Janine Wolstenholme

Ranked Band 1 for Inquests & Public Inquiries – Chambers and Partners (2026) – 6 years ranked

Ranked in Tier 1 for Inquests and Inquiries in – The Legal 500 (2026)

“Janine’s advice is excellent and her level of disclosure given is complemented by coroners. Janine is excellent with witnesses and handles cases with sensitivity and compassion”

– Legal 500 (2026)

“She is an excellent advocate. She works collaboratively to achieve excellent results but is not afraid to be robust when needed. Janine has a high degree of knowledge and expertise.”

–  Chambers & Partners 2026

Janine Wolstenholme is a highly sought after barrister.  She is in particular demand for high profile, complex, and sensitive cases.  Many have linked matters including civil claims, judicial reviews, and regulatory and disciplinary proceedings, with clients benefitting from the continuity of representation she provides across the various jurisdictions.

She is extremely experienced in the coroners’ courts, appearing country-wide, representing the interests the state, large corporations, small businesses, professionals, individuals, and bereaved families, as well Counsel to the Inquest.

Janine’s experience ranges from short, natural causes deaths to lengthy cases involving several interested parties, with the majority of her instructions invoking Article 2 and requiring a jury. Regulation 28/PFD issues routinely feature.

She has a particular interest in cases involving children and protected parties, including obstetrics and fetal medicine, but has significant experience in the full range of cases, including: care and nursing homes, custody/detention, educational settings/contagion, DOLS, domestic homicide, medical treatment (or lack of), mental health, neglect, road traffic collisions, substance and alcohol misuse, workplace deaths.

Janine also provides training, and has delivered sessions to clinical staff at NHS hospital trusts.

Janine has a nationwide practice and is happy to travel to accommodate her clients’ needs, as well as deliver training and seminars to clients at their premises.

Public Access

Janine may accept Public Access work, where she can be instructed directly by a member of the public rather than a solicitor.

Ranked Band 1 for Inquests & Public Inquiries – Chambers and Partners (2025) – 5 years ranked

Ranked in Tier 1 for Inquests and Inquiries in – The Legal 500 (2026)

“Janine Wolstenholme is a really safe pair of hands. She’s extremely good on the law and very impressive at getting up to speed.”

–  Chambers & Partners 2025

Janine has significant experience in this area having acted for a range of central government departments, local authorities, the NHS and its commissioners, and other public bodies, or those carrying out public functions, for many years.

She accepts instructions in relation to a range of Public and Regulatory matters including duties, powers, judicial review, quashing of inquisitions in the coroners’ courts, misconduct, and misfeasance in public office, and as well as appearing in the County and High Courts, appears before a number of specialist tribunals, including the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber, SENDIST, and School Admissions Appeals Panels.

Janine has a nationwide practice and is happy to travel to accommodate her clients’ needs, as well as deliver training and seminars to clients at their premises.

Public Access

Janine may accept Public Access work, where she can be instructed directly by a member of the public rather than a solicitor.

Janine Wolstenholme is an experienced advocate.  She undertakes advisory, drafting and advocacy work, across all aspects of casualty litigation.  Clients enjoy a high level of service and particularly appreciate her forensic, holistic and tactical approach.

Janine Wolstenholme has many years’ experience in casualty work acting for Claimants and Defendants.  Her practice includes injury, both bodily and psychiatric, and consequential loss arising out of clinical negligence, personal injury, employers’ liability, disease, occupiers’ liability, highways, product liability, accidents abroad, and motor claims (including MIB).  She has a genuine and long-standing interest in claims involving secondary victims and nervous shock having completed her undergraduate dissertation in this field.

She has experience of low value claims through to large loss actions following surgery (emergency, orthopaedic/routine and cosmetic), inadequate post-surgery care and treatment, delayed and failed diagnosis, neglect, as well as claims involving compulsory detention and mental health.  Janine has a particular interest in incidents resulting in loss of life, particularly those concerning children, protected and vulnerable parties.

She undertakes work at all stages from initial advice through to JSMs and trial, including inquests (coroner and jury), and fully contested multi-track trials and appeals lasting several days in the High Court.

A significant proportion of Janine’s current practice includes acting for NHSLAs, insurers, local government and, since her appointment as Junior Counsel to the Crown, Regional Civil Panel, in 2010, she is regularly instructed by the Crown and various State departments, both ministerial and non-ministerial.

Janine accordingly has an acute understanding of the wider, potentially lasting, implications that may arise in any given case, whether it relates to policy or because of political and media interest and scrutiny and approaches every case with such matters in mind.

Janine has a significant coronial practice and is accordingly able to offer continuity of service from a very early stage in proceedings and across jurisdictions.

Janine has a nationwide practice and is happy to travel to accommodate her clients’ needs, as well as deliver training and seminars to clients at their premises.

Public Access

Janine may accept Public Access work, where she can be instructed directly by a member of the public rather than a solicitor.