James Maxwell-Scott KC

Practice Areas

James is a specialist in public inquiries, inquests (including judicial review of coroners) and criminal regulatory law (corporate and gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety, fire safety and nuclear safety). He has been Leading Counsel representing the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in all Phases and Modules of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry since June 2017. He was also instructed in the Infected Blood Inquiry, the Hutton Inquiry, the Shipman Inquiry, the BSE Inquiry, the Mubarek Inquiry, the Billy Wright Inquiry and the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry. He was Lead Counsel to the Inquest in the Lakanal House Fire Inquest. Other notable inquests include: the Hillsborough inquests, the Camber Sands drowning inquests and the HMS Tireless inquest. Previous clients include: the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Chatsworth House Trust, the Fat Duck, First Group, Persimmon Homes, Serco, Siemens, Southeastern Railway, Vinci, the Chief Executive of the NHS (Shipman Inquiry), the Director General of HM Prison Service (Mubarek Inquiry), the Secretary of State for Defence (Hutton Inquiry) and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Infected Blood Inquiry).