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Partner Sinéad Lester and legal director Natasha Davis were awarded Freedom of the City of London in a ceremony at the London Guildhall yesterday (21 November 2024).

This historic honour was given in recognition of their work in the Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests which were heard in 2021 where Sinéad acted as solicitor to the Inquests and Natasha was deputy solicitor to the Inquests.

The Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests investigated the terror attack which took place at Fishmongers’ Hall in 2019, resulting in the deaths of Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt. The Inquests took place before juries at the London Guildhall in April 2021 and were presided over by the then chief coroner, His Honour Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the recorder of London.

As solicitors to the Inquests, Sinéad and Natasha, working alongside the counsel team of Jonathan Hough KC, Aaron Moss, and Jennifer Wright, were responsible for advising the coroner, obtaining evidence, corresponding with Interested Persons and preparing for the hearings.

On receiving their Freedom of the City, Sinéad and Natasha said:

“This is a terrific honour which we are enormously proud to receive. To be part of a ceremony that is over 800 years old is very special and we are grateful to the City of London for its invitation. The Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests were held immediately after the Covid lockdowns, making it very difficult for all of those involved, especially those affected by the tragedy, and we wanted to ensure these important proceedings went ahead on time and in a venue which provided the appropriate gravitas to the serious matters being considered. The City of London were incredibly accommodating in permitting the final hearings to take place at London Guildhall. We therefore worked hard to turn the Old Library into a temporary court befitting the occasion.”

Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies in existence in the UK, dating back to 1237. Historically, Freedom was a right given to Guild or Livery members enabling them to trade in the Square Mile, but since the early 1800s it has been extended to those living, working or with a strong connection to London.

Broadfield brings considerable experience and expertise in inquests and public inquiries, having recently worked on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the London Bridge and Borough Market Inquests, Westminster Bridge Inquests as well as the Tunisia Inquests and Hillsborough inquests.