'Nicholas is an experienced inquiry silk. He is an intelligent, calm and effective advocate.' Chambers UK 2023
'Highly intelligent, outstanding thorough and industrious, with sound judgment and impeccable integrity.'
Legal 500, 2020'He's very approachable, thorough and knowledgeable. He's always able to tackle the most complex points in a case.'
Chambers UK, 2019'He is practical and conscientious beyond belief. Also, he delivers and is pretty much unflappable.'
Chambers UK, 2018
Overview
An astute and determined strategist and tactician and formidable advocate, Nicholas Griffin KC is a leader in the practice areas of both Inquests, Inquiries and Public Law and Corporate and Financial Crime. His eye for the detail and effortless, unflappable approach make him a favourite in his chosen fields.
Inquests, Inquiries and Public Law
Nicholas is one of the UK’s leading King’s Counsel in public inquiries, inquests, and investigations and reviews.
His formidable reputation is built on a unique combination of experience, leadership and teamwork.
He is consistently ranked as an outstanding barrister by the legal directories, where his intelligence, good judgement and persuasive advocacy are commended.
He leads QEB Hollis Whiteman’s Public Inquiries, Inquests and Public Law team and regularly advises on matters at the intersection of public, criminal and regulatory law.
Corporate & Financial Crime
Nicholas advises widely in general, corporate and financial crime, appearing in large and complex cases.
He provides health & safety advice and representation in cases arising in parallel with inquest or inquiry instruction. Specialist areas include offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, offshore tax evasion and the implications of the laws governing surveillance.
Nicholas is exceptionally well placed to deal with internal investigations for institutions and corporates concerned about irregular activity.
Reviews
Nicholas has been consistently featured in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 and is currently listed in their 2021 editions as a leader in the field of Inquests & Public Inquiries.
'A highly experienced inquiries practitioner who is great with strategy.' Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2024)
‘His incisiveness, combined with empathy, experience and sensitivity to court dynamics, make him an exceptional choice for any inquest or public inquiry. His style of advocacy is understated, lands perfectly, and has exactly the desired effect' Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2024)
'Nicholas is an experienced inquiry silk. He is an intelligent, calm and effective advocate.' Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2023)
‘A seriously impressive practitioner – great judgement, calm, sensible and effective.’ Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2023)
'He is a really excellent advocate who is able to manage a lot of competing interests with subtlety." "He instils confidence in clients. He is friendly and pragmatic.' Chambers UK Inquests & Inquiries (2022)
'His strengths include very good judgement and analysis, and his written and oral submissions are clear, thoughtful and persuasive - a very strong team player.' Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2022)
'He is highly in demand for public inquiries and you can see why. He has a great command of what is needed, his written submissions are fantastic, really exemplary, and he has an incredible eye for detail.' Chambers UK Inquests and Public Inquiries (2021)
'A silk who has long since specialised in public inquiries work. He has great judgement, is extremely bright, and has an excellent and persuasive manner.' Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2021)
‘Highly intelligent, outstanding thorough and industrious, with sound judgment and impeccable integrity.’ Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2020)
‘Regularly involved in significant public inquiries … His inquiries practice extends beyond England and includes significant instructions in Jersey and Northern Ireland … "He's thorough and able to grapple with complex issues quickly." "He gets to grips with instructions and understands public law on top of his criminal background."’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2020)
‘He's very approachable, thorough and knowledgeable. He's always able to tackle the most complex points in a case.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2019)
‘He is extremely experienced in public inquiries and provides excellent advice.’ ‘He is practical and conscientious beyond belief. Also, he delivers and is pretty much unflappable.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2018)
‘Great intelligence, integrity and commitment. He brings an astute, tactical approach to problems as well as a determination to solve them.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2017)
‘He is the best leader of a large team, is an incredibly persuasive advocate and has a great breadth of range in his expertise.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2016)
Appointments
- Security Vetting Appeals Panel – Member (2017 - current). Hearing appeals from those refused national security vetting. Sitting with current Chair Sir Adrian Fulford and previously with Baroness Hallett. Appointed by Prime Minister.
- Conciliation Resources – Trustee (2023 - current). International peacebuilding organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies.
- UK Anti-Doping – Board Member. Vice Chair, Senior Independent Director, Chair of Audit and Risk Committee (2017-2023). UKAD implements and manages sports anti-doping policy in UK. Appointed by Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
- Anti-Slavery International – Trustee (2015-2020). Charity focusing on achieving the long-term change necessary to end modern slavery.
- District Electoral Areas Commissioner – Assistant Commissioner (2013). Reviewing local government electoral areas in Northern Ireland. Appointed by Northern Ireland Minister.
- Boundary Commission for England – Assistant Commissioner (2011-12). Reviewing parliamentary constituency boundaries. Appointed by Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform.
- Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
- Appointed to Attorney General's Panel of Counsel (civil) and Crown Prosecution Service Advocate Panel (criminal), prior to taking silk.
Education Publications, lectures & Training
Speaker and author on matters connected with his areas of practice:
- Keynote speaker at Business and Human Rights conference on transparency in supply chain provisions of Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Inner Temple, London 2023)
- Keynote speaker on ‘Justice and the law in the wake of a disaster’ at postgraduate annual lecture (Brighton Law School, 2023)
- Articles on public inquiries including in The Times (here and here) (2020-23)
- JUSTICE When Things Go Wrong Working Group member producing report considering public inquiries, inquests and other processes following a major incident (2020)
- Quoted in The Practical Guide to Public Inquiries Bloomsbury Publishing (2020)
- Appearances on television and radio in relation to public inquiries
- Former contributor to Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure and Paterson’s Licensing Acts (both LexisNexis)
Professional Memberships
- Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association
- Criminal Bar Association
- Health and Safety Lawyers’
- AssociationSouth Eastern Circuit JUSTICE
- Franco-British Lawyers Association
Education
- LLB in European Legal Studies, University of Bristol
- Université de Rouen (ERASMUS programme)
- Inns of Court School of Law Bar Vocational Course
Recent Cases
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Nicholas Griffin KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman is announced as Counsel to the Lampard Inquiry. The Lampard Inquiry is Chaired by Baroness Kate Lampard CBE and is investigating matters surrounding the deaths
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Representing the University of Cambridge at the inquests, which arise from the deaths in the terror attack at Fishmongers' Hall on 29 November 2019.Further information can be found here: https://fishmongershallinquests.independent.gov.uk
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Zoe and Nicholas are representing the CPS and the Home Office respectively.
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Representing a corporate core participant at this inquiry, announced following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in London.
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Nicholas Griffin QC is representing the Home Office at this ongoing inquiry.
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Nicholas Griffin QC conducted an independent review of decisions which were made by the authorities not to prosecute individuals alleged to have abused children in the care system in Jersey.The final report of the inquiry can be found here.Counsel was ins...
News
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The Department of Health and Social Care has today, 10 April 2024, published the terms of reference for the independent statutory Inquiry into the deaths of mental health inpatients in Essex.The Inquiry - which is chaired by Baroness Lampard CBE - was set...
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The article, The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the evolution of supply chain transparency in the UK (I.C.C.L.R. 2024, 35(1), 4-16), was written with Sian Lea, who is the Business and Human Rights Manager at Anti-Slavery International. It provides a review o...
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...
QEB takes its outreach work very seriously, as Nick Griffin KC discusses in the most recent edition of Counsel Magazine.Nick Griffin KC, explains in the December edition of Counsel Magazine how he came to volunteering though Bar in the Community (BIC), wh...
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...
Nicholas Griffin KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman is announced as Counsel to the Lampard Inquiry. The Lampard Inquiry is Chaired by Baroness Kate Lampard CBE and is investigating matters surrounding the deaths
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...
The seminar will consider business compliance with modern slavery statements under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and further relevant requirements under other legislation. Nick will be discussing the genesis and current status of the transpar...
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The Prime Minister has approved the re-appointment to the Security Vetting Appeals Panel (SVAP) of Mr Nicholas Griffin QC.He has been re-appointed as a Member for a second and final term of four years, with effect from 01 April 2021 until 31 March 2025.S...
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The Undercover Policing Inquiry was set up in 2015 to get to the truth about undercover policing across England and Wales since 1968 and provide recommendations for the future. Its hearings started on Monday, 2 November. The first few days will be taken u...
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...
JUSTICE's major report 'When things go wrong: the response of the justice system' is published today, 24 August. It is an interesting read: looking at the response to major disasters and systemic failings - particularly with an eye to public inquiries ...
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Nicholas will be speaking on a panel discussing inquests and inquiries alongside other practitioners in this field. The event programme is here, and includes this description of the session: “Inquests and inquiries serve as society&r...
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Nicholas Griffin QC co-authors with Richard Spafford of Reed Smith LLP in an article for The Times.Together they consider that calls for a coronavirus inquiry will be hard to ignore; those who have suffered most deserve answers but the shaping and timing ...
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The public inquiry into child sexual abuse published its Report into allegations of abuse linked to Westminster this month. It considers the institutional responses to allegations of abuse and exploitation involving persons of public prominence, such as M...
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David Spens QC and Nicholas Griffin QC have been added to the official List of Counsel of lawyers eligible to practice before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in the Hague.
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Nicholas Griffin QC will assist JUSTICE working group considering the conduct and procedure of inquests, inquiries and other proceedings that may arise in the wake of a disaster.JUSTICE has recently set up a Working Group to consider the issue of “W...
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“Impact Statements for Business”, the corporate equivalent of “Victim Personal Statements” (impact statements made by victims of crime) have been around for a while. But they have now been reconsidered by Nicholas Griffin QC and Ky...
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The Inquiry investigation into “Children Outside the UK” started on 11 February.
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Three members of Chambers involved with annual Inner Temple training session at Cumberland Lodge.
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The Supreme Court handed down judgment in Reyes v Al-Malki & Another (2017) UKSC 61, a decision on diplomatic immunity.
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Nicholas was appointed to the Board of UKAD by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
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Details of the rankings and commentaries will be published in November 2017 in the Chambers UK Bar Directory 2018.
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The Inquiry was set up to establish what went wrong in Jersey's care system over many years.
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Nicholas spoke about public inquiries after the decision to hold a public inquiry into the disaster at Grenfell Tower.
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Nicholas Griffin QC explores the implications of the Modern Slavery Act on business one year after the Act’s reporting duty began to take effect.
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Nicholas addressed current powers to spy on/access communications between lawyers and their clients.
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Mark Ellison QC comments: ‘We are delighted to welcome Nicholas'.
Articles
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The article, The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the evolution of supply chain transparency in the UK (I.C.C.L.R. 2024, 35(1), 4-16), was written with Sian Lea, who is the Business and Human Rights Manager at Anti-Slavery International. It provides a review o...
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In this article for The Times, Nicholas Griffin KC and Rebecca Harris of <
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The PM's recent announcement that there will be an independent inquiry into the C-19 response has been welcomed but has also prompted difficult questions: what might the inquiry look like and involve? And what of those who want or are required to give evi...
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Calls for a public inquiry into the government and state reaction to Covid-19 are mounting. But is there actually a need for an inquiry and, if so, what form should it take and what should it investigate? QEB Hollis Whiteman's Nicholas Griffin QC
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Nicholas Griffin QC co-authors with Richard Spafford of Reed Smith LLP in an article for The Times.Together they consider that calls for a coronavirus inquiry will be hard to ignore; those who have suffered most deserve answers but the shaping and timing ...
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Kyan Pucks outline the benefits of corporate crime practitioners utilising ISBs in the interest of their clients.The article which was published by LexisNexis can be viewed here.
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Part 2 of a special two part analysis by Nicholas Griffin QC, Jason Mansell, Tom Broomfield and Rhys Meggy.
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Part 1 of a special two part analysis by Nicholas Griffin QC, Jason Mansell, Tom Broomfield and Rhys Meggy.
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Tom Broomfield have worked with Lexis®PSL to provide two Practice Notes on tax evasion.
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Nicholas Griffin QC considers the CJEU Watson decision on UK surveillance law.
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Nicholas and Tom respond to the Court of Justice of the EU's landmark ruling in the joined cases of Sverige AB v Post-och telestyrelsen, and SSHD v Tom Watson and Others.
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He notes that 'Increasingly now you get a group of lawyers who have become inquiries specialists'.
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Nick Griffin QC comments on the implications that the CJEU decision in the case of MP Tom Watson has for UK surveillance law.
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Peter Watkin Jones assess the Inquiries Act 2005 ten years on in the Law Society Gazette.
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Celia Pilkington consider the history of the anti-slavery movement in the Inner Temple Yearbook 2015-2016 on the topic of slavery.
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Nicholas Griffin QC, Robert O’Sullivan QC and Gordon Nardell QC consider legal professional privilege in the context of state surveillance - New Law Journal 27 February 2015
Corporate and Financial Crime
Considered an outstanding barrister; intelligence, good judgement and persuasive advocacy are frequently commended.
Overview
Nicholas advises widely in general, corporate and financial crime, appearing in large and complex cases.
He provides health & safety advice and representation in cases arising in parallel with inquest or inquiry instruction.
Specialist areas include offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, offshore tax evasion and the implications of the laws governing surveillance.
Nicholas is exceptionally well placed to deal with internal investigations for institutions and corporates concerned about irregular activity.
Experience
Crime
Advises widely in general, corporate and financial crime, appearing in large and complex cases. Specialist areas include offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, offshore tax evasion and the implications of the laws governing surveillance.
- R v Brooks, Coulson & Others successfully defending the former Managing Editor of the News of the World in trial involving allegations of conspiracy to hack phones of celebrities and others.
- R v Soldiers A and C criminal prosecution of two former paratroopers accused of the murder of an Official IRA leader in 1972 in Belfast. Providing advice and representation in relation to the defendants’ anonymity.
- Providing advice to corporates and individuals in connection with issues arising in multiple proceedings including parallel criminal investigations and public inquiries / inquests.
- International criminal law: List of Counsel (International Criminal Court) and List of Specialist Counsel (Kosovo Specialist Chambers).
Investigations and reviews
- Exceptionally well placed to deal with internal investigations for institutions and corporates concerned about irregular activity.
- Reviews of prosecutorial decision-making, for example in the context of allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children in care settings.
- Conduct of reviews in electoral boundary settings as Assistant Commissioner.
- Lead Reviewer, Cabinet Office Public Body Reform Programme. Providing independent challenge and scrutiny to government departments and Arm’s Length Bodies undertaking reviews.
Additional areas of expertise
- Disciplinary & Regulatory – equipped to deal with all strands of parallel proceedings, Nick advises and appears in proceedings in the policing, healthcare and other contexts, often simultaneously with an inquest or inquiry instruction.
- Health & Safety - advice and representation in cases arising in parallel with inquest or inquiry instruction.
- Business and human rights - a strong interest in human rights due diligence in the corporate context. Extensive work in relation to the operation of the supply chain provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
- Complex and sensitive disclosure - considerable experience of potential disclosure of sensitive material. Led team of 25 junior counsel in sensitive disclosure exercise, acting for the Government in the Guantanamo Bay litigation concerning allegations of UK collusion in rendition and torture.
Notable Cases
Advice Re: A Major Delivery Service
Advising major delivery service company in relation to its powers and obligations under privacy and surveillance law.Protection of Article 2 rights in criminal proceedings
Representing individuals seeking anonymity in the context of ongoing serious criminal proceedings.R v Brooks, Coulson & Others
Successfully defended former News of the World managing editor in trial involving allegations of conspiracy to a) intercept voicemails of celebrities, members of the Royal Family and others and b) commit misconduct in public office.Publications, lectures & Training
Speaker and author on matters connected with his areas of practice:
Keynote speaker at Business and Human Rights conference on transparency in supply chain provisions of Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Inner Temple, London 2023)
- Keynote speaker on ‘Justice and the law in the wake of a disaster’ at postgraduate annual lecture (Brighton Law School, 2023)
- Former contributor to Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure and Paterson’s Licensing Acts (both LexisNexis)
News
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The article, The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the evolution of supply chain transparency in the UK (I.C.C.L.R. 2024, 35(1), 4-16), was written with Sian Lea, who is the Business and Human Rights Manager at Anti-Slavery International. It provides a review o...
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“Impact Statements for Business”, the corporate equivalent of “Victim Personal Statements” (impact statements made by victims of crime) have been around for a while. But they have now been reconsidered by Nicholas Griffin QC and Ky...
Articles
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The article, The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the evolution of supply chain transparency in the UK (I.C.C.L.R. 2024, 35(1), 4-16), was written with Sian Lea, who is the Business and Human Rights Manager at Anti-Slavery International. It provides a review o...
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Kyan Pucks outline the benefits of corporate crime practitioners utilising ISBs in the interest of their clients.The article which was published by LexisNexis can be viewed here.
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Part 2 of a special two part analysis by Nicholas Griffin QC, Jason Mansell, Tom Broomfield and Rhys Meggy.
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Part 1 of a special two part analysis by Nicholas Griffin QC, Jason Mansell, Tom Broomfield and Rhys Meggy.
Inquests, Inquiries and Public Law
Nicholas is one of the UK’s leading King’s Counsel in public inquiries, inquests, and investigations and reviews. His formidable reputation is built on a unique combination of experience, leadership and teamwork.
Overview
He is consistently ranked as an outstanding barrister by the legal directories, where his intelligence, good judgement and persuasive advocacy are commended
He leads QEB Hollis Whiteman’s Public Inquiries, Inquests and Public Law team and regularly advises on matters at the intersection of public, criminal and regulatory law.
Experience
Specialising in prominent cases of public concern and importance that address the key issues of the day, with major human rights implications. He draws on his wide-ranging legal background, experience in Ministerial and Prime Ministerial appointments as well as his NED roles in NGOs and charities to provide a strategic perspective equalled by few. Over the past two decades, he has appeared in most major public inquiries and many controversial inquests.
Coronial experience encompasses inquests arising from deaths in custody and terrorist incidents through to ‘Troubles’ or ‘Legacy’ inquests in Northern Ireland.
Exceptionally well placed to deal with internal investigations for institutions and corporates concerned about irregular activity.
Leadership - Nicholas’ seasoned approach allows him quickly to identify core issues and deliver a strategic approach for his clients. He works persuasively across client teams and departments, who may have different objectives. He is succinct in his analysis and presentation of advantages and risks for his clients.
Teamwork - A leader who is a strong advocate for the importance of teamwork with a collaborative and empathetic approach. He is adept at bringing people from contrasting backgrounds and disciplines together, deriving strength from different experiences and perspectives. He was called to the Bar in in 1992 (Northern Ireland 2011) and appointed King’s Counsel in 2012 as one of a handful of silks with expertise in both civil and criminal fields.
Notable Cases
Public Inquiries
UK Covid-19 Inquiry examining the UK response to and impact of the pandemic. Representing a multinational company.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry investigating the circumstances concerning the fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017. Representing two companies – the UK’s largest water company and UK’s largest gas distribution network.
Undercover Policing Inquiry investigating allegations of inappropriate conduct of undercover officers. Representing Home Secretary to 2020.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse investigating the extent to which State and non-State institutions failed in their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Representing Home Office and other government departments.
Independent Jersey Care Inquiry investigating what went wrong in the Island's care system over many years, following allegations of physical and sexual abuse of children. Instructed as an expert witness by the Inquiry.
Rosemary Nelson Inquiry investigating the terrorist murder of a solicitor in Northern Ireland together with allegations of military and police collusion. Representing the police murder investigation team.
Bloody Sunday Inquiry investigating the circumstances that led to loss of life in connection with the civil rights march in Londonderry, Northern Ireland on 30th January 1972 when 13 civilians were killed by Army gunfire. Representing over 450 military witnesses.
Inquests
Stephen Dymond Inquest concerning the death of a participant on the Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019. Representing a doctor (2024).
Daniel Doherty & William Fleming Inquest arising from the shooting of two men by the military in 1984 in Northern Ireland. Representing a military witness (2023).
Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests concerning the deaths in the terror attack at Fishmongers’ Hall on 29 November 2019 investigating the conduct of police, MI5 and others. Representing a university (2021).
Investigations and reviews
Exceptionally well placed to deal with internal investigations for institutions and corporates concerned about irregular activity.
Reviews of prosecutorial decision-making, for example in the context of allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children in care settings.
Conduct of reviews in electoral boundary settings as Assistant Commissioner.
Lead Reviewer, Cabinet Office Public Body Reform Programme. Providing independent challenge and scrutiny to government departments and Arm’s Length Bodies undertaking reviews.
Additional areas of expertise and experience
· Disciplinary & Regulatory – advises and appears in proceedings in the policing, healthcare and other contexts, often simultaneously with an inquest or inquiry instruction.
Health & Safety - advice and representation in cases arising in parallel with inquest or inquiry instruction.
Business and human rights - a strong interest in human rights due diligence in the corporate context. Extensive work in relation to the operation of the supply chain provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Complex and sensitive disclosure - considerable experience of potential disclosure of sensitive material in the context of statutory public inquiries and major litigation,. Led team of 25 junior counsel in sensitive disclosure exercise, acting for the Government in the Guantanamo Bay litigation concerning allegations of UK collusion in rendition and torture.
Publications, lectures & training
Speaker and author on matters connected with his areas of practice:
Keynote speaker at Business and Human Rights conference on transparency in supply chain provisions of Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Inner Temple, London 2023)
Keynote speaker on ‘Justice and the law in the wake of a disaster’ at postgraduate annual lecture (Brighton Law School, 2023)
Articles on public inquiries including in The Times (here and here) (2020-23)
JUSTICE When Things Go Wrong Working Group member producing report considering public inquiries, inquests and other processes following a major incident (2020)
Quoted in The Practical Guide to Public Inquiries Bloomsbury Publishing (2020)
Appearances on television and radio in relation to public inquiries
Former contributor to Fraud: Law, Practice and Procedure and Paterson’s Licensing Acts (both LexisNexis)
Reviews
'A highly experiences inquiries practitioner who is great with strategy.' Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2024)
‘His incisiveness, combined with empathy, experience and sensitivity to court dynamics, make him an exceptional choice for any inquest or public inquiry. His style of advocacy is understated, lands perfectly, and has exactly the desired effect' Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2024)
'Nicholas is an experienced inquiry silk. He is an intelligent, calm and effective advocate.' Chambers UK Inquests & Inquiries (2023)
‘A seriously impressive practitioner – great judgement, calm, sensible and effective.’ Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2023)
'He is a really excellent advocate who is able to manage a lot of competing interests with subtlety." "He instils confidence in clients. He is friendly and pragmatic.' Chambers UK Inquests & Inquiries (2022)
'His strengths include very good judgement and analysis, and his written and oral submissions are clear, thoughtful and persuasive - a very strong team player.' Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2022)
'He is highly in demand for public inquiries and you can see why. He has a great command of what is needed, his written submissions are fantastic, really exemplary, and he has an incredible eye for detail.' Chambers UK Inquests and Public Inquiries (2021)
'A silk who has long since specialised in public inquiries work. He has great judgement, is extremely bright, and has an excellent and persuasive manner.' Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2021)
‘Highly intelligent, outstanding thorough and industrious, with sound judgment and impeccable integrity.’ Legal 500 Inquests and Inquiries (2020)
‘Regularly involved in significant public inquiries … His inquiries practice extends beyond England and includes significant instructions in Jersey and Northern Ireland … "He's thorough and able to grapple with complex issues quickly." "He gets to grips with instructions and understands public law on top of his criminal background."’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2020)
‘He's very approachable, thorough and knowledgeable. He's always able to tackle the most complex points in a case.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2019)
‘He is extremely experienced in public inquiries and provides excellent advice.’ ‘He is practical and conscientious beyond belief. Also, he delivers and is pretty much unflappable.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2018)
‘Great intelligence, integrity and commitment. He brings an astute, tactical approach to problems as well as a determination to solve them.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2017)
‘He is the best leader of a large team, is an incredibly persuasive advocate and has a great breadth of range in his expertise.’ Chambers UK Inquests & Public Inquiries (2016)
Recent Cases
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QEB takes its outreach work very seriously, as Nick Griffin KC discusses in the most recent edition of Counsel Magazine.Nick Griffin KC, explains in the December edition of Counsel Magazine how he came to volunteering though Bar in the Community (BIC), wh...
-
Nicholas Griffin KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman is announced as Counsel to the Lampard Inquiry. The Lampard Inquiry is Chaired by Baroness Kate Lampard CBE and is investigating matters surrounding the deaths
-
Representing the University of Cambridge at the inquests, which arise from the deaths in the terror attack at Fishmongers' Hall on 29 November 2019.Further information can be found here: https://fishmongershallinquests.independent.gov.uk
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Zoe and Nicholas are representing the CPS and the Home Office respectively.
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Representing a corporate core participant at this inquiry, announced following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in London.
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Nicholas Griffin QC is representing the Home Office at this ongoing inquiry.
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Nicholas Griffin QC conducted an independent review of decisions which were made by the authorities not to prosecute individuals alleged to have abused children in the care system in Jersey.The final report of the inquiry can be found here.Counsel was ins...
News
-
The Department of Health and Social Care has today, 10 April 2024, published the terms of reference for the independent statutory Inquiry into the deaths of mental health inpatients in Essex.The Inquiry - which is chaired by Baroness Lampard CBE - was set...
-
The article, The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the evolution of supply chain transparency in the UK (I.C.C.L.R. 2024, 35(1), 4-16), was written with Sian Lea, who is the Business and Human Rights Manager at Anti-Slavery International. It provides a review o...
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QEB takes its outreach work very seriously, as Nick Griffin KC discusses in the most recent edition of Counsel Magazine.Nick Griffin KC, explains in the December edition of Counsel Magazine how he came to volunteering though Bar in the Community (BIC), wh...
-
Nicholas Griffin KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman is announced as Counsel to the Lampard Inquiry. The Lampard Inquiry is Chaired by Baroness Kate Lampard CBE and is investigating matters surrounding the deaths
-
The seminar will consider business compliance with modern slavery statements under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and further relevant requirements under other legislation. Nick will be discussing the genesis and current status of the transpar...
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The Prime Minister has approved the re-appointment to the Security Vetting Appeals Panel (SVAP) of Mr Nicholas Griffin QC.He has been re-appointed as a Member for a second and final term of four years, with effect from 01 April 2021 until 31 March 2025.S...
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The Undercover Policing Inquiry was set up in 2015 to get to the truth about undercover policing across England and Wales since 1968 and provide recommendations for the future. Its hearings started on Monday, 2 November. The first few days will be taken u...
-
JUSTICE's major report 'When things go wrong: the response of the justice system' is published today, 24 August. It is an interesting read: looking at the response to major disasters and systemic failings - particularly with an eye to public inquiries ...
-
Nicholas will be speaking on a panel discussing inquests and inquiries alongside other practitioners in this field. The event programme is here, and includes this description of the session: “Inquests and inquiries serve as society&r...
-
Nicholas Griffin QC co-authors with Richard Spafford of Reed Smith LLP in an article for The Times.Together they consider that calls for a coronavirus inquiry will be hard to ignore; those who have suffered most deserve answers but the shaping and timing ...
-
The public inquiry into child sexual abuse published its Report into allegations of abuse linked to Westminster this month. It considers the institutional responses to allegations of abuse and exploitation involving persons of public prominence, such as M...
-
Nicholas Griffin QC will assist JUSTICE working group considering the conduct and procedure of inquests, inquiries and other proceedings that may arise in the wake of a disaster.JUSTICE has recently set up a Working Group to consider the issue of “W...
-
“Impact Statements for Business”, the corporate equivalent of “Victim Personal Statements” (impact statements made by victims of crime) have been around for a while. But they have now been reconsidered by Nicholas Griffin QC and Ky...
-
The Inquiry investigation into “Children Outside the UK” started on 11 February.
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Three members of Chambers involved with annual Inner Temple training session at Cumberland Lodge.
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The Supreme Court handed down judgment in Reyes v Al-Malki & Another (2017) UKSC 61, a decision on diplomatic immunity.
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The Inquiry was set up to establish what went wrong in Jersey's care system over many years.
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Nicholas spoke about public inquiries after the decision to hold a public inquiry into the disaster at Grenfell Tower.
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Nicholas Griffin QC explores the implications of the Modern Slavery Act on business one year after the Act’s reporting duty began to take effect.
-
Nicholas addressed current powers to spy on/access communications between lawyers and their clients.
Articles
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The article, The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the evolution of supply chain transparency in the UK (I.C.C.L.R. 2024, 35(1), 4-16), was written with Sian Lea, who is the Business and Human Rights Manager at Anti-Slavery International. It provides a review o...
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In this article for The Times, Nicholas Griffin KC and Rebecca Harris of <
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The PM's recent announcement that there will be an independent inquiry into the C-19 response has been welcomed but has also prompted difficult questions: what might the inquiry look like and involve? And what of those who want or are required to give evi...
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Calls for a public inquiry into the government and state reaction to Covid-19 are mounting. But is there actually a need for an inquiry and, if so, what form should it take and what should it investigate? QEB Hollis Whiteman's Nicholas Griffin QC
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Nicholas Griffin QC co-authors with Richard Spafford of Reed Smith LLP in an article for The Times.Together they consider that calls for a coronavirus inquiry will be hard to ignore; those who have suffered most deserve answers but the shaping and timing ...
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Nicholas Griffin QC considers the CJEU Watson decision on UK surveillance law.
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Nicholas and Tom respond to the Court of Justice of the EU's landmark ruling in the joined cases of Sverige AB v Post-och telestyrelsen, and SSHD v Tom Watson and Others.
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He notes that 'Increasingly now you get a group of lawyers who have become inquiries specialists'.
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Nick Griffin QC comments on the implications that the CJEU decision in the case of MP Tom Watson has for UK surveillance law.
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Peter Watkin Jones assess the Inquiries Act 2005 ten years on in the Law Society Gazette.
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Nicholas Griffin QC and Celia Pilkington consider the history of the anti-slavery movement in the Inner Temple Yearbook 2015-2016 on the topic of slavery.
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Nicholas Griffin QC, Robert O’Sullivan QC and Gordon Nardell QC consider legal professional privilege in the context of state surveillance - New Law Journal 27 February 2015
