Samantha Jones

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.

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 the only junior counsel on the COVID-19 Inquiry (Module 3) for a core participant, junior counsel on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry for a core participant, the only junior counsel on the Thirlwall Inquiry for a core participant and sole counsel advising witnesses appearing in Module 4 of the COVID-19 Inquiry. Samantha was also formerly instructed on the COVID-19 Inquiry (Module 4) for a government agency.

Samantha’s impressive Inquiry experience builds on her wealth of knowledge gained by acting as one of the most senior junior counsel on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry for six years, where she was led by Counsel to the Inquiry Richard Millett KC, Andrew Kinnier KC and Kate Grange KC. Samantha was at the forefront of the Inquiry’s work on 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. Prior to her role in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Samantha was instructed on the Undercover Policing Inquiry by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

She possesses in-depth knowledge and experience of all aspects of the Inquiry process, the Inquiries Act 2005 and the Inquiry Rules 2006, from disclosure to core participant participation, witness handling, rule 9 requests, rule 10 questions, submissions, publication of rule 13 letters, and recommendations.

Samantha has experience of non-statutory inquiries, having recently advised on the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry (now the Lampard Inquiry) when it was constituted as a non-statutory Inquiry.

Samantha has risen through the ranks of the legal directories over the last five years in inquests and inquiries. She is now recognised in Tier 3 of The Legal 500 2025 for Inquests and Inquiries and Band 4 in Chambers and Partners 2025.

Cases of Note

• Covid-19 Inquiry (Module 3) – instructed as the only junior counsel for a core participant, the Disability Charities Consortium, led by Jamie Burton KC
• Covid-19 Inquiry (Module 4) – instructed as sole counsel to support two high-profile witnesses called to give evidence
• Thirlwall Inquiry – instructed as the only junior counsel for a core participant, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, led by Victoria Butler-Cole KC. Samantha delivered the opening submissions for the NMC.
• Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry – instructed as junior counsel for a core participant, led by Kate Gallafent KC.
• Covid-19 Inquiry (Module 4) – instructed as sole leading junior counsel for a government agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
• Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry – instructed as sole counsel to advise witnesses on the non-statutory process
• 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

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.

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.

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’.

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.

Samantha possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in building safety and the Building Safety Act 2022.  She has a wealth of experience in analysing construction and building defects, cladding, compartmentation issues and fire safety breaches.  Her expertise stemmed from her work as lead junior counsel on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to Richard Millett KC and Andrew Kinnier KC.  Since then, Samantha established the 39 Essex Chambers Building Safety Team in 2022, has spoken at numerous seminars and conferences on the Building Safety Act 2022, developed a complex caseload of construction and building safety cases and contributed to articles and two practitioners’ texts on the subject.

She is regularly instructed in matters in the First Tier Tribunal and TCC, as sole counsel and is led in multi-million pound cladding and fire safety disputes.

Samantha advises on all aspects of construction and building safety defects, Remediation Orders, Remediation Contribution Orders and other remedial measures under the Building Safety Act 2022 as well as the Defective Premises Act 1972, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Building Regulations.

Cases of Note:

• The John Green Building – appeared in the FTT on behalf of various leaseholders seeking a Remediation Order under s.123 of the Building Safety Act 2022.
• Multi-party cladding dispute – instructed on behalf of the Claimants in a six-party multi-million pound cladding dispute in respect of 5 developments.  Claim filed in the TCC.  Led by Kate Grange KC.
• Major housing development, London – assisted David Sawtell in advising on BSF funding and relevant defects in the design of a large housing development.
• Housing development, Luton – advising leaseholders on the rights available to them under the Building Safety Act 2022 following breaches of fire compartmentation, cladding and fire alarm systems.
• High-rise student residential accommodation – advising on fire safety defects, third party claims and available remedies in a multi-million pound claim under the Building Safety Act 2022 and Defective Premises Act 1972. Led by Kate Grange KC.
• High-rise residential building, South London – advised property owner of fire safety defects and remedial works to be undertaken at the property and the implications of the Building Safety Act 2022
• The Grenfell Tower Inquiry – lead junior counsel to the Inquiry led by Richard Millett KC and Andrew Kinnier KC

Contributions:

• Dovar & Sawtell on the Building Safety Act 2022 – contributed to two chapters on Building Control and the regulation of Architects
• Wilmot-Smith on Construction Contracts – contributed to the new chapter on the Building Safety Act 2022
• Society of Construction Law – spoken at regional conferences of the SCL in 2022, 2023 and 2025