Capsticks’ health and justice team has expanded with the arrival of four new specialist lawyers who have joined from DWF:

• Naomi McMaster, partner
• Emma Shubrook, principal associate
• Lucy Williams, principal associate
• Adam Hartridge, associate

Capsticks was the first firm to set up a specialist health and social care national inquest team, now providing advice and advocacy in more than 600 inquests per year. The team supports clients on inquests, public inquiries and judicial reviews in the health and justice setting including acting for police, prison, probation and healthcare organisations.

Ian Cooper, Partner and Head of Advisory at Capsticks, said:

“The health and justice sector needs specialist support, facing highly sensitive issues while protecting our communities. Naomi, Emma, Lucy and Adam are fantastic additions to our practice group. This brings us closer to our vision of becoming go-to advisors for our clients, supporting them at every step in complex proceedings and helping them improve their processes for all stakeholders longer-term.”

About the team

Naomi, who will be leading the health and justice team, has over 15 years' experience of representing clients on Article 2 inquests and related civil claims, public inquiries and judicial reviews. Naomi’s work is typically complex and requires careful management of reputational risk. She has experience of defending claims involving multiple claimants and group litigation orders.

Emma handles high-risk inquests for police, prison, probation and healthcare organisations, managing their progress and providing effective outcomes for clients. She also has experience of the associated civil and breach of Human Rights Act claims and complex casualty claims brought against health and justice providers and police forces. In addition, Emma has experience of working on public inquiries.

Lucy has acted in inquests arising out of deaths in prisons, police custody, care homes and probation settings. Managing all stages of the inquest process, Lucy is adept at handling cases where the deceased had a significant history of mental health issues, self-harm, suicide attempts, bullying or coercion. She has years of civil litigation experience including advising on complex liability and causation issues and managing claims arising out of the inquest.

Adam manages inquests in prison and healthcare settings, including representing clients at pre inquest reviews. Adam is also an experienced civil litigator, managing claims across the prison and police contexts. His cases typically vary from allegations of false imprisonment, assault, trespass, negligence and data protection breaches to human rights act and discrimination claims. Adam has also supported on public inquiries and worked on cases which have been subject to national media coverage.

Capsticks aims to be the firm of choice for organisations who work to make a difference. Our purpose is to be the legal advisers that clients want by their side, providing innovative and practical solutions tailored to our sectors’ unique challenges. Our lawyers work together as one team with similar values: putting people first, doing the right thing and always forward thinking.