Inquests & Public Inquiries
Katie is ranked as a leading junior by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners in this area. She has significant experience of public inquiries and inquests.
She is lead junior for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the ongoing Grenfell Tower Inquiry (led by James Maxwell-Scott KC).
During the Inquiry, she has been closely involved in advising on strategy and approach, including advising on the impact of the Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy (also known as the Hillsborough Charter) and how that affects a Core Participant in such proceedings. Katie has advised on matters relating to Building Control and to the fire safety management of high-rise residential buildings, including the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in circumstances where a building is managed for the freeholder by a management organisation. She was closely involved in drafting written and oral opening and closing submissions, submissions relating to post-incident changes at RBKC and questions for witnesses. She also devised and managed significant parts of the disclosure and review strategy, including in respect of LPP documents.
She is instructed in the COVID-19 Inquiry by a corporate client.
In respect of inquests, so is instructed for Reading Borough Council in the inquest arising out of the Forbury Gardens Terror Attack in June 2020 (led by Simon Antrobus KC). The issues for the local authority relate to the provision of adult social care, the interaction with secondary mental health services and the discharge of their PREVENT duty.
Katie’s has also represented organisations across a variety of sectors and her recent experience includes:
- Represented a Russell Group University in respect of a student suicide case. At the conclusion of the inquest, the coroner expressly stated that she had no criticisms to make of the university, who had several arms trying to support the student.
- Represented the CDM Client, AM Ltd, in a 5-day jury inquest relating to the death of a scaffolder who fell from height through a fragile roof.
- Represented a local authority in respect of the death of an elderly resident who was being provided with social care by the local authority’s adult social care team.
- Instructed for KCH Ltd in an inquest involving the death of a resident of their care home after an unobserved fall (CQC prosecution outstanding).
- Represented S Ltd in a 3-day jury inquest where their employee had died when he fell from a tail lift during a loading operation and suffered crush injuries (EHO prosecution outstanding).
- Represented EM Ltd in relation to a jury inquest arising out of the death of one of their workers as a result of a fall from height.
- Represented HG Ltd, a Registered Social Provider in a 5-day inquest arising out of the death of one of their residents where the conclusion of “unlawful killing” was considered in respect of one of HG Ltd’s former employee.
During the course of these inquests, Katie has gained experience advising on and making submissions in relation to whether an inquest should be an Article 2 inquest; neglect; disclosure obligations; expert evidence and witnesses; and using the inquest as a mechanism to bring out the policies and procedures in place in workplace cases.
Selected Cases
View full profile »News
- The Forbury Gardens Terror Attack Inquest
- James Maxwell-Scott KC and Katie Sage recently represented Serco Ltd in a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive
Articles
- The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 – The Road To Life Imprisonment? By Katie Sage and Jack Murphy
- Innocent until probably guilty
Events
Qualifications
- BPTC, Outstanding
- BCL
- BA (Hons) Oxon, First Class
- Hardwicke Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
- Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
- Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn
- Sir Roger Bannister Scholarship, Pembroke College
- Pembroke College Exhibition
Memberships
- HSLA
- South Eastern Circuit
Recommendations
“Katie is never phased by complex and large-scale issues that require a detailed analysis.”…”She does a lot of our cases because she’s very reliable and very diligent.”
Chambers & Partners 2024 (Health & Safety, Leading Junior)
“She is excellent in conference, very well prepared and thorough, and gives very reasoned and sensible advice, which is carefully explained to clients. She’s happy to support her instructing solicitor throughout the case and is excellent in court.”… “Her written work is fantastic; she’s good with clients, assertive and very self-assured.” … “Katie is a really clear communicator, who has an excellent grasp on the law but is really commercial with it.”
Chambers & Partners, 2024 (Inquests & Inquiries, Leading Junior)
“Katie is very thorough. Excellent in conference with clients and experts, she is an outstanding advocate.”
Legal 500, 2024 (Inquests & Inquiries, Leading Junior)
“Katie is very attentive and good with clients.” …”She is very thorough.”
Chambers & Partners, 2023 (Health & Safety, Up and Coming Junior)
“Katie is exceptional. She is really quick and intelligent, and has incredible analytical skills.”
Chambers & Partners, 2023 (Inquests & Inquiries, Up and Coming Junior)
“A real star in the making. Ferociously bright and hardworking, and with incredible powers of recall combined with an intuition for wider case strategy. Clients love her for taking the time to understand the finer detail of a case, and quickly making herself indispensable to the team. There is no doubt she will be a highly sought after barrister in the years to come.”
Legal 500, 2023 (Inquests & Inquiries, Leading Juniors)
“A rising star who has really strengthened the junior end of her set.”
Legal 500 2021 and 2022 (Consumer Law, Rising Star)
