Select an area of expertise to find out more about our experience.
Find out more about our barristers and business support teams here.
Select an area of expertise to find out more about our experience.
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, and public and administrative law.
She is regularly instructed through the Government Legal Department’s ‘Junior Junior’ scheme and is cleared to act and advise on cases touching upon national security and other sensitive matters.
Jennifer’s clients include police forces, government departments, public authorities, and private individuals. Recent high profile cases include the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the Brook House Inquiry, the Police Overtime Claims Litigation (representing over twenty police forces across England and Wales), 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 advises and represents police forces in a wide range of civil claims and applications, including those which touch upon sensitive matters of national security.
As a led junior, she is currently instructed by twenty police forces nationwide in the undercover strand of the Police Overtime Claims Litigation. She frequently appears as sole counsel defending civil actions against the police in the High Court and County Court, including claims for false imprisonment, assault, misfeasance, malicious prosecution, negligence, and claims brought under the Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998.
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 is well versed in challenges to search warrants and to the seizure, retention, and return of property and recently successfully resisted a claim for the return of two shipments of nitrous oxide canisters with an estimated street value of £2,500,000.
She has appeared on behalf of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in judicial review proceedings relating to the investigation and handling of police complaints and for an individual police force in a challenge by Case Stated to cash forfeiture proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
In her coronial practice, Jennifer acts on behalf of police forces in inquests concerning deaths following police contact including those engaging Article 2 and in multi-week inquests heard with juries. She is well versed in advising on the provision of evidence addressing the prevention of future deaths.
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 was instructed as junior Counsel to the Inquest in the Inquests arising from the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist attack and is familiar with issues arising in respect of sensitive material and national security.
Jennifer regularly appears as sole counsel in inquests involving deaths following police contact, including those sitting with juries and where Article 2 is engaged. Recent cases include a multi-day inquest into the a death of an 18 year old following a police pursuit and a multi-week inquest into a death by drug overdose in a prison where the adequacy of searches and information sharing between the police and prison was a central issue (both heard with juries). She has acted in inquests concerning missing persons, the use of emergency powers under s.136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, restraint deaths, and deaths by suicide following arrest and release. She 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 acted for private clients, public bodies, and the police in several of the most significant and high profile public inquiries of recent years.
She is currently being led by Samantha Leek KC in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, instructed by a former CEO of the Post Office, and by Jonathan Dixey in the Brook House Inquiry, instructed by the Independent Monitoring Boards. Previously, Jennifer acted for the Metropolitan Police Service in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (Lambeth Children’s Homes Strand).
Jennifer has advised on numerous challenges relating to the exercise of public law powers by the police and public authorities. She acted as sole counsel on behalf of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in judicial review proceedings relating to the investigation and handling of police complaints and 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 is currently instructed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department in a series of linked claims which seek to challenge the provision of asylum support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Jennifer has experience advising on a broad range of personal injury matters including employers’ and occupiers’ liability, accidents at work, manual handling, RTA claims, and physical and psychological injuries alleged to arise from arrests and police investigations.
She is experienced in matters concerning pre-action and third-party disclosure applications (both Norwich Pharmacal orders and under CPR 31.17) and 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.
Matters relating to the retention, management, and handling of information (including sensitive information) regularly arise throughout Jennifer’s practice and she has advised a range of clients on information law and data protection issues relating to the GDPR, Data Protection Acts, Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and Investigatory Powers Act 2016.
She is particularly well versed on the data protection implications of retaining evidence (including forensic material) following the discontinuance of criminal proceedings and is currently instructed by a police force in two linked claims alleging noncompliance with Subject Access Requests.
We are delighted to retain our Band 1 status for ‘Police Law’ and ‘Inquests and Public…
Discover moreThe Brook House Inquiry was established to investigate the decisions, actions and circumstances surrounding the…
Discover moreJennifer was instructed by DWF for the Commissioner of Police of the…
Rule 6 of the Coroners (Inquest) Rules 2013 provides that a coroner…
Instructing Jennifer
Please contact Dan Waple if you have any questions or wish to instruct us.
Click here to view
