Emma Zeb KC

Areas of expertise

• Clinical negligence & personal injury
  • Inquests & inquiries

    Inquests & inquiries

    Emma is sought after in complex and high-profile inquests and inquiries by government departments, private companies, the NHS, the police and local authorities as well as other interested persons, including the bereaved family. She is instructed by Coroners as Counsel to the Inquest.

    From the earliest investigations through to the final inquest, Emma provides a calm and mature strategic approach in the most demanding and stressful of cases, often with related legal proceedings, risks of significant reputational risk and complex evidential questions around disclosure requirements.

    Emma understands the complexities of inter-agency working and this equips her well in the most legally complex multi-party cases.

    Emma’s prison related inquest work includes cases examining wider issues such as the lack of dementia care in the prison estate, the quality of diabetes care and the management of drugs, including new and developing psychoactive substances and synthetic opioids. For police authorities her cases include domestic homicides, including self-inflicted deaths following domestic abuse, deaths following restraint and most of her cases involve allegations of widespread institutional failings. Examples of her healthcare inquest work includes cases involving psychiatric care and systemic failings in maternal and neonatal care. For local authorities Emma has experience in cases touching the death of those with disabilities, the homeless community and those in long-term care. She has acted in inquest cases following high profile murders, including cases concerning allegations of probation mis-management, and self-inflicted death cases to Veterans and children. Almost all of Emma’s cases engage Article 2 and are held before a Jury.

    Related litigation, including claims under the Human Rights Act, Judicial Reviews and wider advice to support systemic change nationally and in the delivery of care to the vulnerable all form part of Emma’s inquest practice.

    Emma is instructed in statutory and non-statutory Inquiries. She was a central part of the senior counsel team instructed by Cabinet Office and Downing Street for the Covid-19 Inquiry in Modules 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 and is instructed by the MOJ as their lead counsel in the Nottingham Inquiry.

    Her wider high profile work relating to investigations and management of the vulnerable in society has included work as part of the advisory counsel team on the Rwanda Deportation claims and other confidential and sensitive work for a host of private and public bodies arising out of large scale tragedies and terror attacks working on highly sensitive and confidential cases.

    Emma speaks regularly on a range of Inquest and Inquiry topics and has contributed to policy change papers examining the coronial investigative system in Malta.

    Appointed Junior Counsel to the Crown since 2018 and since her Silk appointment in 2025 has been invited to join their KC panel.

    Emma has been a Recorder sitting in the Crown and County Court since 2018 and is ticketed to hear serious sex offence trials as a result of which she is highly experienced in the handling of vulnerable witnesses and those who have experienced trauma.

    Emma’s reputation in these fields of practice has secured her consistent recommendations in both Chambers UK and Legal 500 since 2008 achieving recommendations both on her circuit and in London.

    Examples of some notable  / high profile recent inquests / inquiries include:  

    • Nottingham Inquiry (2025) – Instructed as lead counsel for  MOJ (HMCTS & HMPPS) following the homicides by Valdo Caloncane.
    • UK Covid-19 Inquiry (2022-2025) – Instructed by Cabinet Office – Modules 1,2,4,5 &7.
    • Re: Matthew Boorman (2025) – Instructed by the police following the murder of MB by Can Arslan
    • Re: Jacob Billington (2024)  – Instructed by G4S at the inquest following the murder of JB by a man recently released from prison.
    • Re: Frederick Heard (2025) – Instructed by private prison provider in an inquest examining the provision of dementia care in the prison estate.
    • Re: Micheal Lavin (2025) – Instructed by prison healthcare and custodial services examining the adequacy of diabetes care in the prison estate.
    • Re: Ross Appleby, Ryan Harding and up to 3 other inquests (2025 – 2026) –  Numerous inquests concerning sudden or self-inflicted deaths following psychoactive substance use in prison, including new synthetic opioids.
    • Re: JL (2025 – 2026) – Instructed by police – inquest – domestic homicide following allegations of domestic abuse.
    • Re: RG (2025) – Instructed by MOJ in inquest touching on death of a man who took his own life whilst subject to IPP.
    • Re: Louis Petryscyn (2025) – Inquest examining death from psychoactive substance misuse in prison.
    • Re: Jared Perry (2024)  – Article 2 inquest touching on the self-inflicted death of a man in prison whilst awaiting transfer to a secure hospital.
    • Re: James Faulkner (2024) – Article 2 inquest touching on the death of a man who died of alcohol toxicity whilst housed in a hotel during Covid-19.
    • Re: George du Preez (2023) – Represented the National Probation Service at the inquest touching the death of a former veteran with PTSD who took his own life.
    • Re PQ (2023) – Representing Cwm Taf Health Board in relation to the early neonatal death of baby PQ. Examining systemic failures in maternity and neonatal care.
    • Re: Ben Fountain (2023) – Representing Gloucester Police in relation to the self-inflicted death of a young man on police bail.
    • Re: Robert Angus (2023) – Representing G4S in respect of the death of an inmate during the Covid-19 lockdown.
    • Re: Rochelle Ravenscroft (Sept 2022) – Represented Children’s Services in relation to the inquest of a young mother who died from Sodium Nitrite poisoning.
    • Re: Peter Pearson (August 2022) – Represented nursing home following an elderly patient’s death from aspiration Pneumonia.
    • Re: Amanda Goodings (August 2022) – Represented care home following death of an elderly patient from necrotic pressure ulcers.
    • Re: Keira McCalla (May 2022) – Representing Gloucester Constabulary in relation to the death of woman with mental health difficulties and who was at the time a missing person.
    • Re: Robert Jones (March 2022) – Representing psychiatric unit following the death of a man who absconded and the placed himself before a moving train.
    • Re: MJ (January 2022) – Two week inquest touching the death of a teenage girl who took her own life whilst in a psychiatric unit.
    • Re: Keith Dean (December 2021) – Representing Housing Services following the death of a homeless man during the pandemic.
    • Re: Christopher Slade (2021) – Representing G4S / HMP Parc in an inquest concerning a self-inflicted death and involving issues around the conduct of a former prisoner officer.
    • Re: Dorothea Hale (June 2021) – Represented the GP and Ltd Company who owned one of the care homes investigated under the multi million pound police investigation, Operation Jasmine and the public inquiry (Flynn Review) into care home abuse in South Wales. 4 week inquest.
    • Re: Alexanda Cusworth (2021) – Represented HMP Dartmoor and the National Probation Service following the murder of one inmate by another in the kitchen area. 2 week inquest.
  • Personal injury

    Personal injury

    Emma is a highly experienced personal injury practitioner having specialised in this area for over 25 years and she has been recognised in the professional directories since 2008, now on Circuit and in London. Emma is known for her attention to detail and her ability to pick apart tricky liability and causation issues. She has always managed to balance a practice for both claimants and defendants, meaning that she remains alive to the arguments on both sides of the coin which is an advantage both in court and when negotiating settlement.

    Her expertise lends her to a practise that largely focusses on catastrophic injuries often involving TBI, amputation, disabling spinal injuries, severe gynaecological injuries and death.

    As the number of litigated Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) cases has grown, so too has Emma’s work in this area. She is instructed by Claimants and Defendants in such cases and has chaired conferences on what is a complex and challenging area of law and medicine.

    In addition to the more common types of personal injury claims, Emma has dealt with claims for sexual abuse against family and non-family members, accidents and assaults in care homes and custodial environments to staff and service users with all manner of vulnerabilities and employer’s liability claims involving multiple potential defendants. Emma has years of experience acting for local authorities.

    Emma’s vast inquest practice leads to her being instructed in related damages claims dealing with liability and quantum issues related to claims pursuant to the Human Rights Act.

    Emma is instructed in an increasing amount of international litigation and is instructed in personal injury and clinical negligence cases in the Cayman Islands and by international clients and insurers, including in the United States.

    Emma is involved in the highest profile, confidential and large scale litigation claims often arising from large scale incidents or terror attacks.

    Recent cases:

    • X v DCC (2025) – Acting for young man with Down’s Syndrome who suffered injuries in a drowning incident. 
    • XX v A (2025)– Settled 9 year claim for parent of a baby who sustained hypoxic brain injury – product liability claim involving baby equipment.
    • C v JM (2025) – Marine accident causing death of an American National in Caribbean waters. Instructed by Claimant on jurisdictional issues.
    • Multiple Claimants v Mlutiple Defendants (2025) – Advising on multi-party litigation following mass injuries as a result of a terror incident.
    • SS v HGG (2024) – Acting for Defendant in case alleging serious injury after alleged sexual assault at work.
    • Kirk v G4S (2023) – Acting for Defendant in claim by notorious litigant in person for damages following alleged clinical negligence, assault, abuse, discrimination, misconduct in public office and property theft.
    • AJ v G4S and others (2023)– Acting for Defendant in high value claim alleging the development of FND following injuries suffered by a prison officer when restraining a young prisoner in a fight.
    • SE v JR (2023) – Acting for high earning Claimant in a below knee amputation case with significant upper limb injuries also. Settled for significant 7-figure sum.
    • KP v PW (2024) – Acting for Claimant in catastrophic motorcycling injury case involving injury to all four limbs and significant rehabilitation needs.
    • PL v DL (2023) – Junior to Joel Donovan KC in TBI to a young girl who fell from the rear of a moving vehicle.
    • TA v Esure (2023) – Acting for Claimant in a case where is diagnosis of FND was disputed and fundamental dishonesty was alleged.
    • CS v LV Insurance (2023) – Acting for an elderly man who suffered a delayed stroke following a road traffic accident. Disputed capacity issues in the case.
    • Moran v TCS (2023) – Successfully secured damages for a child who lost one of his eyes during unsupervised student horseplay at school.
    • XX v X & TK v X (2022)– Acting for prison service in respect of claims by prisoners after cell fires. Issues concern causes of the fire including criminality of the injured person. High value claims in respect of the catastrophic burn injuries suffered.
    • Naylor v G4S & others (2022)– High value claim for damages following a near miss ligature to a prisoner who has been left profoundly brain injured. Liability, causation and quantum in issue. Issues of non-delegable duties in healthcare, vicarious liability and claims for breaches of the HRA 1998.
    • PH v County Council (2022)– Acting for council in respect of an accident on a public right of way. Examining duty owed by the Council for the state of the pavement in such areas.
    • Thompson v Bissett (Allianz) (for Cl) (2021)– Settled 7-figure sum brain injury claim to young man who was knocked down by a drug / drunk driver. Significant rehabilitation needs, active epileptic activity. Multiple expert case.
    • Griffiths & Others v G4S (for D) (2021)– Damages following the death of a man who ligatured in prison. Case examined the safety of safer custody units and national guidance in respect of the same as well as the management of mental health and substance misuse issues (2021).
    • Nicholson & Nicholson v Chief Constable of Dorset Police(1) Borough of Poole (2) Dorset CC(3) & Others– (for one of Ds) – claim for damages by the parents of a vulnerable man who was murdered by two young persons (2021).
    • Lewis v Kennedy & Markerstudy– (for Claimant) Multiple fatals claim involving death of young husband and unborn baby as well as injuries to mother and another child (2020).
  • Clinical negligence

    Clinical negligence

    Emma undertakes all types of clinical negligence claims including missed/delayed diagnosis of cancer, failure to diagnose DVT, gynaecological injury, pressure sore cases, medication mis-management and psychiatric injuries/deaths. She has been recognised in this area by Legal 500/Chambers UK since 2008 and is now recognised both on Circuit and in London.

    She also deals with cases involving complex legal argument surrounding the duty of care of medical professions when providing contracted services and concerning issues of vicarious liability and non-delegable duties.

    Her clinical negligence and inquest practices are complementary, involving cases that arise from the deaths of some of society’s most vulnerable individuals — including children receiving psychiatric care, elderly people with dementia, and individuals with disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome.

    She has a particular talent for handling multi-expert conferences which require maturity, control and the tenacity to test the strength of the opinions upon which the claims/defences are based.

    Emma acts for both claimants and health boards/NHS Trusts as well as private healthcare providers in the custodial estate.

    As a trained mediator, Emma knows the importance of utilising suitable forms of ADR in clinical negligence disputes.

    Emma is instructed in an increasing amount of international litigation and is instructed in personal injury and clinical negligence cases in the Cayman Islands.

    She sits as a Recorder in Civil and Crime and has heard/case managed numerous clinical negligence claims. She is on the Silks Panel as Counsel to the Crown including Clinical Negligence work where she has represented MOD medical services where care has been provided overseas.

    Recent cases

    • H v G4S, MOJ and various Health Boards (2025): Co-defending claim concerning allegations in negligence and under the HRA 1998 concerning medical treatment in prison for dementia.
    • Various v Dixon & The Spire Hospital (2023-2025) – Instructed by two Claimants who were treated by Anthony Dixon by way of laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy and suffered serious harm as a result.
    • DF v Cwm Taf Health Board (2023-2025) – Acting for Defendant in relation to a claim for damages resulting from an above knee amputation after a delayed diagnosis of femoral artery occlusion.
    • ES v 2 doctors (2025) – Cayman Island Cerebral Palsy case. Acting for Claimant.
    • Re: XX (2023) – successfully represented Claimant on issues of liability and quantum in a claim against two medical practitioners who administered medication contrary to XX’s HIV drug regime causing Cushing’s Syndrome.
    • MS v George Elliot Hospital (2023) – Acted for Claimant with severe psychological injury following an attack by one of her patients.
    • LR v University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (2022) – Junior Counsel to Charles Bagot KC in a claim concerning the delayed diagnosis of meningitis to an 18-month old girl resulting in a syrinx causing scoliosis, highly impaired motor function and severe disability needing extensive care.
    • Collard v Betsi Cadwalladr HB (for D) (2022)– Settled long running clinical negligence claim at two JSMs on liability and quantum. Seven figure sum settlement and periodical payments for a failure to detect a brain tumor.
    • Re: PQ (for D) (2022 – 2024)– Acted for health board in respect of a claim for damages following the neo-natal death of PQ. Investigated as part of the Cwm Taf Maternity Investigation.
    • Naylor v G4S & others (for D) (2022)– High value claim for damages following a near miss ligature to a prisoner who has been left profoundly brain injured. Liability, causation and quantum in issue. Issues of non-delegable duties in healthcare, vicarious liability and claims for breaches of the HRA 1998.
    • ED (child) v Betsi Cadwalladr ULHB– (For D) (2022) £7 million pound claim for failure to diagnose craniopharyngioma in a young child.
    • Lovegrove v MOD (For D) (2021)– Multi million pound claim concerning failure to diagnose bowel condition leading to loss of army career.
    • MK v University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire– (for Cl) – Failure to recognise post- operative bleed causing brain injury to an adult with existing learning difficulties (2021).
    • SE v RUH Bath (For Cl)– Failure to properly identify and treat portal vein thrombosis (2021).
    • Murakami v Anuerin Bevan ULHB (For D)– Human Rights Act and FAA claim following the self-inflicted death of a woman shortly after being discharged from psychiatric care (2021).
  • Fraud

    Fraud

    Emma is experienced in personal injury fraud matters in respect of liability and quantum issues. She deals with low velocity claims, cases where malingering may be suspected, exaggerated claims, cases where interim payments have needed to be clawed back, and she has successfully obtained vexatious litigant orders in matters where a litigant in person has brought numerous suspicious claims.

    Recent cases:

    • S v P – (For Claimant) FND diagnosed and Defendant asserted malingering.
    • L v W (For Cl) – high value quantum case –  catastrophic lower limb injuries – D alleged FD following surveillance evidence.
    • T v B&M Retail – (for D) – significant reduction in value of claim following interrogation of social media and surveillance showing Cl had exaggerated upper limb injuries.