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Find out more about our barristers and business support teams here.
Jennifer Wright accepts instructions in all of Chambers’ core practice areas, with particular interest in police law, inquests and inquiries, data protection and information law, and public and administrative law.
Jennifer was appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel of Counsel in September 2024. Before this, she was regularly instructed through the Government Legal Department’s ‘Junior Junior’ scheme. She is cleared to act and advise on cases touching upon national security and other sensitive matters and is ranked in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 (Inquest and Inquiries, Police Law).
Jennifer has appeared as sole counsel in the High Court, County Court, Employment Tribunals, the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Courts, and Coroner’s Courts and as a led junior in several major inquests and public inquiries, and is familiar with group litigation and various forms of alternative dispute resolution including mediations, negotiations, and settlement meetings. Her clients include government departments, police forces, public authorities, and private individuals. Recent high profile cases include the Thirlwall Inquiry, the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the Police Overtime Claims Litigation (representing over twenty police forces across England and Wales), the Brook House Inquiry, the Inquests arising from the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist attack, and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Jennifer holds a PhD in Philosophy and, before coming to the Bar, taught undergraduate philosophy programmes at King’s College London and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Jennifer is an enthusiastic barrister and a confident advocate with a thorough knowledge of regulatory laws.” Legal 500
Jennifer represents police forces in civil claims, inquests, and public inquiries, including those which touch upon sensitive matters of national security.
Jennifer frequently appears as sole counsel defending civil actions against the police in the High Court and County Court, including claims in false imprisonment, assault, misfeasance, malicious prosecution, negligence, and those brought under the Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998. She has appeared on behalf of individual forces and policing bodies in judicial review proceedings. Recent cases include a 9 day trial in false imprisonment and assault and multiple claims for breach of Articles 3, 4, and 8 arising from alleged failures in current and historic sexual abuse investigations. In Johnson v Devon and Cornwall Police & Ors [2023] EWHC 690 (Ch) Jennifer appeared on behalf of both defendant police forces and secured strike out and costs for her clients. As a led junior, she is currently instructed by twenty police forces in the undercover cases strand of the Police Overtime Claims Litigation.
Jennifer is instructed as junior counsel to the inquest arising from the death of Sean Fitzgerald (a fatal shooting occurring during a police operation relating to organised crime in the West Midlands). She regularly appears as sole counsel on behalf of police forces in Article 2 and jury inquests concerning deaths following police contact, including inquests concerning missing persons, police pursuits, the use of s.136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, restraint, and deaths following arrest, release, and incarceration. Recent cases include a 7 day Article 2 jury inquest into the death of a man who absconded from a mental health institution, an 11 day Article 2 jury inquest into a death by drug overdose in a prison, and a 5 day jury inquest into the death of an 18 year old following a police pursuit. Jennifer is well versed in advising on the provision of evidence addressing the prevention of future deaths.
Jennifer regularly advises on matters of policy and wider operational powers and in respect of sensitive disclosure where issues of legal professional privilege and public interest immunity arise. She acts in challenges to search warrants and to the seizure, retention, and return of property and successfully resisted a claim for the return of two shipments of nitrous oxide canisters with an estimated street value of £2,500,000.
Jennifer has extensive experience of the full range of civil behaviour orders and injunctions including, amongst others, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, Stalking Protection Act 2019, Sexual Offences Act 2003, and Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and has regularly appeared in the Magistrates’ Courts, County Court, and Crown Court on such matters. She also acts for police forces in the Family Court and High Court in matters concerning disclosure to and from family law proceedings and in open and closed material proceedings relating to Forced Marriage Protection Orders.
“She has showed considerable aptitude for major inquest and inquiry work; her documents were first class and she got on top of the material quickly.” Chambers UK
Jennifer has a busy coronial practice and has acted in a number of high profile matters. She is instructed as junior counsel to the inquest arising from the death of Sean Fitzgerald (a fatal shooting occurring during a police operation relating to organised crime in the West Midlands) and acted as junior counsel to the inquests in the Inquests arising from the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist attack.
Jennifer regularly appears as sole counsel in inquests involving deaths following police contact, including those sitting with juries and where Article 2 is engaged. She has acted in inquests concerning missing persons, police pursuits, the use of s.136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, restraint, and deaths following arrest, release, and incarceration. Recent cases include a 7 day Article 2 jury inquest into the death of a man who forcibly absconded from a mental health institution, an 11 day Article 2 jury inquest into a death by drug overdose in a prison, and a 5 day jury inquest into the death of an 18 year old following a police pursuit. Jennifer is well versed in matters relating to the provision of evidence addressing the prevention of future deaths and is experienced in advising on the same.
“Jennifer is able to master the details and has become a go-to junior for inquiry work; she is able to extract key principles.” Chambers UK
Jennifer has a strong interest in public inquiries and has appeared on behalf of government departments, public bodies, police forces, and private individuals. She has acted in several of the most significant and high profile public inquiries of recent years and is experienced in guiding clients and witnesses through every aspect of the inquiry process.
She is currently instructed by the Department of Health and Social Care (the sponsoring Government Department) in the Thirlwall Inquiry (led by Jonathan Dixey), which is examining the events at the Countess of Chester Hospital following the conviction of former neonatal nurse, Lucy Letby, for the murder and attempted murder of babies in the hospital’s care. She is instructed by a former CEO of the Post Office in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry (led by Samantha Leek KC) and by the Independent Monitoring Boards in the Brook House Inquiry (also led by Jonathan Dixey). Previously, Jennifer acted for the Metropolitan Police Service in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (Lambeth Children’s Homes Strand).
Jennifer has represented clients including individual police forces and public authorities in numerous challenges relating to the exercise of public law powers. She was sole counsel on behalf of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in judicial review proceedings relating to the investigation and handling of a complaint concerning police conduct and acted on behalf of a police force in a challenge by way of case stated to cash forfeiture proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
As a led junior, she acted for the Secretary of State for the Home Department in a series of linked claims which seek to challenged the provision of asylum support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Jennifer represents and advises clients on a broad range of personal injury matters including employers’ and occupiers’ liability, accidents at work, manual handling, and RTA claims. She frequently appears as sole counsel defending actions against the police in the High Court and County Court, including claims for damages for physical and psychiatric injuries arising from alleged assaults, misfeasance, malicious prosecution, negligence, and breaches of the Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998. She is currently instructed on multiple claims for psychiatric injuries arising from alleged breaches of Articles 3, 4, and 8 of the ECHR arising from police investigations into allegations of sexual assault and historic child sexual abuse.
Jennifer is experienced in using alternative means of dispute resolution to narrow issues and resolve claims and is familiar with satellite applications, including pre-action and third-party disclosure and Norwich Pharmacal orders. She has appeared in the High Court and County Court on behalf of police forces seeking to resist or restrict such applications on the grounds of public interest immunity and legal professional privilege and has provided training to clients and insurers on this topic.
Jennifer has acted in numerous data protection claims relating to the retention, management, and handling of information (including sensitive information) and regularly advises a range of clients on information law and data protection issues under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, GDPR and Data Protection Acts, Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and Investigatory Powers Act 2016. Led by Aaron Moss, Jennifer was recently instructed by the Department for Health and Social Care in Evans v IC and Department of Health and Social Care [2024] UKFTT 00261 (GRC), a FOIA appeal concerning material relating to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.
She is particularly well versed on the data protection implications of retaining evidence (including forensic material) following the discontinuance of criminal investigations and proceedings and is currently instructed by a police force in two linked claims alleging noncompliance with Subject Access Requests.
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Instructing Jennifer
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“Jennifer is able to master the details and has become a go-to junior for inquiry work; she is able to extract key principles.” (Inquests and Public Inquiries)
“Jennifer is thoughtful and measured, and diligent with great attention to detail.” (Inquests and Public Inquiries)
“She has showed considerable aptitude for major inquest and inquiry work; her documents were first class and she got on top of the material quickly.” (Inquests and Public Inquiries)
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