Sarah Jones

Practice Areas

Sarah is Head of the Eversheds Sutherland Public Inquiries and Investigations team with over 20 years’ experience working on a number of very high profile public inquiries, inquests and investigations.

Sarah has deep experience of statutory public inquiries , non-statutory inquiries and complex (and often highly confidential) investigations. She leads a substantive team of dedicated public inquiry, inquest and investigation specialists. Sarah has undertaken lead roles acting as solicitor to an inquiry and for core participants/interested parties to an inquiry, as well as those asked to provide evidence.

She is currently leading the team representing clients who are Core Participants to the Southport Inquiry, Infected Blood Inquiry and the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Sarah has recently undertaken the role of Solicitor to the Angiolini Inquiry, looking into matters surrounding Wayne Couzens, David Carrick and systemic issues of misogyny in the police force. She has supported a number of clients to provide their evidence to the Covid Inquiry. Sarah was also Supervising Partner, with overall supervision of the team, acting as Solicitors to the Sabina Rizvi Inquest - an Article 2 inquest, which was held at the Old Bailey almost 21 years after the death of Ms Rizvi.

Historically, Sarah led a team of lawyers acting as Solicitors to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (investigating allegations of abuse of children in care), acting for a core participant in the Leveson Inquiry (investigating the role of the press and the police in the phone hacking scandal) and had a lead role on the Rosemary Nelson Public Inquiry (a prominent human rights solicitor who was killed by an under car explosive – there were allegations of state collusion in her death).

Sarah was also Deputy Solicitor to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. Sarah’s role involved advising the Inquiry’s Secretariat Team and the Chairman on procedural and project management matters. She was instrumental in developing and managing the bespoke IT systems used by the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry to manage the Inquiry’s rolling timetable and ensure that this statutory inquiry was completed in a two year timeframe. Eversheds Sutherland was awarded second place in the Financial Times awards for innovation in recognition of these systems, which ensured that the Inquiry finished in record time.

In relation to her investigation work, Sarah has conducted independent internal investigations on behalf of clients, including assisting and advising an independent investigator appointed by Birmingham City Council on the Trojan Horse Inquiry which investigated allegations of an extremist plot to takeover schools in Birmingham and was conducted over a period of two months, with the findings withstanding Parliamentary scrutiny. She led the Commissioning Body team appointed for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Telford, an independent investigation commissioned by the Council to investigate long-standing issues and complaints concerning the sexual exploitation of children.

In addition to her Public Inquiry and investigations work, Sarah was a founding Partner of Eversheds Sutherland’s litigation technology and legal project management team and she is Prince II qualified and has been instrumental in both the development of the technology offering (both technology solutions and Legal Project Management) and of the team, which consist of legal project managers and technology experts.

Sarah is a co-author of the book titled "The Practical Guide to Public Inquiries" published by Hart in December 2020.

Client Experience

Sarah’s recent experience includes:

• leading multiple teams acting on a wide range of large matters to include inquests, statutory and non-statutory inquiries and internal investigations

• developing and managing bespoke IT systems to manage document collation and review. Has good working relationships with a number of suppliers

• advising Secretariat and Chair on procedural and project management matters

• leading and advising on all aspects of large document review exercises

• consulting with all stakeholders to ensure all voices are heard whether legally represented or not

• advising on data protection, self-incrimination and/or managing concurrent proceedings and investigations, and maxwellisation.

• advising clients who are giving evidence to Select Committees

• liaising with and interviewing a wide range of witnesses including politicians, lawyers, senior civil servants, police officers, members of the armed forces, members of the security service

• acting as an advocate for vulnerable witnesses to ensure they are supported to provide their evidence in a trauma informed way.