- Ranked Tier 2 for Inquests and Inquiries and Ranked in Administrative law and human rights in Legal 500 (2025)
- Ranked Band 1 for Civil Liberties & Human Rights and Administrative & Public Law and Ranked Band 3 for Inquests & Public Inquiries – Chambers and Partners (2024) – 3 years ranked
‘Matthew is approachable yet provides robust advice. His work is meticulous, and attention to detail is always guaranteed. Overall he is a fierce advocate on behalf of his clients.’ and ‘An empathetic and passionate barrister with good judgement. Judges respect him.’ – The Legal 500 (2025)
‘He thinks outside the box and is not afraid to push the boundaries of the law. His written work and advocacy are both excellent.’ – Chambers & Partners (2024)
‘Matthew is innovative; he makes hard points and does well with them.’ – Chambers & Partners (2024)
‘He is experienced, measured, constructive and a clever advocate.’ – Chambers & Partners (2024)
‘Matthew is collaborative, collegiate and very easy to get along with, but has the ability to always make the best points for his clients in a straightforward manner, often with devastating effect. He is calm and self-assured in court and nothing ever fazes him. He has the trust of all of the Coroners who know him and if he makes a point everyone sits up to listen.’ – The Legal 500 (2024)
Matt has a mixed practice split across inquests, civil claims and judicial review claims. He has appeared in courts at all levels including the Supreme Court and recently appeared before the Grand Chamber in Strasbourg in Nealon v United Kingdom.
Matt has substantial experience of appearing at inquests, often in the context of deaths in custody and detention, where he draws upon a vast experience of prison and mental health law and practice. He has particular expertise in inquests following on from unlawful killings, including “justice after acquittal cases”, and those where there are allegations of failures by state agencies. He appears for a range of interested persons from families, police forces, local authorities and care homes. He has also appeared as counsel to the inquest. Matt sits as an Assistant Coroner in South Yorkshire East (Doncaster).
In terms of civil work Matt has experience in a range of areas and in particular claims against public authorities, TOLATA claims and clinical negligence. He is a appointed as a Recorder (Civil).
Matt has vast experience of judicial review claims over almost 20 years, representing claimants, defendants and interested parties across a full spectrum of claims including prison cases, age assessments, claims involving regulators and ombudsmen, and challenges to inquests.
Notable recent cases include:
- Victor Nealon v United Kingdom – appearing in the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in a challenge to the state compensation scheme for victims of miscarriages of justice (hearing 5 July 2023).
- Sobhia Khan inquest – appearing as junior counsel to the inquest in the inquest touching upon the death of Sobhia Khan who was murdered in Derby in May 2017 (inquest ongoing).
- Doreen Morris inquest – acted on behalf of Mrs Morris’ daughter in an inquest into her murder in 1994 in respect of which no person has been convicted. Following the resumption of the inquest the Coroner returned an unlawful killing conclusion (April 2023).
- R (Makki) v Senior Coroner for Manchester South [2023] EWHC 80 (Admin) – Matt acts on behalf the family of Yousef Makki including in this successful challenge to a decision by HM Senior Coroner in the original inquest into Yousef’s death. Matt is also instructed in the inquest.
Matt is instructed to act in cases across the public law spectrum, but in particular those with a human rights or civil liberties aspect. He has been involved in a number of recent and high-profile cases, including:
- R (Nealon & Hallam) v Secretary of State for Justice [2019] UKSC 2– a challenge to the miscarriage of justice compensation scheme, to be heard by the European Court on Human Rights on 5 July 2023.
- R (Wakenshaw) v Secretary of State for Justice [2018] EWHC 2089 (Admin) – challenge to the independence of the Parole Board after its Chairman Nick Hardwick was forced to resign.
- R (DSD) v Parole Board [2018] EWHC 694 (Admin) – the John Worboys case.
- R (Gibson) v Secretary of State for Justice [2018] 1 WLR 629 – a successful Supreme Court challenge to the way in which repayments against confiscation orders are deducted from a default sentence;
- R (Hassett) v Secretary of State for Justice [2017] 1 WLR 4750 – a leading case on category A prisoner reviews;
- R (NE) v Birmingham Magistrates’ Court [2015] 1 WLR 4771 –a successful challenge to a review of the sex offender notification requirements.
Contact Matt’s clerks
Madeleine Gray on 0113 202 8603
Matt is a class barrister. Judges often compliment his style and expertise at the conclusion of the hearings, whether we win or lose. He is personable and has the ability to relate to a wide variety of people. ’ Legal 500
Matt acts in a range of personal injury claims, often but not exclusively involving public authorities. He acts in claims for negligence and assaults involving the police and prisons. He is instructed in human rights claims against local authorities arising from child sexual exploitation. He is commonly instructed to advise and appear in cases arising from his inquest practice and has significant experience of fatal accidents claims. Matt also acts in clinical negligence claims arising from his inquest practice and generally.
Matt acted for Victor Nealon in his claim against the police resulting from his notorious miscarriage of justice.
Matt is ranked as a band one leading junior in the UK Legal 500and Chambers and Partners. His day-to-day practice is split between inquests and civil claims, usually involving actions against public authorities. He in a recognised leading junior in administrative and public law, and has particular expertise in civil liberties cases, and those with a criminal law angle. He has acted as leading junior in the criminal and civil divisions of the Court of Appeal, and has appeared in cases before the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights.
Contact Matt’s clerks
Senior Clerk – Andy Reeves on 0113 213 5252
Talia Webster on 0113 202 8609
“He’s a brilliant advocate.” “He’s tenacious, a pleasure to work with and always committed to achieving the best results.” Chambers and Partners 2022
Having started out as a criminal practitioner, Matt continues to accept instructions in some criminal cases. He has a specialist criminal appeals practice and
has been involved in a number of leading cases, including R v Hunter [2015] 2 Cr App R 9, the leading case on good character directions and R v Edwards [2018] 4 WLR, the leading case on the making of hybrids orders under the Mental Health Act. Matt has particular and substantial experience of appeals with a mental health angle, most recently in R v Crerand [2022] EWCA Crim 962, in which a life sentence was substituted with a hospital order.
Matt has acted in a number of Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referrals and judicial review challenges to CCRC decisions. He is instructed on behalf of miscarriage of justice victim Victor Nealon in his challenge to the miscarriage of justice compensation scheme, which is the currently before the European Court on Human Rights.
Matt also appears in cases with a civil or public law angle, bringing his experience in those areas to matters such as stalking protection orders, gang injunctions, and applications to be removed from the sex offender notification requirements (the register). He acted for the claimant in a successful challenge to a refusal to remove him from the notification requirements: R (NE) v Birmingham Magistrates’ Court [2015] 1 WLR 4771.
Matt has particular and specialist experience in cases involving a criminal and public law crossover. He appeared in R (Gibson) v Secretary of State for Justice [2018] 1 WLR 629 – a successful Supreme Court challenge to the way in which repayments against confiscation orders are deducted from a default sentence.
Matt is ranked as a band one leading junior in the UK Legal 500and Chambers and Partners. His day-to-day practice is split between inquests and civil claims, usually involving actions against public authorities. He in a recognised leading junior in administrative and public law, and has particular expertise in civil liberties cases, and those with a criminal law angle. He has acted as leading junior in the criminal and civil divisions of the Court of Appeal, and has appeared in cases before the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights.
Contact Matt’s clerks
Andrew Thornton on 0113 213 5202
