Law

Emma Price: How She Became a Powerful Voice in Inquests, Public Law and Human Rights

Inside the Distinguished Legal Career of the 5 Essex Chambers Barrister

Emma Price is a British barrister at 5 Essex Chambers whose practice covers some of the most demanding areas of civil and public law. She is particularly recognized for her work in inquests, public inquiries, judicial review, human rights, civil liberties, information law and personal injury claims. Since being called to the Bar in 2007, she has developed a career involving complex evidence, sensitive deaths, public-sector decision-making, and questions about the state’s responsibilities.

Her professional record includes work on major national investigations, such as the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, and the Infected Blood Inquiry. She has also appeared in significant inquests involving deaths in custody, mental healthcare, domestic abuse, military institutions and other circumstances where the conduct of public authorities has come under close scrutiny.

Alongside her work as an advocate, Price serves part-time as an Assistant Coroner for the City of London and is a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel. Her reputation has also been recognized by leading legal directories, while her contributions to the profession include advocacy training, legal writing, and discussions about parenthood at the Bar.

Table of Contents

Quick Bio

Detail	Information
Full Name	Emma Price
Profession	Barrister and part-time Assistant Coroner
Current Chambers	5 Essex Chambers, London
Called to the Bar	2007
Inn of Court	Gray’s Inn
Education	BA in Politics, University of Exeter; Graduate Entry LLB, City University
Main Practice Areas	Public law, human rights, civil liberties, inquests, public inquiries, information law and personal injury
Major Inquiry Work	Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Infected Blood Inquiry and Baha Mousa Public Inquiry
Judicial Role	Assistant Coroner for the City of London
Professional Panel	Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel
Notable Recognition	The Legal 500 UK Bar Awards Junior of the Year 2024
Published Work	Co-author of Baby at the Bar
Known For	Handling complex cases involving public authorities, state accountability and human rights

Who Is Emma Price?

Emma Price is a London-based barrister whose practice is centered on civil and public law. She is a member of 5 Essex Chambers, a specialist set known for public and administrative law, inquests, public inquiries, police law, investigations, information law and human rights.

Although her cases sometimes involve nationally reported events, Price is not a conventional public personality. Most reliable information about her comes from professional records, chambers announcements, legal publications and official descriptions of her work. Details such as her date of birth, age and wider private life have not been made central to her public profile, and responsible coverage should avoid speculation.

What distinguishes her career is the range of clients and institutions involved in her work. She has acted in matters concerning government departments, police forces, prisons, NHS trusts, healthcare organizations, local authorities, families and private-sector clients. This requires an ability to understand large quantities of technical material while remaining sensitive to the human consequences of each case.

Emma Price’s Education and Legal Training

A First-Class Foundation in Politics and Law

Price studied at the University of Exeter between 2001 and 2004, graduating with first-class honors in Politics. That academic background is relevant to her later practice because public law often involves relationships among individuals, public institutions, and government decision-making.

She subsequently completed a Graduate Entry LLB at City University from 2004 to 2006, again achieving first-class honors. Her move from politics to law gave her theoretical insight into public institutions and the legal training to assess whether they acted lawfully.

In 2006, she completed the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law. She also received the Bedingfield Scholarship from Gray’s Inn, supporting her professional development as she prepared to enter practice.

Called to the Bar in 2007

Emma Price was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 2007. That same year, she received the Arden Award from Gray’s Inn. Her call marked the formal beginning of a legal career increasingly focused on public authorities, state accountability and the investigation of serious incidents.

She joined what was then known as 5 Essex Court in September 2019. The set later became known as 5 Essex Chambers, and her move placed her within a team with an established reputation in public inquiries, inquests, police law, government litigation and related public-sector work.

Building a Specialist Public Law Practice

Public law regulates how public bodies exercise their powers. It provides mechanisms through which decisions made by government departments, prisons, police forces, local authorities, healthcare bodies and other public institutions can be challenged.

Price’s public and administrative law work includes judicial review claims relating to prisons, policing, inquests, healthcare, social care, education, asylum and immigration. Judicial review does not normally ask a court to substitute its preferred decision for that of a public authority. Instead, it examines whether the authority acted within its legal powers, followed a fair process, and reached its decision in accordance with lawful principles.

This area of work can be technically difficult because public authorities must often balance competing rights, safety concerns, operational pressures and statutory duties. Price’s practice therefore requires more than courtroom advocacy. It involves identifying the legal issue within a complex factual history and presenting it in a clear, structured way.

Her progression through the Attorney General’s Panels of Counsel reflects this expertise. She was appointed to the C Panel in 2014, moved to the B Panel in 2018 and joined the A Panel in 2024. Members of these panels are instructed to represent government departments in civil and European law matters, with the A Panel comprising experienced junior counsel selected for the most complex work.

Emma Price’s Expertise in Inquests

Examining Deaths Involving Public Authorities

Inquests form one of the most prominent parts of Emma Price’s practice. A coroner’s inquest is a fact-finding investigation intended to establish who died and how, when and where the death occurred. In certain cases, particularly those involving state detention or possible institutional failings, the investigation may need to examine the surrounding circumstances in far greater detail.

Price has worked on inquests concerning deaths in prison, police custody, mental health detention, military service and domestic abuse cases. She has also handled matters in which the adequacy of healthcare, social care or state protection was questioned.

These proceedings can involve large volumes of medical records, policy documents, witness statements, expert reports and institutional evidence. They may also be deeply distressing for bereaved families. Effective advocacy in this area, therefore, requires forensic preparation, careful questioning, and an understanding that the legal process is examining a real human loss rather than an abstract dispute.

Significant Inquest Work

Among the matters associated with Price’s professional record are the fresh inquests into the deaths of Cheryl James and Sean Benton at Deepcut Barracks. Both deaths occurred in 1995, but later inquests revisited the circumstances in which the young soldiers died and examined allegations involving welfare arrangements, bullying, abuse and military culture.

She was also instructed in the resumed inquests into the deaths of Raneem Oudeh and Khaola Saleem, who were murdered in 2018 following a campaign of domestic abuse against Oudeh. The proceedings examined the response of public authorities before the killings.

In January 2025, Price was involved in the inquests concerning the deaths caused by the 2018 helicopter crash at Leicester City Football Club’s King Power Stadium. The crash killed club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four other people. Her involvement in such a technically detailed proceeding illustrates the range of evidence an experienced inquest barrister may be required to master.

Other publicly listed cases have concerned deaths following prison self-harm, mental health treatment, release from custody and alleged failures to recognize or respond to serious risks.

Major Public Inquiry Work

Post Office Horizon and UK Covid-19 Inquiries

Public inquiries are established to investigate events that have generated serious public concern. They often examine institutional conduct over many years, requiring legal teams to analyze extensive documentary records and hear evidence from large numbers of witnesses.

Price has served as counsel to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, which examined the failings surrounding the Horizon accounting system and the wrongful treatment of sub-postmasters. The inquiry has become one of the most consequential examinations of institutional injustice in modern Britain.

She has also worked as counsel to Module 3 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which examined the pandemic’s impact on healthcare systems across the United Kingdom. Work of this kind demands an understanding of healthcare policy, emergency decision-making, institutional preparation and the experiences of patients and staff.

Infected Blood, Grenfell and Baha Mousa

Price was instructed on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care during the Infected Blood Inquiry. That inquiry investigated how thousands of people receiving NHS treatment were infected through contaminated blood and blood products, as well as the response of public bodies over subsequent decades.

In 2022, she acted for a significant witness who provided evidence to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry regarding the aftermath of the fire and the wider emergency response across London.

Earlier in her career, between 2008 and 2011, she worked on the inquiry team for the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry. That investigation examined the death of Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa while detained by British soldiers and the mistreatment of other detainees. The inquiry considered issues including interrogation policy, hooding, stress positions and the treatment of people in military custody.

These instructions demonstrate that Price’s inquiry experience has developed across different institutional settings, from healthcare and technology to military operations and emergency response.

Human Rights and Civil Liberties Work

Human rights principles are closely connected to much of Emma Price’s inquest, inquiry and public law work. Her practice frequently involves the Human Rights Act and the rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

She has particular experience with Article 2, which protects the right to life. Article 2 may require the state not only to refrain from unlawfully taking life but also, in certain circumstances, to take reasonable steps to protect individuals facing known risks. It can additionally create a duty to conduct an effective investigation when a death may involve state responsibility.

Her work also engages Articles 3, 5 and 8. These concern protection from torture or inhuman and degrading treatment, the right to liberty and security, and respect for private and family life. Such rights can become relevant in cases involving prisons, policing, mental healthcare, immigration, education and data privacy.

Information Law and Personal Injury

Price advises on sensitive information-law issues arising under the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act. Her work includes questions about privacy, data handling, breach of confidence, electronic communications, complex subject access requests and alleged misuse of private information.

This field has become increasingly significant as public institutions and private organizations hold larger volumes of personal data. The challenge is often to balance transparency and legitimate information-sharing against privacy rights and legal restrictions.

Her civil practice also encompasses personal injury claims, including negligence, employers’ liability, alleged assaults in prisons or policing contexts, and injuries sustained by military personnel. She has dealt with claims involving serious psychological harm, complex medical evidence, orthopedic injuries and injuries reportedly arising during military training.

Appointment as an Assistant Coroner

In January 2023, Emma Price was appointed as an Assistant Coroner for the City of London. In this part-time judicial role, she supports the delivery of the coroner service and conducts her own investigations and inquests.

The appointment is closely aligned with her established professional experience. Acting as an advocate in inquests and sitting as a coroner are distinct responsibilities, but both require a command of coronial law, evidence, medical questions and procedural fairness.

A coroner must approach every investigation independently, identify the relevant issues and ensure that witnesses and interested persons are treated fairly. Price’s appointment therefore represented an important development from representing participants in coronial proceedings to carrying judicial responsibility for conducting them.

Awards, Recognition and Professional Contribution

Emma Price is ranked among the leading juniors in major legal directories for her work in inquests and public inquiries. In 2024, she received the Junior of the Year award at The Legal 500 UK Bar Awards, a significant recognition of her legal work and professional standing.

Published directory feedback has highlighted her analytical ability, preparation, advocacy and capacity to manage extensive evidence in complicated cases. She was also named as a finalist in the Advocate of the Year category at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2026.

Beyond individual cases, Price contributes to the wider profession through articles, talks and advocacy training. She has served as a Gray’s Inn advocacy trainer, helping other barristers develop courtroom and case-presentation skills.

In February 2026, she and barrister Emma-Louise Fenelon published Baby at the Bar: Navigating Life as a Barrister After Becoming a Parent. The book addresses maternity and parental leave, returning to practice, childcare, career development and the changing pressures experienced by barrister parents. It developed from the authors’ research and their interest in creating practical guidance for people attempting to combine a self-employed legal career with family responsibilities.

What Makes Emma Price’s Career Significant?

The importance of Emma Price’s work lies partly in the institutions and legal principles involved. Inquests and public inquiries often follow events that have exposed serious weaknesses in public systems. Their findings can influence policy, professional standards, institutional learning and the way future risks are managed.

Her career also demonstrates how different areas of law overlap. A death in custody may involve coronial law, healthcare evidence, prison policy, police conduct, negligence and Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. An information-law dispute may simultaneously raise issues of privacy, public accountability and freedom of expression.

By working across these connected areas, Price has developed a practice based on careful analysis, public accountability and the fair examination of institutional decisions. Her work does not always involve acting for the same type of participant. She has represented government bodies, police organizations, healthcare providers, public authorities, and families, reflecting the professional duty of a barrister to provide independent representation in accordance with the facts and law of each case.

Conclusion

Emma Price has built a distinguished career at the intersection of public law, inquests, public inquiries, human rights and civil litigation. Called to the Bar in 2007, she progressed through the Attorney General’s panels, joined 5 Essex Chambers in 2019 and became an Assistant Coroner for the City of London in 2023.

Her work on the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Infected Blood Inquiry, and several important inquests has placed her at the center of legal proceedings examining some of the most serious questions of public accountability in Britain. Recognition as The Legal 500’s Junior of the Year in 2024 further reflected her standing within her specialist field.

Alongside advocacy and judicial work, her training, writing and contribution to conversations about parenthood at the Bar reveal a broader professional influence. Emma Price’s career is ultimately defined by the ability to navigate difficult evidence, sensitive human circumstances and complicated questions about the responsibilities of public institutions.

(FAQs)

Who is Emma Price?

Emma Price is a British barrister at 5 Essex Chambers, specializing in public law, inquests, public inquiries, human rights, civil liberties, information law and personal injury cases.

When was Emma Price called to the Bar?

Emma Price was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 2007, beginning a legal career focused increasingly on public accountability and complex civil litigation.

Which chambers does Emma Price belong to?

Emma Price is a member of 5 Essex Chambers in London, where she handles significant public law, inquiry, inquest and human rights matters.

What are Emma Price’s main legal specialisms?

Her principal specialisms include inquests, public inquiries, judicial review, human rights, civil liberties, information law and personal injury claims.

Which major public inquiries has Emma Price worked on?

She has worked on major proceedings, including the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, the Infected Blood Inquiry, and the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry.