Peter Skelton
Called to bar 1997
Clerk Graham Woods Tel: 020 7353 6381
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Peter Skelton's key areas of practice are public inquiries, multi-party litigation, inquests and medical law, including clinical and dental negligence. In February 2009, Peter was appointed to the Attorney General's B Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown and in September 2009 he was nominated to be a Special Advocate. He was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2006.
Peter has appeared in several major public and private inquiries in the last ten years. He is fully conversant with all aspects of the inquiry process and is able to advise and represent clients, including inquiry participants or the tribunal itself, at every procedural stage, from the setting of the terms of reference, through to the oral hearings and the writing of the report.
From 2005 to 2009, Peter was junior counsel to the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry, which investigated allegations of Government collusion in the murder of the Northern Irish Solicitor, Rosemary Nelson. Previously he was junior counsel to the Ayling Inquiry, and represented the families at both the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry and the Royal Liverpool Children's Inquiry.
Peter is a contributing author to the forthcoming Oxford University Press book, Public Inquiries, which is being edited by Jason Beer, Richard Lissack QC and James Dingemans QC. It will be published in 2010.
Alongside his inquiry practice, Peter has appeared in many inquests, representing various interested parties, from bereaved families to Government organisations. He recently represented the Prison Service in inquests arising from the deaths at Pentonville and Holloway prisons. He has particular experience with inquests involving detention, and medical or psychiatric treatment.
He also has very considerable experience in dealing with litigation arising from medical and dental treatment, including cases involving obstetrics, neurosurgery, oncology, cardiac surgery, psychiatric treatment and general practice.
Peter has a particular interest in multi-party litigation, cases involving human rights issues and in new and developing areas of law. He is presently a member of the Senior Counsel Team representing five Government departments/agencies in various claims brought by former Guantanamo Bay detainees. He is also instructed by the claimants in the Cornwall Partnership Trust litigation, which centres on allegations of long-term physical abuse and financial mismanagement within care homes in Cornwall. In 2004, he acted for 2,000 claimants in the Nationwide Organ Group Litigation. He has previously represented patients in multiple claims against health authorities in Devon and Scunthorpe, arising from the provision of inadequate mammography services.
Areas of practice
Clinical Negligence & Healthcare, Personal Injury, Public Law, Discipline & Regulatory
What the Directories say
Recommended by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK, who acknowledge he is ‘a rising star' and ‘flexible and bright'.
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