Legal 500 2022 (Tier 3)

Samantha is a well-regarded inquest barrister due to her substantial inquest experience in Article 2 inquests, inquests concerning fatal accidents, clinical negligence, mental health and deaths of children. She acts on behalf of companies, governmental bodies, quasi-governmental bodies and families. She has developed particular experience in high profile inquests concerning multi-agency failings which have resulted in the deaths of children. Samantha has risen through the ranks of the legal directories over the last three years; she is now one of the most junior people recognised in Tier 3 of The Legal 500 for Inquests and Inquiries and recognised in Chambers 2022 in the ‘Up and Coming’ category.

Samantha regularly becomes involved at an early stage of proceedings to advise clients on disclosure, procedure and strategy. Samantha is very familiar with providing advocacy at pre-inquest reviews and final hearings and she attends site visits. She is well versed in procedure and case law of the coroner’s jurisdiction. Samantha’s practice in public law, personal injury and clinical negligence means that she is well placed to act in judicial reviews of coroner’s decisions and civil proceedings arising; she frequently advises on such matters.

Cases of note:

  • Inquest touching on the death of Justin Barrett - Three-day inquest before the Senior Coroner for Inner North London concerning the suicide of a mental health in-patient.
  • Inquest touching on the death of Ellie Butler - Two-week high-profile inquest before Dame Linda Dobbs investigating multi-agency working and failings during and after care proceedings concerning the six-year-old girl who was subsequently killed by her father. For news coverage, please click here.
  • Inquest touching on the death of Shanay Walker - Four-week high-profile inquest concerning the death of a seven-year old girl while in the care of her paternal aunt. For news coverage, please click here:
  • Inquest touching on the death of David Buttriss - Two-day inquest involving matters of medical negligence and mental health.
  • Inquest touching on the death of Carole Sherriffs - Three-day inquest involving matters of medical negligence.
  • Inquest touching on the death of Suzette Mason - One-day inquest concerning matters of medical negligence.
  • Inquest touching on the death of David Efemena - Five-day high-profile Article 2 of the Human Rights Act inquest concerning the death of an RAF cadet while he was sleeping out on a training exercise. For news coverage, please click here.

Administrative and Public

Samantha has a broad public law practice and is experienced in representing families, public bodies and government departments in a range of matters. Samantha’s practice has focused on mental health, healthcare, special education needs, inquests and inquiries. She was appointed to the Attorney General’s Treasury Panel (C Panel).

Samantha’s practice is complemented by her prior public law and human rights experience:

  • LLM in Comparative Human Rights Law, McGill University, Canada.
  • Judicial Assistant at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
  • Internships with JUSTICE, the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association and the Centre for Capital Punishment Studies, Uganda, working with death row prisoners.

Costs and Litigation Funding

Samantha is a member of chambers’ specialist costs team. Samantha’s broad civil litigation practice means that she frequently advises clients on discrete costs issues in wider litigation. She frequently represents claimants and defendants at cost budgeting hearings and summary assessments.

Samantha is a contributor to 39 Essex Chambers’ Costs Newsletter: ‘3+9 = Costs’.

Regulatory and Disciplinary

Samantha is a strong regulatory tribunal advocate who is instructed to prosecute and defend in regulatory matters by regulators, registrants and the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Samantha is instructed by the PSA to advise and act in appeals under s29 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 in the High Court as sole counsel.

Samantha established her practice by taking a six-month secondment at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), appearing in over 15 complex multi-day substantive hearings and numerous interim order and review applications. She has since advised and acted in complex and high-profile regulatory matters before the NMC, the General Optical Council, the Health and Care Professions Council and the PSA.

Samantha’s practice in this area is strengthened by her high value and complex clinical negligence and inquest work.

Cases of note:

  • HCPC v Helen Winter - Defended a clinical psychologist who previously worked at Kids Company. It was found that she offered drugs to a client outside of working hours, took drugs in her personal time, and further breached boundaries with service users. Registrant avoided being struck off and was given a 12-month suspension order.
  • NMC v Butterworth and Billington - Prosecuted in an eight-day two-hander matter, acting on her own. Two nurses made numerous racist remarks on ward and displayed other unprofessional behaviour towards colleagues and in front of patients. Both were struck off from the NMC register.

Commercial

Samantha accepts instructions in a broad range of commercial litigation matters. Samantha has particular expertise in fire safety, health and safety, professional negligence, and matters concerning the Building Regulations, the Building Safety Act 2022, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Samantha has focused extensively on these issues while instructed as lead junior counsel to The Grenfell Tower Inquiry, having worked closely with experts and on the cross-examination of some of the inquiry’s most high-profile witnesses. 

Samantha’s most recent commercial work includes:

  • representing the government in a multi-million-pound commercial arbitration regarding the design and construction of a large regeneration project
  • acting as sole counsel in a cross-border mediation in a misselling claim
  • advising directors on a range of contractual matters including defending allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation.

Samantha’s commercial practice is complemented by her regulatory and costs expertise. 

Cladding and Other Building Defects

Samantha possesses a wealth of experience in analysing construction building defects, fire risk assessments and fire safety breaches as a result of her lead role on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, acting as lead junior counsel to the inquiry led by Richard Millett QC and Andrew Kinnear QC. 

Samantha has particular expertise in the interplay of active and passive fire protection measures in a building’s fire safety strategy, the work of fire risk assessors, duties of responsible persons and health and safety management and compliance. Samantha advises on all aspects of building defects, and health and safety law, including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Building Regulations. 

Samantha’s experience in this area is complemented by her personal injury practice, and regulatory practice, where she offers over five years of experience prosecuting and defending in many of the regulatory tribunals. 

Cases of note:

  • The Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Recommendations

“She is incredibly thorough, personable and very good at encouraging the team and keeping everyone on top of their work.”  Chambers and Partners 2022 (Up and Coming)

“She is an exceptionally hard-working barrister and never misses any detail.” Chambers and Partners 2022 (Up and Coming)

“Super bright, able to handle vast amounts of information and material, and grasps issues quickly. Always cuts through to the heart of a matter, is concise and with punchy written work. Works extremely hard and never seems to run out of energy.” The Legal 500 2022 (Tier 3)

“Very on top of the detail and inspires great confidence.”  The Legal 500 2021 (Tier 4)

“She is bright, sensible and all her work is characterised by a detailed grasp of the evidence.” The Legal 500 2020