Peter is a Consultant on our Inquiries and Investigations team.
He has been a partner at Eversheds Sutherland for over 30 years, with a background as a commercial litigator in the public sector. Peter was formerly head of the Inquiries and Investigations team, and has led multiple teams of lawyers acting for governmental inquiries.
Peter has led teams in some of the most high-profile public inquiries in the UK. His involvement began when he represented ITV and the BBC in the North Wales Child Abuse Inquiry. In 1997, he was then appointed by Lord Saville of Newdigate to lead a team of 50 lawyers undertaking the evidence gathering work in relation to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. Peter personally interviewed a former Prime Minister, Government Ministers and Paramilitary Leaders. He then led a team acting as Solicitors to the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry chaired by former High Court Judge Sir Michael Moreland. This four-year long inquiry focused on allegations of alleged state collusion in the murder of a Northern Ireland human rights lawyer.
His team also acted for the Metropolitan Police Authority (now MOPAC) in the Leveson Inquiry. This work analyzed the regulation of the Metropolitan Police’s activities by MOPAC.
Peter and his team were appointed to act as Solicitor Agents for the Shipman Inquiry. A team of 24 lawyers and support staff conducted the role of evidence gathering and analysis from a mobile office established in a warehouse in Hyde.
In 2010, Peter was appointed as Solicitor to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, leading a 30-strong Eversheds Sutherland team gathering and analyzing all the evidence for the most important public inquiry on healthcare in a generation. He was responsible for interviewing senior members of the Department of Health, those responsible for regulating standards, and senior politicians responsible for government policy, including the former Secretary of State for Health. He was one of the senior editorial team assisting the chairman in the completion of the report
He also formerly led the team of solicitors in the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry. Peter also has extensive experience in representing core participants to include clients in the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, two core participants in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, a core participant in the Magnox Inquiry, two core participants in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and a core participant in the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Peter has sat as Chair of Fitness to Practise Committees for the NMC, CIPFA and The General Pharmaceutical Council, and has been appointed to The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. He sits as Chair of the Police Professional Standards Department. Peter holds higher level security clearance (Develop vetted clearance) and has also co-authored the book The Practical Guide to Public Inquiries published by Hart in December 2020.
Peter is a regular speaker at public conferences on issue relating to investigative work.