Nikita McNeill

Public Law

Nikita advises and represents across the range of public law matters, with a focus on cases involving defence and national security, as well as representing Coroners in judicial review proceedings and applications to quash inquests.

Selected Cases

• H & Ors v Ministry of Defence: Nikita is instructed to represent the Ministry of Defence in relation to group litigation against the MOD for personal injury caused by exposure to asbestos.
• Cherfan v Senior Coroner for West London: Nikita was instructed on behalf of the Coroner to represent her in an application to the High Court to reopen an inquest following an inadvertent failure to inform the family about the listing of that inquest.
• Independent Review into the SFO’s handling of the Unaoil Case: Nikita was instructed by the AG’s Office to be a member of, and legal advisor to, the panel led by Sir David Calvert-Smith KC to review the SFO’s handling of a large corruption case in which convictions were quashed following allegations of misconduct by the SFO and its former director.
• R (Morahan) v HM Assistant Coroner for West London: Nikita successfully represented HMAC for West London in a permission hearing before the High Court in relation to the, now leading, case considering the application of Article 2 for cases involving the treatment of mental health in the community.
• Rushbrooke v HM Coroner for West London: Nikita acted on behalf of the Coroner in an application to the Divisional Court to quash the inquest into the death of Sylvia Rushbrooke who was, at the time of her death, subject to a DOLS order and resident in a care home. The application was based upon procedural irregularities in the first inquest as well as insufficiency of inquiry.
• R.e. Peter John Fasoli: Nikita acted on behalf of the Senior Coroner for West London in an application to the Divisional Court to quash the inquest into the death of Peter Fasoli. Mr Fasoli’s death was originally found to be accidental, following a fire at his home. Video footage subsequently discovered showed that Mr Fasoli was murdered before the fire was intentionally set.
• Cummings v HM Coroner for West London: Nikita acted for the Senior Coroner for West London in an application to quash the inquest into the death of an elderly lady who died when her home caught on fire, following receipt of a new investigation by the London Fire Brigade into the possible causes of that fire.