Inquests & Public Inquiries
Catherine undertakes a wide range of Inquest work, including Inquests involving mental health issues where Article 2 is engaged and where the deceased has been subject to supervision by Social Services and/or Health Trusts and has committed suicide or died due to medication overdoses or in other untoward circumstances.
Catherine’s Inquest work is often linked to her occupational disease and personal injury practice given her experience in industrial accidents, asbestos exposure, hazardous substances exposure, and fatal accident claims. She is able to provide an integrated service covering the overlapping elements of the coronial and common law jurisdictions.
These cases have involved fatalities arising from carbon monoxide poisoning, food poisoning, suicide (in clinical settings and due to alleged occupational stress), aviation disasters, industrial accidents, road traffic accidents, drag car racing, construction fatalities and all forms of Inquest arising from an employment or public context.
Selected Cases
- Instructed on a number of occasions by the families of psychiatric patients who took their own life whilst either inpatients or on home leave from psychiatric units
- Instructed by a Local Authority in a case where the deceased committed suicide whilst under the watch of Social Services due to his failing mental health
- Instructed on a number of occasions by care providers where elderly and/or otherwise vulnerable patients and residents have died whilst in care due to falls and/or other accident related causes
- Instructed by a Local Authority in a case where the deceased died as the result of electrocution caused by a failure to maintain air conditioning in circumstances where the Council had been on notice of the risk but failed to act
- Instructed by a Local Authority in a cohort of case where the deceased had died as the result of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a failure to maintain heating systems
- Instructed on a number of occasions by Statutory Authorities where the maintenance and repair of road systems has been implicated in fatal road traffic accidents
- Instructed by the family of a spectator who was killed when a racing car left the track at an organized race event
- Instructed by a Local Authority where the deceased had fallen asleep overnight on a tram track and was decapitated when the first tram set out on its morning journey
- Instructed by a Local Authority in a case where the deceased had been dragged into the sea by a wave and drowned due to a lack of rescue equipment
- Instructed by an Insurer where the deceased had been killed in a light aircraft collision
- Instructed on a number of occasions where the deceased have committed suicide due to alleged occupational stress
- Instructed on numerous occasions by Insurers where the deceased have died on construction sites
- Instructed on numerous occasions by Insurers where the deceased have died in road traffic accidents
- Instructed by an Insurer where the deceased, a child with a nut allergy, died whilst at school due of anaphylactic shock
Awards
News
- Crown Office Chambers CoA success, concerning the correct legal test for the establishing of a duty of care in circumstances where the deceased parties had been exposed to asbestos up to 1960.
- Success at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023
Articles
- Crown Office Chambers CoA success, concerning the correct legal test for the establishing of a duty of care in circumstances where the deceased parties had been exposed to asbestos up to 1960.
- Supreme Court hands down its judgment in BXB, concerning the issue of vicarious liability
Qualifications
- LLB, Nottingham University (1985)
Memberships
- Personal Injury Bar Association
- Professional Negligence Bar Association
Recommendations
“Catherine Foster is an extremely thorough operator, a terrifically tenacious advocate who is extremely hard-working and a pleasure to deal with.”… “She’s extremely good at dealing with live evidence whether that’s expert or lay witnesses. She’s a very effective cross-examiner.”
Chambers & Partners, 2024
“Catherine’s advocacy is outstanding. She has an ability to secure results that surpass all reasonable expectation.”
Legal 500, 2024
“Catherine is a formidable, tenacious advocate. She impresses clients and delivers commercially successful results without fail.” “She has excellent attention to detail and appreciates the commercial reality of dealing with claims.”
Chambers & Partners, 2023
‘Catherine is an outstanding advocate with a superior ability to analyse the key issues; the results from hearings that Catherine deals with often exceed expectations.’
Legal 500, 2023
“Her advocacy is robust, clinical and to the point. She is sensitive to the specific goals and ethos of the client as well as having a solid understanding of legal and commercial risk.”
Chambers & Partners, 2023
“Absolutely superb in her field. She is a sophisticated, tough and clever negotiator with excellent client care skills. She is also a collaborative and thoughtful team player.”
Chambers & Partners, 2022
“An incredible advocate with an innate ability to construct a logical and persuasive legal argument.”
Legal 500, 2022
“Someone you want fighting your corner. Faultless expertise, practical, analytical style and great responsiveness and ability to adapt to client needs.”
Legal 500, 2021
“A formidable tactician and a real team player who really knows her stuff.” “She is excellent in cross-examinations.”
Chambers & Partners, 2021
“A tenacious and very clever advocate; she knows when to take points and when to leave them.”; “One of the best trial advocates in the market. She won’t let go of a witness once she has hold of them and has a very strong grasp of the evidence.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
“She has a wealth of experience and very good attention to detail.”
Chambers & Partners, 2019
“An erudite advocate who cross-examines with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Very good on cases where there are credibility issues.”
Chambers & Partners, 2018
